Shirley Heinze Land Trust preserves and restores natural lands and waters in northwestern Indiana, and engages people in nature and conservation.
Slide 1
Preserve
Slide 1 - copy
Restore
Slide 1 - copy - copy
Engage
Since 1981, Shirley Heinze Land Trust has been dedicated to the preservation and restoration of significant natural areas throughout northwestern Indiana. Today, approximately 4,000 acres across Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Marshall, and Starke counties are permanently protected, and most of our nature preserves are open to the public to explore and enjoy. We invite you to explore our upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and ways to donate, and see how you can help us protect northwestern Indiana’s natural areas, bringing people and nature a little closer in the process.
Three Sisters Tuesdays: Building Relationship with the Land Through Community and Stewardship
Join us each Tuesday at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Meadowbrook Garden (109 W 700 N, Valparaiso, IN 46385) for Jibek Mbwakawen’s Three Sisters Tuesdays, a weekly volunteer garden day rooted in Potawatomi...
Join us for a gentle and engaging story time as we read A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long. This beautifully illustrated book will invite participants to explore the secret lives of seeds. We will learn how they rest, sprout, travel, and grow into the plants we see all around us.
Join us at Meadowbrook Pavilion as we celebrate the grand opening of our new Little Library with an evening of books, community, and fun!
Bring a gently used book (or a few!) to swap for a new read, or simply stop by to browse the collection and help us kick off this exciting community resource. Books...
Come walk through the Great Marsh and help us collect rattlesnake manna grass for our restoration efforts.
What to Bring: Long pants and sturdy shoes or rubber boots are recommended. Gloves (and long sleeves) are highly recommended, as stems and surrounding vegetation are highly scabrous and can potentially...
Three Sisters Tuesdays: Building Relationship with the Land Through Community and Stewardship
Join us each Tuesday at the Shirley Heinze Land Trust Meadowbrook Garden (109 W 700 N, Valparaiso, IN 46385) for Jibek Mbwakawen’s Three Sisters Tuesdays, a weekly volunteer garden day rooted in Potawatomi...
Eleven years ago, Shirley Heinze Land Trust launched the public phase of its first-ever Capital Campaign, with the theme “Take a Walk with Shirley.” The goal of the Campaign was to raise $3.5 million to advance our mission of protecting important habitats and ecosystems across Northwest Indiana,...
The Shirley Heinze Land Trust property that is now known as Meadowbrook Nature Preserve has had a storied past. Many remember it as the old Camp Meadowbrook, a Girl Scout campsite until the property was acquired by Shirley Heinze Land Trust in 2012. But before that, it was a family farm. What follows...
45 Stories for 45 Years: 2018–A Year of Recognition
45 Stories for 45 Years: 2018–A Year of Recognition
2018 was a remarkable year in the history of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, a year in which we were honored to receive both the Indiana Governor’s Award of Environmental Excellence and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) National Excellence Award. Reprinted below is an article published in the Chesterton...
45 Stories for 45 Years: The Story of Dale B. Engquist, As Told By Shirley Heinze Land Trust Executive Director Kris Krouse
45 Stories for 45 Years: The Story of Dale B. Engquist, As Told By Shirley Heinze Land Trust Executive Director Kris Krouse
Dale Enquist is one of those rare individuals who comes along only once in a great while. He was a dear friend, a role model, and a guiding light for both Shirley Heinze Land Trust and the broader cause of conservation in northwestern Indiana. This is his story. After earning a master’s degree...
45 Stories for 45 Years: An Interview with Kris Krouse
45 Stories for 45 Years: An Interview with Kris Krouse
Well-known local artist and podcaster Suzy Vance first met Executive Director Kris Krouse in his early days at Shirley Heinze Land Trust. Seventeen years later, in her series Creating from the Heart: The Artistry of Living, Suzy interviewed Kris about his journey and path from college to leading one...
From globally rare dune and swale in Gary to lovely moraine forests near Valparaiso, to one of the last remaining bogs in Indiana near South Bend, there is likely to be one of our nature preserves near your community, where you have the chance to experience the natural wonders of one of the most biodiverse regions in the country.
The generosity of individuals is the foundation of our support. Whether a few dollars, a few hundred, or more, your donations enable us to uphold our commitment to forever protect and restore lands and waters throughout northwestern Indiana. Discover the ways that you can donate money or land to support the enduring mission of Shirley Heinze Land Trust.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. Whether you’d like to spend a few hours in nature by helping to maintain our trails and preserves, or assist with workshops and workdays that bring people closer to nature, or contribute behind the scenes to help Shirley Heinze Land Trust run smoothly, we need your help.
You may find us out in the field, maintaining our preserves, or at a meeting with conservation partners, or connecting with people in communities across northwestern Indiana. You may also find us in our offices, located on the edge of Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, just north of Valparaiso. Contact us today to say hello, learn more about what we do, and find out how you can help Shirley Heinze Land Trust protect natural places for generations to come.
