Thanks to the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Health Foundation of La Porte and local volunteers, the boardwalks at Ambler Flatwoods in Michigan City have been restored.
Visitors to the Ambler Flatwoods Nature Preserve can now enjoy 537 feet of newly restored boardwalk, beyond the original 400-foot goal.
The nature preserve’s clay subsoil often holds water on the trails, making its network of boardwalks key for year-round access. Years of weather and fallen trees left many sections in need of repair.
With a $22,000 grant from the Health Foundation of La Porte, Shirley Heinze Land Trust set out to restore these sections of the boardwalk system. Volunteers and community partners helped to complete the work. Corporate teams, civic groups and individuals turned out for multiple workdays.
“We believe that all community members should be able to enjoy our preserves regardless of physical abilities,” said Kris Krouse, Shirley Heinze Land Trust executive director, in a press release. “Ambler Flatwoods is a beautiful preserve, and we’re incredibly thankful to the Health Foundation of La Porte and the many volunteers who have made this preserve accessible for community members who may not have otherwise been able to fully enjoy it.”
Shirley Heinze Land Trust plans to continue improving accessibility at Ambler Flatwoods and throughout the other preserves it protects across northwestern Indiana. Since 1981, Shirley Heinze Land Trust has been dedicated to the preservation and restoration of natural areas throughout northwestern Indiana. About 4,000 acres across Lake, Porter, La Porte, St. Joseph, Marshall and Starke counties are permanently protected, and most of the nature preserves are open to the public.
