Endowment to Protect Prairie Preserve

The property spans 719 acres.

A northwest Indiana conservationist has established an endowment to protect the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve in Lake County. The endowment, organized by Myrna Newgent, will fund efforts including onsite improvements and labor by summer interns and temporary workers.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the 719-acre property features a wealth of plant diversity and birdwatching opportunities. The organization calls the preserve a "large remnant of the prairie landscape that was once common in northwest Indiana."

Newgent is the former president of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, which focuses on northwest Indiana land conservation. She has also volunteered with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for more than three decades and the American Cancer Society for 15 years.