Ways to Get Involved
There are several ways you can help to restore and protect wildlife and native plants in Indiana.
You can provide resources for wildlife, including pollinators and bats, by creating habitat with plants native to your area. You can welcome bats to your property by installing a bat house and turning off any unnecessary lights.
Other ways to protect wildlife and natural areas:
Be a responsible pet owner
Keep dogs on leashes
Keep cats indoors
Give unwanted pets to a friend or neighbor – avoid releasing pets into the wild
Landscape to save insects and natural areas while improving watershed health
Plant native, non-invasive plants in your garden
Avoid insecticides and other garden chemicals
Create rain gardens to manage runoff
Prevent the spread of invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive speciesClean boats of all aquatic organisms including plants and drain all water before transporting
Clean boots and shoes before entering a new natural area
Participate in volunteer opportunities at local parks to remove invasive species
Consider tracking your plant and wildlife sightings with a community science reporting app such as iNaturalist or eBird
Our Partners
We work with many partners across the Indiana. Here are a few of our partners:
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
U.S. Forest Service
National Park Service
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services
Universities and colleges in the midwest
Local governments including counties and conservation districts
Many non-governmental organizations with conservation missions