For immediate release: March 22, 2018
Audubon Opposes Proposed CAFO in Newton County
The Indiana Audubon Society is formally opposing the proposed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) on property located next to The Nature Conservancy’s Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands in Newton County. Indiana Audubon expresses a desire to see the project moved to a less detrimental site within the county.
The project area as proposed sits on historic Beaver Lake, what was once Indiana’s largest fresh water lake. Today, through 7,000 acres of wet prairie and wetland restoration, Kankakee Sands stands as one of the most successful habitat restorations in Indiana history. The rich diversity of the sands supports state rare and endangered flowers, birds, and butterflies where the water table today lies mere inches under the soil.
The proposed CAFO, built by Natural Prairie Dairy, LLC, a Texas owned company, will annually produce more than 26 million gallons of urine, feces and contaminated wastewater, as stated in their permit application with Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
“Kankakee Sands is a nature success story and proof that high quality habitat restoration can coincide side by side with modern agricultural practices,” said Brad Bumgardner, Indiana Audubon executive director. “The water quality issues presented with this project pose damaging threats to the habitat work that’s been done over the past decade.”
Those interested in learning more about the proposed project can contact the Friends of Kankakee Sands at (219) 869-1004. To learn more about the Indiana Audubon Society and to search for programs near you, visit them on the web at indianaaudubon.org.
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Media contact: Brad Bumgardner, Executive Director. (219) 928-6905. [email protected]
