East Arm Little Calumet River

The Potawatomis brought the beaver pelts by canoe to Bailly in the spring of the year and then he shipped them to Mackinac, from whence they were traded to Montreal and then Europe.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) rookery was protected and made part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 1980.

The herons, numbering 98 nesting pairs as of 2001, have made their home on the eastern portion of the wet woods along the Little Calumet River for more than 60 years.

[9] Beaver create wetlands which remove sediment and pathogens and increase trout and salmon abundance as their ponds make ideal fish-rearing habitat.

[10] Contrary to popular myth, most beaver dams do not pose barriers to trout and salmon migration, although they may be restricted seasonally during periods of low stream flows.

[12] In June 2015, the Little Calumet River East Branch Watershed Management Plan was produced via a partnership led by Save the Dunes.

Joseph Bailly Homestead on east bank of the Little Calumet River in Porter, Indiana .
Great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ) flying with nesting material.
Yellow trout lily in bloom on the East Arm Little Calumet River
Example of farming right up to the river's edge. Loss of riparian vegetation leads to run-off carrying sediment and pollutants (e.g. fertilizer) directly into the river, reducing water clarity and quality.