Indiana State Parks

Indiana State Parks. A glimpse of original Indiana. , The goal of Indiana’s state park system is to conserve and restore landscapes to pre-European settlement conditions., Indiana was once a vast land of prairies, wetlands, and forests. Fires and other natural disturbances periodically occurred. Predators kept deer and small mammal populations balanced. Native plants thrived, creating unique communities., After 1800, most of Indiana was cleared, drained and armed., Today, restoring and maintaining the historic landscape required active natural resource management., Research , Early surveyors’ records, soil surveys and hydrology studies reveal the original landscape. Using this information, a resource management plan is developed for each park., Based on research, the following may be recommended: ,

Wildlife Management In the absence of large predators and hunting, animals such as white-tailed deer quickly overpopulate. The park’s carrying capacity is exceeded and ground vegetation disappears. Hunts are scheduled to manage the population, Invasive Plant Removal Non-native plants reduce the health of natural communities. These plants are removed using fire, hand pulling, chemicals and chainsaws. Prescribed Fire Fire naturally maintains some ecosystems by removing unsuitable plant species and material. Prescribed burns are often conducted in parks to keep plant communities healthy and historical.

, Natural resource management in state parks helps preserve our natural heritage., Our parks contain: State Endangered plants, mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles.