Indiana Land Trusts
| |
The Nature Conservancy
Protecting Nature. Preserving Life.
The Nature Conservancy is a land trust with chapters in all fifty states and in more than 30 countries around the world.
Our mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. We do this by saving and stewarding land through a strategic, science-based planning process, called Conservation by Design, which helps us identify the highest-priority place that, if conserved, promise to ensure biodiversity over the long term. Through this process, we have saved thousands of acres of forests, coral reefs, rainforests, freshwater & marine ecosystems, great rivers and tropical forests.
Since 1951,
The Nature Conservancy has:
* Protected 15 million acres of habitat in the United States;
* Joined with partners to safeguard another 102 million acres around the world;
* Grown to be one of the nation’s top 15 charitable institutions, as measured by private funds raised and has earned the support of millions of individuals and families;
* Operated more than 400 offices around the world;
* Established a network of more than 1,500 volunteer trustees to guide local conservation efforts;
* Pioneered land protection techniques such as debt-for-nature swaps and conservation easements;
* Mobilized hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds to acquire and protect important natural areas; and
* Helped develop a hemispheric biological inventory to track some 50,000 species and ecological communities
|
“One thing about land is they ain’t mak’n no more.”
Mark Twain
With the United States losing almost two million acres of farms, forests and open spaces each year to land development, the time to save our natural heritage is now. While we may need shopping malls, subdivisions and highways to accommodate our ever-growing population, those needs shouldn't destroy and replace our wetlands, forests and prairies.
The quality of our lives is greatly impacted by the quality of our natural environments and the plants and animals that need them to survive. Lucky for us, land trusts are working to protect and preserve our country's natural heritage for generations to come.
What are Land Trusts?
A land trust is a nonprofit organization that actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land acquisitions. As a nonprofit, land trusts depend on individuals, businesses and other community organizations to donate funds in order to purchase lands that need protection. Land trusts will also accept land donations, bequests and conservation easements - legal agreements between a landowner and a land trust that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values.
Land trusts are closely connected to the communities in which they work. As a charitable organization that relies on donors for funds and donations of land, land trusts are able to benefit those who give. Donations of money, land and conservation easements or by selling property at below market value - or as a "bargain sale" - allow the donor a number of tax benefits. The amount and type of benefit is dependent on what was given and in what amount, among other factors. Consulting a financial advisor or an attorney will help those interested in donating will help understand these benefits. Of course the best benefit - the saving of our natural heritage - is shared by all. Many - though not all - of the areas saved are open to the public as nature preserves or places of recreation.
Indiana Land Trusts
The following list is of the land trusts operating in Indiana. Contact information, including websites if applicable, is included if you are interested in donating or volunteering.
|
INDIANA LAND TRUSTS
|
ACRES Land Trust
1802 Chapman Road
Huntertown, IN 46748
(260) 637-2273
|
Blue Heron Ministries
2955 West Orland Road
Angola, IN 46703
(260) 316-2498
|
|
Central Indiana Land Trust Incorporated
324 West Morris Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 631-5263
|
Clear Lake Township
Land Conservancy
122 Outer Drive
Clear Lake
Fremont, IN 46737
(260) 495-2392
|
Four Rivers RC & D
112 S. Lakeview Dr.
Petersburg, IN 47567
(812) 354-6120
|
|
George Rogers Clark
Land Trust
Hoosier Hills RC&D
9608 Hwy 62
Charlestown, IN 4711
(812) 256-2330 Ext 3
|
Indiana Karst Conservancy
P.O. Box 2401
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(317) 882-5420
|
LaPorte County
Conservation Trust
405 Maple Ave
LaPorte, IN 46350
(219) 778-2810
|
|
Little River
Wetlands Project
2403 Fair Oak Drive
Ft. Wayne, IN 46809
(260) 478-2515
|
Mud Creek Conservancy
7399 N. Shadeland Ave #123
Indianapolis, IN 46250
317) 985-0992
|
The Nature Conservancy
1505 N Delaware Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 951-8818
|
|
NICHES Land Trust
P.O. Box 2790
West Lafayette, IN 47996
(765) 423-1605
|
Oak Heritage Conservancy
P.O. Box 335
Hanover, IN 47243
(513) 404-8268
|
Ouabache Land Conservancy
1007 Mill Pond Ln. Ste B
Greencastle, IN 46135
(765) 653-9455
|
|
Oxbow, Inc.
PO Box 43391
Cincinnati, OH 45243
(513) 851-9835
|
Red-Tail Conservancy
201 East Jackson
Muncie, IN
47305
(765) 288-2587
|
Save the Dunes
Conservation Fund
444 Barker Rd.
Michigan City, IN 46360
(219) 872-4875
|
|
Shirley Heinze
Land Trust
444 Barker
Michigan City, IN 46360
(219) 879-4818
|
Stuben County Lakes
Council Land Trust
P.O. Box 830
Angola, IN 46703
(260) 495-4211
|
Sycamore Land Trust
P.O. Box 7801
Bloomington, IN 47407
(812) 336-5382
|
|
Three Valleys
Conservation Trust, Inc.
PO Box 234
Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 524-2150
|
Trillium Land Conservancy
1717 E. Lusher
Elkhart, IN 46516
(574) 293-5070
|
Wawasee Area
Conservation Foundation
P.O.Box 548
Syracuse, IN 46567
(574) 457-4549
|
|
Whitewater Valley
Land Trust
4910 Shoemaker Rd.
Centerville, IN 47330
(765) 962-2427
|
Wood-Land-Lakes RC&D
1220 N. 200 W.
Suite J
Angola, IN 46703
(260) 665-3211 Ext. 5
|
Woodland Savanna
Land Conservancy
702 Washington Street
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 462-8129
|
What are RC&Ds?
RC&D stands for Resource Conservation and Development. RC&Ds are quite different than land trusts, but some do act as a land trust. RC&Ds are led by a local council of elected volunteers. This council will work with local governments to plan and carry out resource conservation and community development projects that will improve their town and make it a better place to live. These projects are geared to help the community become more sustainable by utilizing good land management practices and conserving natural resources.
For More Information
Land Trust Alliance - a national convener, strategist and representative of over 1,600 land trusts. Check out
Indiana's Land Trust Alliance members listing and their Standards and Practices.
Indiana Land Protection Alliance - a collaboration of land conservation organizations in Indiana.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Nature Preserves - find a nature preserve near you.
Indiana Heritage Trust (IHT) "buys land from willing sellers to protect Indiana’s Rich natural Heritage for wildlife habitat and recreation. They are funded partly through the sales of Environmental License Plates.
You can also
find a land trust by county through the Land Trust Alliance or visit the Indiana Land Protection Alliance (ILPA) for a
map of organizations and where they work.
