State acquires more land for Healthy Rivers project

SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP) — The state of Indiana has acquired another 180 acres in southern Indiana as part of an initiative nearly 70,000 acres of land along the Muscatatuck River and the Wabash River/Sugar Creek corridors.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources recently announced it had acquired two parcels of land in Jackson County — one with 136 acres and the other with 44 acres — as part of its Healthy Rivers Initiative. It says both parcels include forested wetlands characterized by bottomland hardwood trees that provide habitat for migratory birds and waterfowl. The Muscatatuck National Wildlife refuge east of Seymour is nearby.

The agency says the latest acquisitions bring to 7,600 acres the amount of land in the Muscatatuck project area protected from development.