Regional Spotlight

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Exhibiting Environmental Awareness

BY JOYCE RUSSELL, nwitimes.com

Environmentalist Lee Botts knows that her recent report, "The Restoration Revolution in Northwest Indiana," probably won't be recreational reading for most region residents. But a poster unveiled Thursday at the offices of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission here might bring the words of Botts' report to life to students and adults throughout the area.

"The idea is that restoration is happening in Northwest Indiana and things are getting better," said Botts. The poster spotlights 169 restoration projects throughout Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties and highlights those involved in the projects.

The poster is designed to be put up on a classroom wall for children to look, read and understand the importance of restoration to the region as a whole and to their community. It also, said Botts, is designed to inspire people, especially children, to get involved in restoration projects or to even think about environmental restoration as an occupation.

The project, which resulted in the report and poster, began as part of her role as senior adviser to the Quality of Life Council. Ten agencies co-sponsored the report, including NIRPC, the Save the Dunes Conservation Fund, Indiana University Northwest Center for Regional Excellence, Northwest Indiana Forum, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Habitat Council, Coffee Creek Conservancy, Taltree Arboretum and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

The poster was produced through a partnership with the Center for Regional Excellence at Indiana University Northwest and NIRPC. They printed 7,000 copies to be distributed. Botts' goal is to get it into the hands of those "beyond the conservation community."

"The point is that we don't think the people are aware. All us groupies, we are involved, we are aware. They (the general public) don't realize how much effort is involved in restoration," she said. "We are trying to think of ways to get it out to a much broader audience."

Related article: A restoration revolution Derek Smith, Herald Argus
"What (the study) does, in a very nice way, is feature the best examples (of restoration) we have in northwest Indiana," Daniel Goldfarb, regional director of the Wildlife Habitat Council, told The Herald-Argus. "Some people perceive the area to be backwards or contaminated. (Botts) uses the study to say, "Look what we are doing here." READ MORE

Restoration Revolution

Thousands of acres of protected woodlands, wetlands, prairies, dunes and streams in the northwest Indiana region provide refuge to thousands of plants and animal species, many of them rare, threatened, or endangered. Privately owned lands, including our own backyards, provide additional habitat for wildlife, such as migrating birds. This diversity of native plants and animals, or biodiversity, reflects the unique blend of landscapes that were formed around the southern end of Lake Michigan by the forces of glaciers, wind and wildfires. The resultant ecosystems are so rare that they have been labeled “globally significant” by ecologists. 

Urban growth further threatens the remaining natural landscape and its diversity of plants and animals. In the northwest Indiana region, population is projected to increase by six percent by the year 2030. In the collar counties, where some of the most critical natural areas and habitats remain, population increases are projected to increase even more substantially. In response, many groups are working together on natural land management, restoration, public education and research. 

The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is committed to assisting La Porte, Lake and Porter Counties with meeting their environmental needs. NIRPC’s Environmental Department strives for improvement in both water and air quality for the entire northwest Indiana region. NIRPC works with a variety of partners, including the Wildlife Habitat Council, to protect the environmental resources that give northwest Indiana its unique character.

The Restoration Inventory Project is a combined private/nonprofit/government effort on restoration projects in Northwest Indiana. As of September 2006, under the direction of Lee Botts, Senior Advisor to the Quality of Life Council, 166 sites have been identified where restoration of natural areas has been carried out in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties of Indiana.

The Restoration Inventory is an ongoing effort.  If you know of any additional restoration sites, please contact Lee Botts.

Restoring Gary's Urban Habitats

The Chicago-based Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation announced a grant to the Wildlife Habitat Council for ongoing conservation education and habitat restoration work in Gary Community School Corporation schools, in the City of Gary, Indiana. The grant titled “Restoring Gary’s Urban Habitats” includes the participation of Groundwork Gary, a U.S. National Park Service funded community-based organization, as well as several other partners of our Northwest Indiana-Chicago Office.

Three Green Teams are being developed with two public high schools and one middle school located throughout the City of Gary. WHC has worked with Gary agencies and public schools for over three years to address ecological management needs for the many natural resources assets in this economically disadvantaged community. Member facilities in Northwest Indiana can participate in this project by adopting the Green Teams and their schools as community partners.

Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 and Chicago Wilderness recognized four WHC members as part of the 2006 Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards. Certificates of Merit were awarded to BP’s Naperville Campus, Flint Hills Resources, LP’s Joliet Plant, The Dow Chemical Company’s Joliet Plant and United States Steel Corporation’s Gary Works for their habitat efforts.

The annual Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards were developed to recognize outstanding efforts by corporations, park districts and municipalities to use native plants in the landscape or use conservation development practices within the Chicago Wilderness region. The Chicago Wilderness region encompasses the crescent of land around southern Lake Michigan, including southeast Wisconsin, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. Chicago Wilderness is a consortium of more than 190 public and private organizations that work together to protect, restore, study and manage the natural ecosystems of the region.

With these awards, the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and Chicago Wilderness recognizes the work by Wildlife Habitat Council member facilities to restore Midwestern ecosystems and promote native plants in corporate and industrial landscapes. The efforts by these companies are recognized also in the context of employee participation and community outreach and education. These awards open the door for productive collaborations with conservation and community partners. Read Press Release

Contact Daniel Goldfarb with your suggestions for promotion and/or recognition of corporate environmental stewardship efforts, which may be even outside of our conservation circles, but could potentially showcase your company efforts in habitat management, restoration and community outreach.

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