Family completes 48-acre wetland restoration in Indiana after three decades

Nearly half a century after Jim Wicks’s father first sought federal wetland protection for a flood-prone field, his son and partner Tom Malcolm have completed the conversion of 47.7 acres in St. Joseph County, Indiana, into a permanent wetland. The project was carried out under the USDA NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program’s Wetland Reserve Easements, which lock the land into conservation use. Engineers removed decades-old drainage tiles and installed water-control structures, reshaping the site so rain and groundwater form shallow basins that support native marsh plants.

NRCS surveys now record increased use by migratory waterfowl, wading birds, frogs and small mammals. The easement provides financial and technical assistance while keeping ownership with the landowners, who have given up the right to farm or develop the protected area. The restored wetland offers a lasting habitat corridor for wildlife in northern Indiana.