The Hobart Nature District is located in the City of Hobart, Indiana and includes over of scenic parks, wetlands and floodplains, winding rivers, peaceful lakes, open prairies, oak savannas, old-growth forests, and undulating ravines.
The name of the Hobart Nature District was officially established by resolution of the Common Council of the City of Hobart, Indiana on July 19, 2017, but the natural areas within the district have been in various states of accessibility and restoration for decades. The resolution by the City Council affirmed the phrase "Hobart Nature District" was the best way to refer to all of the areas contained within the Hobart Marsh Plan which was established by the city in 2013.
The concept behind the Hobart Marsh Plan, which contains the areas now referred to as the Hobart Nature District, has been to capitalize on the extensive areas of native prairie, wetlands and woodlands creating a unique attraction for passive recreation enabling visitors the opportunity to experience local flora and fauna. The Hobart Marsh Plan has sought to connect numerous conservation lands managed by various local partner organizations. It also builds upon the growing regional bike trail network with the potential to become an eco-tourism destination, providing access to many other natural and cultural attractions in the region.
The Hobart Marsh area has been cited as a critical habitat for nine state threatened or rare plant species, Blanding's turtle (state endangered), over 40 state endangered, threatened and rare insect species, four state endangered bird species, and five high quality natural communities.
While the phrasing "Hobart Nature District" only became official as of 2017, following the amendment of the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Hobart to include the Hobart Marsh Plan in 2013, conservation efforts and the early steps toward establishment of natural areas within the district date back to as early as 1989 when official support first began to formulate for the preservation of these special places. That initial support led to the establishment of the "Hobart Prairie Grove" that was added to the National Park System as part of a 1992 expansion of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (renamed the Indiana Dunes National Park in 2019).
History
1980s
1988
In 1988 Tom Post, with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Nature Preserve, visited a property that would later in1996 be officially named McCloskey Burr Oak Savanna. Prior to the visit by Tom Post of the Indiana DNR, Terry McCloskey found out that there was going to be a timber harvest at the property and along with his father, Raymond McCloskey, purchased the properly to keep it from being logged. After visiting the property Mr. Tom Post began the process of recommending the property be purchased by the Indiana DNR and dedicated as a nature preserve to protect the mesic savanna natural community. 1989
Hobart Mayor Margaret Kuchta testified in support of adding the Hobart Prairie Grove as a part of the National Park system during hearings on a bill submitted by Congressman Pete Visclosky in 1989. The Hobart City Council also passed a resolution endorsing the proposal. David Canright of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter presented written testimony dated September 27, 1989 to the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, National Parks, and Forests in support of S.2882, a Bill to Enhance The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, that cites the importance of including Hobart Prairie Grove in the expansion.
