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Conservation
Efforts and News
This page contains various public and private organizations which focus on the improvements of current environmental issues. Together these groups encompass issues varying from national to state importance. Each organization is accompanied with a brief paragraph which states it's goals. These groups can be contacted through various embedded links to gain access to their specific news, upcoming events, and community outreach programs.
Local & Regional Organizations
Land
Trusts are
private, non-profit conservation organizations that work to preserve lands
that hold certain values (i.e. natural, scenic, recreational, historic,
cultural, or agricultural) as determined by the owner(s).
The Nature Conservancy is such a national organization with state
chapters. Within the state of
Indiana, there are several land trusts such as ACRES
(Allen County Reserves), Central
Indiana Land Trust, NICHES-Northern
Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive, and the Sycamore
Land Trust. In
general, they all work to preserve biological diversity and enhance the
land’s existence for the future. Each
above mentioned organization offers opportunities for volunteering and
provides a newsletter entailing current and future events and projects.
Save
the Dunes Council
Located
in northwest Indiana, the dunes are the result of the action of water,
wind and sand over the last 10,000 years.
The Save the Dunes Council was founded in 1952 in an effort to help
protect and preserve this natural phenomenon.
Since then, the council has helped create the National Lakeshore.
The attempt to protect the dunes is an ongoing effort and much of
the dunes area is out of the authorized boundaries of the state and
national parks. Their
existence will always be threatened by outside sources such as pollution,
toxic waste and landfills. The
dunes region is frequented by almost two million people per year, an
outstanding figure that demonstrates the need to conservation and
protection of the area. Volunteer
opportunities are available with the Council as are seasonal
newsletters that can be found on the website.
Improving
Kids’ Environment
This coalition began in Indiana with a future goal
to expand throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United
States. It is a non-profit,
advocacy coalition that “facilitates tangible and significant
improvements to children’s health through reductions in environmental
threats to children.” The
coalition works with citizens, non-profit organizations, governments, and
businesses to identify environmental health threats, educate parents and
children, and to decrease the health threats.
The six priority projects of IKE are lead based paint, combined
sewage overflows, pests and pesticides, mercury, consumer products, and
health priorities connected with environmental threats.
The updated website provides further information on specifies on
this new and beneficial coalition, with links to its newsletters and
insightful vision. Friends
of the White River
FOWR is a not-for-profit corporation that began in 1985 with a purpose of protecting and preserving the White River, which creates the state’s largest watershed and a prime natural and recreation resource. The organization seeks to promote improvement of the water and to maintain and protect the environment in and around the river. Many events are supported and organized by FOWR including ways to volunteer, such as garlic mustard pulling, river clean-up days, fish restocking, and the annual Kids’ Fishing Invitational. State-Wide Organizations
Indidana
Department of Natural Resources
The
DNR is an organization that uses methods to regulate water and mineral
resources for the protection of wildlife, the environment, and people.
The DNR utilizes professional leadership, management, and education
to teach citizens to protect, enhance, preserve, and wisely use natural,
cultural, and recreational resources.
A few examples of areas the DNR are responsible for managing are
State parks, reservoirs, forests, campgrounds, beaches, lakes, state
museums, and state historic sites. Voluntary
donations from citizens have enabled the DNR to protect rare and
endangered species. Hunting,
fishing, and trapping regulation allow the DNR to manage game species.
The DNR provides citizens to be updated on their current effort by
created a page on their website that gives detailed information on the
latest news.
The Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy In addition to publishing the annual
preservation guide for the Hoosier state, this group is heavily dedicated
to many key efforts to conserve the Indiana environment. The chapter’s involvements include stewardship workdays,
educational workshops and providing funding for specific local
conservation projects. These
projects include the Stoner Hill glade restoration in Harrison County, and
the protection of the wildlife and their habitat at Big Walnut Creek
valley in Putnam County and much more.
Also, the chapter is intricately involved in the Indiana Gap
Analysis Metaproject, which targets a specific approach in evaluating
levels of biodiversity and providing accurate data for the promotion of
biodiversity management strategies. The nature conservancy relies heavily on the community’s
support and donations.
This group also provides the public to sign up for a newsletter
that will be sent to their home. Hoosier
Rails-to-Trails Council
The HRTC is a statewide, non-profit advocacy and assistance group that works to preserve the 3,000 miles of abandoned rail corridors across the Indiana landscape. These rails exist through fields, farms, cities, towns and rivers. They provide a sense of heritage and history through existence, and now, in addition, provide a source of recreation and nature and identity through the conversions. The current trails and projected trails stretch across southern, central and northern Indiana with just over a hundred miles now available for use. For more detailed information on current and projected trails, visit their website for current information. Also, while there, discover active and passive ways to participate in your area. Indiana
Audubon Society
This
society is an independent statewide organization, not linked to the National
Audubon Society. Founded
in 1898, it is the oldest continual conservation organization. The society conducts bird and wildflower censuses, operates
a rare bird hotline, conducts and promotes various research throughout
the state and sponsors education through workshops and field trips.
This is not an exhaustive list of its activities, but rather a
sampling of the diverse opportunities that the society offers.
For information on the National Audubon Society and its various
chapters within the state, please visit: Known as Indiana’s “leading environmental group,” the HEC is a
network comprised of various organizations and is supported by a 25,000
individual member base. The
HEC is involved in a broad range of Indiana’s most important and
critical environmental issues from educating communities about their local
watersheds, to providing support of the development of renewable energy
sources. As a major contact
for Indiana’s media, the HEC is perhaps the most influential
“presence” on Indiana legislature.
With the aid of their Legal Defense Fund, the HEC is able to focus
on environmental law. Accurate information regarding Indiana’s forests is an integral part
in the conservation of these quickly disappearing ecosystems.
The Indiana Forest Alliance is a non-profit network of
organizations and individuals that strive to educate and involve Hoosiers
on the practices currently harming state forests.
The main goal of the IFA is to establish “sustainable economic
and political models that will ensure the long term well-being of
Indiana’s forests.” Fighting
to end the commercial exploitation of Indiana’s forests, the IFA is one
of the strongest proponents of establishing a voice in how Hoosier’s
public forests are managed. The Indiana Environmental Report The Indiana Environmental Report is published by
Environmental Communications for Indiana Inc. and the primary mission of
the group is to promote public awareness on understanding the various
environmental issues in Indiana. The
web-based IER newsletter is a tremendous tool to keep the public informed
about current news and views regarding the Hoosier environment.
Topics regularly covered in the newsletter include energy, air,
water, soil, transportation, toxic substances and more. The IER is able to start at the base of many Indiana
conservation issues by resourcefully raising public awareness. Indiana Recycling CoalitionThe
IRC is a not-for-profit corporation with a goal “to conserve our natural
resources, decrease our reliance on final disposal, and encourage
environmental responsibility.” The
coalition advocates the buying of recycled products, not just recycling
consumers’ waste. It also
coordinates Recycle Right Indiana, a campaign to teach the specifics of
recycling. The IRC issues a newsletter
to the public to provide information on the latest efforts.
National
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