PRAIRIE RESTORATION UNDERWAY AT ECO-FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT

September 27, 2007
LAPORTE, INDIANA: Restoration has begun on the thirty-acres of rolling prairie at Avant Gardens, an eco-friendly development of 103-acre in Galena Township.

According to June Kirchgatter, Managing Partner for the development, JFNew (headquartered in Walkerton, Indiana) has been selected to perform the prairie restoration. Later this year the developers, Avant-Gardens Development LLC, plan to set the entire 30 acres of prairie (along with an adjacent 30 acres of mature forest) into a Wildlife and Forest Preserve as classified by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

“For more than fifty years these thirty acres were pasture land for the Lotter’s Black Angus cattle,” explained Kirchgatter, referring to a previous owner of the 103-acre parcel that makes up the entire development along Fail Road at 700 in Galena Township. The development will feature 20 home sites ranging in size from 1.3 to 2.7 acres. “Once the Lotter’s stopped raising cattle, the pasture became overgrown with thistles, Queen Anne’s lace, and wild roses,” Kirchgatter reported.

“Canada thistle, Multiflora rose, and Reed Canary grass are all considered invasive species in Northwest Indiana,” explained Ryan Allison, Unit Manager for JFNew. “Land overgrown with invasive plants cannot be classified as a Wildlife Preserve because it doesn’t represent native species of forbs and grasses,” Allison added. “Invasive plant species often grow in dense stands and can crowd out native plants that provide food and habitat for wildlife. Once we restore the prairie to native species, we will be creating a more eco-friendly environment for wildlife. The varying colors and textures of a native prairie are also aesthetically appealing to residents. ”

JFNews’ restoration plans call for hand sowing of young plants as well as mass seeding. “We are planning to plant four kinds of prairie grasses including Little Bluestem and Indian Grass. We will also be planting more than a dozen different kinds of forbs – or wildflowers – including Black-Eyed Susans, Yellow Coneflowers, and Wild Columbine,” explained Allison. The materials planted at Avant Gardens will be supplied by the JFNew Native Plant Nursery in Walkerton, Indiana.
 
JFNew provides natural resource consulting services throughout the Midwest. The firm has provided award-winning habitat restoration services to such projects as the Dunes Creek in Porter County, Indiana; Tryon Farms in Michigan City, Indiana; and Coffee Creek Center in Chesterton, Indiana.

Avant Gardens is being developed by Avant-Gardens Development LLC., a Chicago-based partnership established to develop low density, eco-friendly communities.