Rep. Mrvan announces $700,000+ in grants for Hammond Gibson Woods

Lake County Parks and Recreation is receiving more than $700,000 in grants for Gibson Woods Nature Preserve in Hammond, Rep. Frank Mrvan announced.

“I grew up playing in Gibson Woods and am proud that Northwest Indiana is home to such incredible environmental wonders for residents and visitors to enjoy,” Mrvan said in his Monday news release. “I applaud all of the leaders with Lake County Parks and Recreation for this initiative to enhance and improve access to the natural treasures of Gibson Woods in Hammond.”

The nature preserve will receive $712,412 through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program, according to Mrvan’s release. The money will be used to “install improved public access features.”

A representative for the Lake County parks department said the grant money will be used to resurface the nature preserve’s parking lot with new asphalt and to replace boardwalks over the wetlands. It will also update signage and kiosks with maps of the nature preserve, and add new fencing throughout Gibson Woods.

Funding will also help with education about the ecosystem and public outreach in Hammond and surrounding communities.

“We’re honored to receive this support for the Gibson Woods Nature Preserve,” Craig Zandstra, superintendent of planning and natural resources for the parks and recreation department, said in Monday’s news release. “These improvements will help us continue to protect our natural resources while making the preserve more accessible and welcoming to the public. As we continue to invest in these updates, we’re ensuring Gibson Woods remains a place where both residents and visitors can learn, explore and connect with nature for generations to come.”

Gibson Woods is a 179-acre state-dedicated nature preserve, according to the Lake County Parks website. The park has a “unique and globally rare” dune and swale ecosystem and is a habitat for rare and endangered flora species.

The nature preserve’s features include a nature center, wildlife viewing room, gift shop, hiking trails, interpretive staff, school and group tours, and is a bird, insect and wildlife hotspot.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided federal organizations with funding since 2010, according to the program’s website.

Funding is used to target the biggest threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to achieve long-term goals, including making fish safe to eat; making water safe for recreation; creating a safe source of drinking water; controlling existing invasive species; and ensuring the native habitats are protected and restored to sustain native species, according to the program’s website.

Despite changes to federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has received reauthorization and bipartisan support, according to a July 17 update from the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes is working with members of Congress to ensure a bill including the reauthorization moves through committees and passes both the House and Senate.

Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott has encouraged people to use Gibson Woods, especially as the city has prepared for work on the Governors Parkway bridge project through Briar East Woods, a city-owned, 18-acre parcel.

In March, the city installed a boundary fence around Briar East Woods.

“We encourage residents to enjoy (the) nearby 179-acre Gibson Woods Nature Preserve to avoid construction in this area as the project gets underway,” McDermott previously said in an announcement.