The Shirley Heinze Land Trust, originally known as the Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

land trust Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which th ...

dedicated to the preservation of natural areas in

Northwest Indiana Northwest Indiana, nicknamed The Region after the Calumet Region, comprises Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Lake Michigan and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Ce ...

. The Heinze Trust manages more than 2,800 acres of protected land in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Starke, and Marshall Counties in Indiana. Its preserves include a wide range of dune, wetland, prairie, and forest ecosystems. Due to the heavily developed nature of the

Calumet Region The Calumet Region is the geographic area drained by the Grand Calumet River and the Little Calumet River of northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana in the United States. It is part of the Great Lakes Basin, which eventually reaches the Atl ...

, many of the Heinze Trust's parcels are entirely surrounded by industrial or residential development. Many of the preserves were severely degraded when first acquired, and the Heinze Trust has engaged in a wide range of restoration activities in order to restore them to ecological viability. The Heinze Trust's preserves include six designated Indiana Nature Preserves, some of which were purchased with funds from the Indiana Heritage Trust.

History and Mission

The Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund was established in 1981 by an endowment from Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Seidner. The organization was named to honor the memory of Dr. Shirley Heinze, a resident of Ogden Dunes whose efforts helped preserve the Indiana Dunes. The mission of the organization is, "To protect habitats and ecosystems of Northwest Indiana through acquiring, restoring, and protecting environmentally significant landscapes for present and future generations, and to inspire and educate people of all ages about the value of land conservation to protect our natural world and enrich our lives."

PreservesShirley Heinze Land Trust; pamphlet, 2013

Lake County

;Bur Oak Woods (

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

) ;Cressmoor Prairie (

) ;Gordon & Faith Greiner (Hobart)Preserving Natural Places & Inspiring People to Appreciate and Enjoy Nature; Shirley Heinze Land Trust; Valparaiso, Indiana; undated; obtained April 22, 2017 ;Green Heron Pond (Gary) : ;Ivanhoe South ( Gary) ;Miller Dunes (Gary) ;Seidner Dune & Swale ( Hammond)

Porter County

;Father Basil Moreau (Pines) ;John Merle Coulter Sand Prairie (

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

) ;Keith Richard Walner (Chesterton) ;Great Marsh (

Beverly Shores Beverly Shores is a town in Pine Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States, about east of downtown Chicago. The population was 613 at the 2010 census. History Beverly Shores began life as a planned resort community. The Chicago, Lake Shor ...

) : ;Dale B. Engquist ( Chesterton) ;Meadowbrook ( Valparaiso) ;J. Timothy Ritchie ( Chesterton) ;Walnut Woods ( Valparaiso) : ;Wykes-Plampin (Chesterton) :

LaPorte County

;Ambler Flatwoods ( Michigan City) ;Barker Woods ( Michigan City) ;Hildebrand Lake ( Westville)

St. Joseph County

;Lydick Bog (South Bend)

Programs

Public programs range from volunteer work/restoration activities, educational hikes, to introductory visits to the nature preserves.Insights, Vol 20, Issue 1; Shirley Heinze Land Trust; Valparaiso, Indiana; Spring 2017 *’’Educational Hikes’’ are seasonally based and presented by experts in the various natural fields. Topics range from bird behavior & identification, to wildflower identification & habitats, to entomology. *’’Special Events’’ includes workday events, photography hikes, birding festivals and volunteer appreciation luncheons.

Works cited

* *

References

{{reflist

External links

Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1981 Nature reserves in Indiana Protected areas of LaPorte County, Indiana Protected areas of Porter County, Indiana Protected areas of Lake County, Indiana Land trusts in the United States