Restoring a River, Reconnecting a Community Along the Shores of Lake Michigan

For generations, the West Branch of the Little Calumet River was a source of life, connection, and culture for communities in northwest Indiana. But over the past century, this once meandering and biodiverse waterway has been straightened, leveed, and degraded—cut off from the wetlands that sustained it and from the communities that once thrived along its banks. Indiana has already lost more than 85 percent of its wetlands.

Nearby, in the heart of Gary, Indiana, near the Marshalltown Terrace neighborhood, sits the Marshalltown Marsh, a 400-acre natural area that holds immense potential for people and wildlife alike. Audubon Great Lakes and the Little Calumet River Conservation Collaborative—a coalition of local government, nonprofit, and community stakeholders—have come together to restore this site as part of a broader 2,500-acre revitalization vision for the West Branch of the Little Calumet River.

This ambitious, community-driven restoration project led by Audubon Great Lakes and our partners is a model for how community-led conservation can support both ecological recovery and human well-being. Wetlands help slow and store stormwater, while healthy river systems offer a buffer against extreme weather and provide critical habitat for native species.  With climate change intensifying the frequency and severity of floods, restoring natural floodplains is more important than ever.