Drooping trillium

Nature is Not Closed

A letter from our executive director

As you may have guessed, we are cancelling our upcoming events. But we’re here to remind you, during this difficult time, that nature isn’t closed. Even though travel has been restricted in many places across Central Indiana, we can take notice of nature right where we live.

Star chickweed

Like you, our staff finds great solace in being outside. It’s what we turn to when everything else seems uncertain. Spring will not be cancelled, the sun will shine and the moon will continue in its cycle—and we can enjoy all of this even from a balcony or window.

You may know that we post regularly to Facebook and Instagram. We plan to continue that over the next month. We hope our social media feed of bright nature views can contribute to a sense of uplift. Even if you can’t travel to these places right now, we want to remind you that the natural world is waking up from its winter slumber, as it does every year. That is something you can count on.

You can also celebrate the nature right in your backyard. Our board president, Curt DeVoe, and his wife Lynn look for “nature moments” every day. Two of their favorites are the magical chatter of a flock of sandhill cranes and the fox sunning on a neighbor’s roof. Sights and sounds of the natural world are even more of a balm in troubled times.

We wish you many such moments, and we know that our community will weather this challenge.

​Be well,

 

Cliff Chapman

Cliff Chapman

President and CEO

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.