WOLCOTTVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A northeastern Indiana park is growing by 50 percent by adding a wetland area that's home to rare and endangered species.

Funding from Indiana's Bicentennial Nature Trust helped purchase 44 acres that increases the size of LaGrange County's Dallas Lake Park, which was 96 acres.

The new property contains the southern portion of the “Pond Lil” wetland about 30 miles southeast of Elkhart.

The LaGrange County Parks Department will own and manage the site, but the state holds a conservation easement ensuring public access and permanent protection.

County Parks Director Mike Metz says the park's wetland observation deck has been a local favorite for years.

The Indiana Heritage Trust and the LaGrange County Community Foundation helped fund the purchase.