PORTAGE | Nestled between residential developments and Salt Creek on the city's east side is the home of a unique ecological habitat.

Some 200 different plant species call it home as well as more than 400 insect species, including the Angelica-feeding moth, recorded for the first time in Indiana by consultants hired by the Portage Parks Department to inventory and restore the Samuelson Fen.

A fen is a peat-accumulating wetland that receives some drainage from the surrounding mineral soils and supports specific wetland vegetation. These areas are richer in nutrients and less acidic than bogs.

The 33-acre area was donated to the parks department by the Samuelson family in 1985 and was identified by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a special natural area. In 2003, the department received a $100,000 grant to restore the fen under the Coastal Zone Management Act of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the DNR's Lake Michigan Coastal Program.

John McQuestion, a soil scientist of Soil Solutions, Inc. of Valparaiso, the firm hired to inventory and restore the area and develop a management plan, has been working in the area for more than a year and completed the project Sept. 30.

Results of the study indicated the fen has the potential to be earmarked a natural area and is "very well intact," said Jeff Kramer of NRC, who assisted in inventorying the area. Of the 201 plant species identified, 91 percent are native plants.

As part of the restoration work, the consultants worked to remove non-native species from the fen area, said McQuestion. Former owners had apparently attempted to drain the land, either for farming or pasture uses. Soil Solutions worked to plug the drain tiles within the fen to allow it to restore to its natural state.

"Even though this was such a dry year, the area showed an increase in water levels," said McQuestion.

Earlier this year a controlled burn was conducted on 20 to 25 acres of the property to help control invasive plants. A management plan was developed for future burns.

While restored closer to its natural state, there are threats to the area. A storm water discharge pipe, which brings runoff from nearby subdivisions, is bringing in sediment to the fen. The city's Stormwater Management Board last year authorized spending $15,000 to study the problem and come up with a solution.

Eventually, the parks department hopes to construct a nature trail around the fen and along the banks of Salt Creek and install interpretive signs to educate the public about the unique natural resource.

Parks Department Superintendent Carl Fisher said officials also would like to apply for another grant from the Lake Michigan Coastal Program to undertake a restoration project along the Little Calumet River.