Category: Newsroom

March is Women’s History Month—a time to celebrate the resilience, leadership, and impact of women throughout history. Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation, by historian Tiya Miles, is a captivating, timely read. This beautifully written and well-researched book explores how nature played a pivotal role in the lives of some of America’s most fearless and influential women.

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Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

smiller@conservingindiana.org

317.370.2464

Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.

Part 8 of our winter “Staff Picks” series 

Full disclosure. I did not read Playground, Richard Powers’ new novel. I listened to it (twice) in audiobook format. I find myself listening to a lot of books these days, being on the road going from preserve to preserve. The second time I listened, I caught onto the fact that the audiobook has an element that is different from the physical version. It is hard to say much more than that without any spoilers. Continue reading →

Jamison Hutchins

Stewardship Director

jhutchins@conservingindiana.org

406.546.7244

Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He brings not only a love of nature, but an ability to create meaningful partnerships that advance crucial work.

In honor of Black History Month, here are some great reads that braid the Black experience and the natural world.

The Home Place, by J. Drew Lanham
Subtitled “Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature,” this work masterfully intertwines the personal, historical, and environmental. Lanham, an ornithologist, takes readers through his life growing up in Edgefield County, South Carolina. It’s a place with a lasting legacy of slavery, where generations of Lanhams have deep roots. As he reflects on his relationship with the land, Lanham reveals the complicated intersection of his Black identity with his love for the natural world—a space historically dominated by white voices. Filled with moments of humor, heartbreak, and profound insight, The Home Place offers a poignant meditation on belonging, identity, and the environmental struggles that come with living in a place of such rich, painful history. Perfect for anyone interested in how conservation, race, and personal legacy intersect in today’s world. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

smiller@conservingindiana.org

317.370.2464

Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.

Part 7 of our winter “Staff Picks” series 

Plants make choices. They network and communicate, compete and collaborate. They assess risks and allocate their energies accordingly. They alter their behavior and morphology according to environmental cues. They even spread the word about threats to kin and non-kin alike.

Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

smiller@conservingindiana.org

317.370.2464

Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.

Part 6 of our winter “Staff Picks” series 

When I was asked to write a book review, I had to pause and take a moment to think about which book would be good for me to read right now. I tend to choose informational, textbook-like screeds that are always super interesting, but can be difficult to read. Then I was gifted this little treat of a book by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s lighthearted, yet introspective, and just over 100 pages of easy text.

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Max Gerke

Stewardship Specialist

mgerke@conservingindiana.org

317.525.3329

Max is our newest member of the stewardship team, having served as a seasonal staffer the past few years. He previously worked with the DNR Division of Nature Preserves and the Indiana Heritage Data Center.

Part 4 of our “Staff Picks” series for National Book Blitz Month

I was solving a jigsaw puzzle the other day—one with the Chicago skyline where the entire top was a bright blue sky. There was one piece of that sky that was eluding me. Annoying! But after a while of unsuccessfully looking for the missing piece, I decided to move on to a different section of the puzzle. While solving the other corner, I stumbled across the missing piece—it was right in front of me the whole time! Continue reading →

Phillip Weldy

Stewardship Specialist

pweldy@conservingindiana.org

574.286.9344

Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. He came to his stewardship role at CILTI after undertaking invasive species control and trail maintenance for Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, MI.