The Nature Conservancy in Indiana - Donor Profile

Donor Profile - Rita Tatum

Rita Tatum

Rita Tatum’s love of natural wonders was nourished by her grandfather, who would take the towheaded youngster on hikes through Michiana’s woods, bogs and sand dunes. On crisp spring mornings they might walk along rivers and streams, seeing tadpoles and minnows skirting just at the water’s edge. Together, they would “discover” a deer’s path through an area or a groundhog’s burrow. Later, they might snack on wild berries, the tender shaft of a wild grass blade or morel mushrooms. For Rita, those special walks taught her to hear nature’s whispers, the gentle whish of a breeze through plump spring leaves, the quick plop sound a fish’s mouth makes catching a bug skimming the water’s surface.

Nature continued to play an essential role in Rita’s life. A quote from Henry David Thoreau, one of her favorite authors, introduced her to the college she attended. Nestled amid trees and ponds, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College west of Terre Haute was a perfect setting for regrouping after English and journalism classes. Upon graduation, Rita soon was a science reporter for a professional building magazine. The dual energy crises of the 1970s meant “alternative energy” was headline news. More than 30 years later, Rita still writes regularly about “green building” technologies. “When my mind’s stuttering to communicate a difficult technology, my seven-year-old self wants outside,” Rita chuckles. “Nature helps me appreciate the simplicity of complexity. For example, the transformation of a gray shore stone into a colorful gem underwater can be explained scientifically. But when I’m seven, I’m happy just making that change happen.”

When Rita learned of The Nature Conservancy’s hands-on approach to preserving the natural wonders she so treasured, she said, “The Conservancy’s mission and direct approach to conservation was so in tune with my inner child that I joined immediately,” As she got older, Rita realized that she wanted to help preserve nature’s refreshing wonder for future generations. In 2001, Rita made The Nature Conservancy a beneficiary of her estate. “I want others to experience the joy, peace and diversity the natural world so freely shares. And, that means the land needs to be protected. The Nature Conservancy saves natural habitats so other ‘forever seven’-year-olds can be amazed and inspired by the simplicity of nature’s complexity.”

If you would like to learn more about leaving a bequest or other estate gift to The Nature Conservancy, please contact Cassie Hall, Associate Director of Philanthropy, at 800-937-5263 or cassie_hall@tnc.org.

Top Photo: Spicer Lake Nature Preserve in St. Joseph County. Photo courtesy Richard Fields of the Indiana DNR.