New grant program to support Indiana environment research
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A new partnership will award grants to support taxonomic research and study of natural areas in the state. The Indiana Land Protection Alliance and Indiana Academy of Science formed the initiative to conduct bioinventory work it says is desperately needed in such areas to know what exists on the land and how to preserve it.
In its first year, the Lafayette-based NICHES Land Trust and Indiana Karst Conservancy will benefit from the program with $4,000 and $1,200 grants, respectively.
“Together, we are facilitating opportunities for Indiana’s scientists to use their knowledge and expertise in a way that directly impacts local communities,” ILPA executive director Andrea Huntington said.
NICHES Land Trust, which focuses on land in west central Indiana, will use the funds to document rare and declining plant specifies at a 160-acre nature reserve, Fall Creek Gorge in Warren County.
Indiana Karst Conservancy, a not-for-profit stewarding the preservation of limestone and soluble rooks, will use the grant to study plant diversity in Karst regions, specifically in three areas of the Wayne Cave Preserve in Bloomington.
“We are so excited, as a recipient of this new grant, to be able to determine what vascular plant diversity we have on this property,” said Indiana Karst Conservancy Director Danyele Green. “This will allow us to be the best stewards of native species we can be and to plan how to make the most of the land for years to come.”