ABOUT US
Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP) is a nonprofit land trust founded in 1990 with the goal of restoring and preserving wetlands in the watershed of the Little River, a headwater tributary of the Wabash River.
Mission
Our mission is to restore and protect wetlands in the historic watershed of the Little River, a major tributary of the Wabash River, and to provide educational opportunities that encourage good stewardship of wetlands and other natural ecosystems.
Preserves
Little River Wetlands Project (LRWP) protects more than 1,300 acres of wetlands in the Little River watershed. In addition to Eagle Marsh, Arrowhead Marsh, Arrowhead Prairie and Buttonbush Bottoms, LRWP also co-owns Little River Landing with ACRES Land Trust.
Hours and Cost
Our hours are open from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, at no cost. The green gate at Eagle Marsh will be open Monday-Thursday, 11am-3pm. Please do not park in front of gate when closed, you may park at the Gateway Parking Lot paralleling Engle Road and walk around the green gate into the preserve. The gate at the Arrowhead Preserves will be open for public programming only. When the gate is closed, you're welcome to park in front of the split rail fence and walk around it.
Trail Regulations
Enjoy our preserves, but please let it stay wild!
To protect our wildlife, do not bring in or remove animals or plants of any kind. Imported species can carry diseases or cause other problems. Please take your trash out with you.
As much as we love dogs, they are NOT allowed on any of our preserves.
Field trips for groups/classes
Click here for an application to bring a class/group to a LRWP preserve
Little River Landing
Little River Landing is a 53-acre preserve located near the confluence of the Little River and the Wabash River in Huntington, Indiana. Most of the preserve lies between the two rivers while the remainder is across the Little River on its west bank (see map). The preserve is jointly owned by LRWP and ACRES Land Trust.
arrowhead marsh
Arrowhead Marsh spans 97 acres and features nearly two miles of nature trails that wind through marsh, native tallgrass prairie and mature woods. Beautiful wildflowers can be seen the spring summer and fall. The marsh is home to grassland birds, ducks and other water birds, amphibians, and mammals, such as fox, mink and deer. (Note: After periods of rain or during spring snowmelt, the Arrowhead Marsh trail or parking area may be too wet to use.)
arrowhead Prairie
Arrowhead Prairie is located on 158 acres of land that’s been restored to prairie, wetland and woods. An educational garden features native grasses, sedges and wildflowers found in the Arrowhead preserves. Hikers can take a half-mile trail through tallgrass prairie or take two other trails that span three miles through the preserve. Over 98% of Indiana's original grasslands have been destroyed, making preserves like this one vital for wildlife—especially ground-nesting birds—that need such habitats. Many of these birds, such as the Henslow’s sparrows seen at Arrowhead Prairie last summer, are in serious decline.
EAGLE MARSH
At 831 acres, Eagle Marsh is the largest nature preserve in Allen County. Hikers can access the preserve’s varied habitats of shallow-water wetland, sedge meadow, prairie, mature forest and young trees through a 14-mile network of trails.
More than 250 kinds of birds and numerous other wild creatures have been seen at Eagle Marsh, including 28 bird and two amphibian species endangered or of special concern in Indiana. Bald eagles are often found at the preserve and have a nest just off the property.
buttonbush bottoms
Buttonbush Bottoms is a 25-acre restored wetland located between LRWP’s Arrowhead Marsh and Arrowhead Prairie preserves and Eagle Marsh. Land adjacent to or near existing protected properties is especially valuable to wildlife because such “habitat corridors” allow birds as well as smaller creatures, such as frogs and turtles, to move from area to area to prevent isolated populations from losing strength due to inbreeding. The preserve was named for buttonbush, a native wetland shrub found there. “Bottoms” describes low-lying land along a waterway. Buttonbush Bottoms land was donated by Denyel Bond and her mother, Patricia Hulse, late in 2014.