Shirley Heinze Land Trust has announced their annual Spring Benefit fundraiser event will be held at the William E. Urschel Pavilion in downtown Valparaiso on May 20, 2023. “We are very excited to announce the theme of this year’s Spring Benefit: ‘Growing a Community of Stewards’ which exemplifies the work of our stewardship staff and volunteers, both of whom make significant contributions to the physical health and conservation across our 3,000 acres in northwestern Indiana through hands-on invasives removal, native species cultivation, and water quality monitoring” says Executive Director, Kris Krouse. “We invite Northwest Indiana residents to think of themselves as fellow stewards of the earth, working alongside environmental organizations like Shirley Heinze Land Trust to create thriving, abundant local ecosystems for all to enjoy.” The announcement also said Dale and Nancy Nichols, Leslie Shad and Joseph Brennan, and Anne and Tim Walsh and Corporate sponsors, Cleveland-Cliffs and NIPSCO committed to match all pre-event donations up to $100,000.
Attendees of Shirley Heinze Land Trust’s annual Spring Benefit can expect to enjoy an evening of celebration in downtown Valparaiso with champagne service, jazz music, a live auction, and dinner catered courtesy of Sullon’s Catering. Tickets start at $150 and proceeds go directly towards preserving and restoring natural lands and waters in northwestern Indiana and towards engaging people in nature and conservation. Tickets can be purchased at www.heinzetrust.org/springbenefit2023/ .
“In my day-to-day work in the field with the stewardship team, I’ve seen first-hand the difference we’ve been able to make in these environments,” notes Stewardship Director, Eric Bird. “It’s one thing to buy up a bunch of land to save it from unsustainable development, but the work my team does really takes those efforts to the next level: carefully monitoring the landscape, tracking species and the health of these ecosystems. We don’t just want to save this land; we want to make sure it’s restored to its natural glory for all the communities we serve to enjoy it in its fullest.”
Since 1981, Shirley Heinze Land Trust has preserved, restored, and maintained natural communities in Northwest Indiana, including tallgrass prairie, high dune, oak savanna, boreal flatwoods, dune-and-swale, woodlands, marshes, swamps, ponds, fens, bogs, and riparian habitat. Approximately 3,000 acres in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Starke, and Marshall Counties have been preserved. Shirley Heinze says their nature preserves feature significant scenic and ecological value, and most are open to the public for hiking and enjoying nature.
For more information on the work and nature preserves of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, visit www.heinzetrust.org , call (219) 242-8558, or access its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/heinzetrust .