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Meltzer Woods aerial, by Kyle Doles

National Self-Care Awareness Month: Find Your Zen in Nature

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September is National Self-Care Awareness Month, a time to focus on personal health. One of the best ways to boost well-being is to spend time in nature.

We believe that everyone deserves access to nature. Part of our land protection mission is to enable Hoosiers to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. Many studies show that time in nature promotes mental health and reduces stress. It can even enhance problem-solving skills. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

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.
Trout lily sample

Growing our Library of Botanical Knowledge

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Clear scientific data is crucial in restoring and protecting land—especially data about a site’s plant life.  Just as E. Lucy Braun collected and pressed plants in her botanical studies, our field team collects specimens to document plant communities.

Continue reading →

Grace van Kan

White River Steward

gvankan@conservingindiana.org
312.286.2484
Grace grew up roaming the woods, creeks and wetlands around the Chesapeake Bay watershed. From an early trout-raising project to a “gap year” spent restoring coral reefs in Thailand, her interest in aquatic conservation has only grown. Now she cares for several riverine nature preserves as CILTI’s White River Steward.
White River Bluffs

We Met Our Match!

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We are excited to announce we met our match challenge grant because of your support! Because of your generosity this summer, we received a $50,000 matching challenge grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation. 

Not only were your gifts doubled, but the acreage we can restore, the plants and animals we can protect, and the trees we can plant were doubled, too. 

We are blown away by how you show up for nature. Your donations have a lasting impact on our world and ensure these special places will be around for future generations. Thank you for helping us protect land forever! 

Look out for more ways to double your conservation impact!

Bridget Walls

Communications and Outreach Intern

Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jeanette Jaskula presenting at Oliver's Woods

Jeanette Jaskula Is Mothing in Indiana

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This month’s Golden Hour was led by Jeanette Jaskula, the President of Friends of the Sands and a moth enthusiast! What’s so special about Jeanette’s passion for moths is that it goes against the grain of common wisdom. People sometimes think of moths as lesser, believing moths are dull in color, gross, and (creepily) only out at night. You’ll also always hear the butterfly glorified over the moth. But Jeanette introduced the joy of moths, reminding attendees of moths’ stunning colors, patterns, and important roles in our ecosystem. ⁠ Continue reading →

Bridget Walls

Communications and Outreach Intern

Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Photo by Dick Miller

A Legacy Lives on: John and Phyllis Holliday

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“God made Indiana, and then he made the rest of the world to make it round.”

After her father’s death, Mary Holliday Rogers found this unattributed quote among his belongings. The sentiment, written in his handwriting, sums up how John Holliday and his late wife Phyllis felt about the state they called home—and offers a clue about why they left a portion of their estate to Central Indiana Land Trust. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

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.
Marjorie Jones in 2011, by Rachel Eble

Marjorie Jones: One of Nature’s Heroes

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The true heroes behind our work are the people who make it happen. Whether tireless volunteers, generous landowners, or donors, they make it possible to protect land forever. One of these heroes is the late Marjorie Jones, who donated her family’s land to us upon her passing in August 2021.  Continue reading →

Bridget Walls

Communications and Outreach Intern

Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Betley Woods at Glacier's End

Sharing CILTI from the Heart

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Guest post by Priscilla Johnson, Vice Chair of Advancement, CILTI board

Priscilla and her husband Tom, both longtime CILTI supporters/volunteers, enjoy honoring friends through donations to CILTI. We asked Priscilla to share a little bit about why she and Tom choose to give gifts in honor or memory of others, as well as gift memberships. Continue reading →

Priscilla Johnson

Vice Chair of Advancement

Priscilla Johnson was taught to appreciate nature and being in the outdoors by her father, Dr. Russell Lamb and her brother, Randy Lamb. She has been on the CILTI board since 2014 and is pleased to help conserve the best places in central Indiana.
Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve

Donate Today and Double Your Gift!

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We are incredibly honored that the Herbert Simon Family Foundation has offered a matching challenge. All gifts up to $50,000 will be matched now through September 1 thanks to their generosity. Through this match, you can join us in our promise to protect land forever. Continue reading →

Bridget Walls

Communications and Outreach Intern

Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.

Gov. Holcomb announces land purchase for new nature preserve

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thanks to a public-private partnership, a 570-acre undisturbed piece of Indiana forestland west of Greencastle in Putnam County will be protected forever to support important wildlife and plants and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. Continue reading →

Jen Schmits Thomas

Media Relations

Jen@jtprinc.com
317-441-2487
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together.
Fred and Dorothy Meyer Nature Preserve photo by Kyle Doles

Let’s honor those who have protected Indiana’s natural places

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Our president & CEO, Cliff Chapman, submitted this opinion piece to local media. It ran in several outlets in late May.

Among the many ways that Len Betley, who passed away late last year, made a difference in Indiana was through his drive to conserve our natural areas. In addition to directly participating in the purchase and protection of some of Indiana’s most stunning landscapes, he led initiatives that support ongoing conservation projects and strengthened preservation organizations. Continue reading →

Cliff Chapman

President and CEO

cchapman@conservingindiana.org
317.525.3329
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.