Shirley Heinze Land Trust is proud to have participated in the 2026 Festival of Banners, hosted by the South Bend Museum of Art. This year’s theme, “Our Ecosytem,” featured 89 artist-designed banners that lined the streets of downtown South Bend from mid-July through mid-September. Shirley Heinze helped to judge the award competition. Shirley Heinze Board […]
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Many of you reading this blog have volunteered at Shirley Heinze Land Trust preserves, have walked our trails, or have attended our events, without knowing much about what we are and what we do. This post is for you! As our name suggests, Shirley Heinze is a land trust. Land trusts are not-for-profit organizations formed
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Each year, Shirley Heinze Land Trust hosts a summer Student Experiences in Conservation program for college students interested in pursuing careers in conservation. The program has increased steadily in size and scope over time, this year to a record of fifteen interns. As part of their summer experience, a few of this year’s interns were
45 Stories for 45 Years: Growing Roots — A Full-Circle Moment at Meadowbrook Read More »
Valued partners of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Kevin & Claudia Wood serve as part of the Volunteer Water Quality Program and as Preserve Stewards of Ambler Flatwoods. These two LaPorte County residents have contributed vital support to conservation efforts in northwestern Indiana. However, their lifelong dedication to the natural world started long before their time
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Our dear friend, the late Leila “Lee” Botts, was one of the leading environmentalists of the Indiana Dunes and Great Lakes region. Lee passed away in 2019 at the age of 91. Over a remarkable 60-year career, she worked tirelessly and relentlessly for the cause of conservation and environmental education. Shirley Heinze Land Trust is
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Dale Engquist 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 in botany
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, with funds being used to underwrite the acquisition
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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 Tribune about the Governor’s Award, followed by
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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 are excerpts
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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 of the strongest voices for conservation
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