Land
Preservation

Protecting Our Ecosystem

The Wawasee Area Watershed ecosystem is more than lakes, rivers, and streams. Its 23,618 acres encompass farms, forests, wetlands, prairies, and urban developments, and what we do on the land directly affects our water. The Wawasee Area Watershed ecosystem includes Lake Wawasee (Indiana’s largest natural lake at over 3,000 acres), Syracuse Lake, Bonar Lake, Lake Papakeechie, the ten lakes in the upper Turkey Creek subwatershed, and lakes in the Tri-County Preserve.

After its formation in 1991, WACF met with the DNR and identified five key wetland areas in the watershed that were important to protect.  Of particular interest was the health of the three major tributaries to Lake Wawasee: Turkey Creek, Dillon Creek, and Lake Papakeechie that supply surface water to Wawasee. Other tributaries of concern that contribute sediment and runoff to the lake include Martin Creek (behind the Middle School to Leeland Addition), South Shore golf course (now the proposed Southshore Village Development) outflow, and the Bayshore area.

Today , the WACF protects over 1,000 acres with its 54 properties, including over 125 acres in conservation easements and deed restriction property. This translates into well over 10 miles of shoreline.  When our board considers a land purchase or acquisition, they consider established targets along with WACF’s ecological review of land acquisition priorities.