The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Generation Conservation is now the Gen C Giving Tree!

With the new Giving Tree program, Gen C members can now choose where their conservation dollars are being used. Will it be a viewing platform at Kankakee Sands? Will it be a fire truck for prescribed burns? Will it be a botanical survey? You decide!

The Generation Conservation (Gen C) Giving Tree is a new project which gives conservation-minded people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s the opportunity to engage directly in the work of The Nature Conservancy in Indiana. Giving Tree members will have the opportunity to meet Conservancy staff and see their work first-hand, learning more about Indiana forests, prairies, and wetlands.

The Gen C Giving Tree is a giving circle.  Members of the Giving Tree will each contribute $600 to a pool of funds. Three Indiana Nature Conservancy scientists will present unique conservation projects eligible for the funding pool. At the end of the season, each Giving Tree household will cast one vote to determine which conservation project will receive the pool of funds. Donations can be given by an individual, a couple, or a family, or two households can share one $600 vote. Donations may be made as one payment, or we can set up monthly payments by credit card.

Stretching your money further...One generous Gen C family has generously offered to match each $600 donation, up to $10,000.  This means that if we have 17 members, we can raise over $20,000 for conservation in Indiana!

The Contenders

Brown County Hills Project Office

represented by Dan Shaver
Forest Bank Botanical Surveys   Forest Bank is an innovative conservation strategy used by the Conservancy. By "renting" trees from woodland owners, The Nature Conservancy is able to stretch donor dollars further while achieving our conservation objectives in Southern Indiana. Botanical surveys identify threatened and rare plant species, which guides our management of these properties.
Botanical Survey Field Trip: Saturday, April 20, 2013

Stewardship Team

represented by Chad Bladow
New Fire Engine   Many natural landscapes depend on fire to stay healthy and function properly.  Well-intentioned but misguided public policy has suppressed fire in many areas, allowing them to get out of balance, often leading to catastrophic and devastating fires.  The Nature Conservancy has a highly trained team that restores balance to these ecosystems using prescribed fire.  They need a fire engine (not a big red truck!) to help them in their work.
Fire Engine Field Trip: Saturday, May 18, 2013

Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands

represented by Ted Anchor
Wildlife Viewing Platform   In 1996, The Nature Conservancy embarked on a very ambitious effort to restore more than 7,000 acres of prairie in the Beaver Lake area of northwest Indiana, once the second-largest wetland complex in the United States. The restoration is almost complete, and we wish to build a simple viewing platform to allow the public to view the wildlife that is repopulating this amazing natural landscape.
Viewing Platform Field Trip: Saturday, August 3, 2013

We Need People Like YOU to Join Gen C!

Through membership in Generation Conservation, you can play an active role in preserving the forests, prairies, rivers, and caves that make Indiana a wonderful place to live. Gen C will provide special opportunities for you and your family to learn more about conservation opportunities in Indiana through both indoor and outdoor activities, including guided hikes, canoe trips, fun and informative lectures, and parties. You’ll meet like-minded people AND your membership will help The Nature Conservancy achieve meaningful, lasting conservation results in Indiana.

Gen C Giving Tree Benefits

• A one-year subscription to our award-winning bi-monthly magazine Nature Conservancy, to inform you about the latest conservation issues and the many places we are protecting around the world.
• A one-year subscription to the Indiana Chapter semi-annual newsletter, Nature Matters, highlighting the important work being done closer to home.
• Site visits to three Conservancy projects competing for Giving Circle funds guided by knowledgeable Nature Conservancy staff.
• It Feels Good, the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping ensure the health and survival of the natural world that sustains us all.
• Children's activities geared to helping you teach your children about nature, volunteerism, and giving.
• Invitations to our launch party in February an our wrap party in October, where we'll celebrate the year and choose a winning project

Download the Gen C Giving Tree pledge form.