Shirley Heinze Land Trust announced that it has acquired an additional 50 acres of land within its Little Calumet River Conservation Area. The newly acquired property is located in Pine Township, adjacent to the organization’s Dale B. Engquist Nature Preserve and the Indiana DNR’s Reynolds Creek Gamebird Habitat Area. Together with Indiana Dunes National Park’s Heron Rookery Unit, nearly 2,000 acres of contiguous land are now protected at this site, providing significant wildlife habitat, including for endangered species like the Indiana bat. The parcel is mostly agricultural land, with some forested wetlands, emergent marsh, and surrounding upland woods. Its acquisition is a significant addition to the Little Calumet River Conservation Area, which now includes 518 acres protected by federal, state, local, and private land conservation entities. Wetland restoration will be a major feature of Shirley Heinze Land Trust’s management plan. For more information on the work and nature preserves of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, visit www.heinzetrust.org