Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, September 16, 2016
(MITCHELL) - Visitors to Spring Mill State Park can rent boats for free, fish for prizes, participate in a guided hike and more during a day-long rededication of Spring Mill Lake on September 23.
The rededication marks the end of a two-year dredging project to remove sediment that accumulated during the man-made lake's 87-year history.
Workers removed roughly 111,000 cubic yards of debris, organic material and soil from the 23-acre lake. The project increased the lake's average depth from 2 to 8 feet. The result is improved recreational access and better habitat for fish and other wildlife.
The project involved the DNR divisions of Engineering, Fish & Wildlife, Forestry and State Parks. A portion of the funding was provided by the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) Fund, through DNR Fish & Wildlife.
Special activities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lakeview Activity Center. They include free boat rental, a lake and fish activity table, a scavenger hunt hike, and a lake history exhibit.
At 11 a.m., DNR director Cameron Clark and DNR's Indiana State Parks director, Dan Bortner, will officially rededicate the lake.
At 2 p.m., fisheries biologist Dave Kittaka will speak about the results of a lake survey. From 3 to 5 p.m., visitors can practice casting, fish for prizes and make a fish craft. Finally, at 5 p.m., park staff will lead a 1-mile hike around the lake, explaining its construction, maintenance and natural history.
The rededication is an official Centennial Legacy Project to commemorate 100 years of Indiana State Parks. The system of state parks was a gift to Hoosiers starting in 1916, when Indiana celebrated 100 years of statehood.
From the first two state parks at McCormick's Creek and Turkey Run in 1916, Indiana State Parks has grown to a system of 24 state parks, seven state park inns and eight reservoirs.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.