Donating Through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation
Over 15 million children and adults visit Indiana’s 24 state parks and 9 reservoirs each year. Visitors have access to nearly 400,000 acres of forests, prairies, historic features, wetlands, rivers, soaring rock cliffs and plunging waterfalls and all the plants and wildlife living there and providing diversity. You can help us grow and support this wonderful array of natural and cultural resources by donating to any one of these funds in our supporting not-for-profit, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation.
Patoka Raptors, C-52 Memorial Fund
Supporting and expanding Patoka's Educational Raptor Program. The raptors from Patoka Reservoir have been used to share the success of Indiana's bald eagle reintroduction program while educating thousands about Indiana's birds by bringing children and adults face-to-face with a bald eagle, barred owl and red-tail hawk. Help Patoka feed and care for their birds and expand their program by making a donation to the Foundation in memory of C-52, our bald eagle who died in late 2009. Write "RAPTOR" in the memorial/ honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
Discovering the Outdoors Program for School Field Trips
School budgets are being cut and field trips are often the first thing to go. You can sponsor a schools field trip to a state park or reservoir nature center for as little as $100. Your support will allow children to experience Indiana's natural heritage through hands-on approaches that correlate with Indiana's science and math standards. Designate gifts to this fund by writing "FIELD TRIPS" in the memorial/ honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
Upper Wabash Interpretive Center (UWIC) Raptor Fund
The UWIC, which provides educational programming for Mississinewa, Salamonie and Roush Lakes, is working to create their own educational raptor program to reach property visitors and residents of Miami, Wabash, Grant, Huntington and Wells Counties. Write "UWIC" in the memorial/ honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
Col William Jones Home Fund
This 1800s home, located in Spencer County, has ties to Abraham Lincoln's youth and teen years in Indiana. It is managed by Lincoln State Park and donations are used to maintain the home, provide period reproductions and support events at the site. To support Lincoln State Park's efforts to preserve the legacy of Jones, write "JONES HOME" in the memorial/honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
Park Growth Fund
This fund works with the Indiana Heritage Trust Environmental License Plate Program to expand our state parks by purchasing land from willing sellers. Your support will help permanently protect our wonderful wild species and scenic places, improve safety and provide more places to explore and enjoy our great outdoors. To support this the growth of our properties and health of our native plant and animal species make your gift online and write "LAND" in the memorial/ honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
Undesignated Support
Whether it be establishing a new friends group at a property, supporting an interpretive naturalist's program or purchasing supplies for trail building, this fund allows you to help us meet the most pressing needs of our state parks, reservoirs and preserves. Write "PARKS' in the memorial/ honor line
with your online donation or in the memo section of your check.
The Indiana Natural Resources Foundation's mission is support and sustain the educational and scientific programs and policies of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Since our founding in 1990 we have helped protect and restore over 9,000 acres of land and contributed over $1,000,000 scientific and educational programs across Indiana. Visit our website to learn more about the Foundation's vital role in outdoor education and land acquisition or call us at 317-234-5447 and we will happily answer your questions.
Donating at Your Favorite Property You can donate funds or supplies directly to your favorite property:
Support the Dwight Chamberlain Raptor Rehabilitation Center at Hardy Lake
Injured hawks and owls receive care and are released from this center. Permanently injured birds are used in programming for schools and families. Support is coordinated through the Friends of Hardy Lake. Contact Leslie Grow, interpretive naturalist, at (812) 794-3800
Support interpretation
The Division of State Parks and Reservoirs considers interpretation a valuable part of any visitor's experience at one of our properties. Nearly every person who comes through the gate at one of our properties is impacted at some point by the work of the interpreter. If you've ever read a bulletin board for information, hiked a trail and read wayside signs, birdwatched at a reconstructed wetland, picked up a wildflower brochure or visited an interpretive center, you've had contact---either directly or indirectly with an interpreter! Most of the programs and facilities offered by the Interpretive Services are provided free of charge. Your monetary gift or donation of materials supports our interpretive efforts. If you believe our programs and interpretive centers are valuable assets for Hoosiers, you can contribute in these ways:
Donate to the "bluebird" donation box at your favorite property.
Ask the interpreter for a copy of the property "wish list" for program supplies.
Purchase a gift card to a local department store for the interpretive center.
Consider a gift in honor or memory of a special person.
Donate to our statewide interpretive services to support training, materials or large exhibit projects.
Receipts are provided for all monetary donations except those placed in property bluebird donation boxes. For more information or other giving opportunities at your local properties, contact the Assistant Director for Stewardship at (317) 232-4143. Thank you for supporting Indiana state parks and reservoirs, either through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation or through your favorite property.
