Chesterton, IN-On Friday, June 8, 2001, the Honorable Frank O'Bannon will speak at the dedication ceremony honoring the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve at Coffee Creek Center. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the Chesterton Amphitheater located just southeast of the 1050N. and Route 49 intersection.
The Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve consists of 167 beautifully restored acres within the Coffee Creek Center neighborhood. Within the preserve are water features, boardwalks and a five-mile trail system. Stewardship of the land, donated by Lake Erie Land Company (LEL), a NiSource Inc., subsidiary, is the distinct honor of the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy board of directors. LEL's dedication to land preservation and restoration made it possible to create a non-profit organization comprised of Northwest Indiana's leading environmental groups. Representatives from Save the Dunes Council, Porter County Chapter of the Izzak Walton League, The Shirley Heinz Environmental Fund, the Coffee Creek Life Center, the Chesterton High School SAFE Club, and the Northwest Indiana Steelheaders oversee the environmental initiatives and coordination of social activities within the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve. "Historically, developers and environmentalists have been on opposite sides of the fence. The Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve demonstrates the possibilities of balancing man and nature without compromising the integrity of either group," said Katie Rizer, Executive Director of the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy. Additional aspects of the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve are the restoration processes that restored the land to pre-settlement conditions. The plant and animal habitat that make up the environmental system have their health rooted in the hydrology of the landscape. At Coffee Creek, storm water management methods are designed to infiltrate storm water deeply into the landscape, where the root systems of native plants assist in the natural absorption and even flow of water in the landscape. For more information about Coffee Creek Center, please visit our website at www.coffeecreekcenter.com or call 219-395-5300. For more information about the Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy please contact Katie Rizer at 219-926-1842.