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Visitors to Indiana in centuries past were greeted with a view unfamiliar to guests and residents today. Sprawling plains of waving grasses, thousands of acres of untouched forests, and rich, undrained swamplands spread across the state that European settlers discovered. But in the decades after their arrival the lands were quickly cleared and drained for farming, and natural forestland was depleted for the production of food, the lumber industry, and housing development.

While sustainable farming and land-clearing methods have been developed, the problem of conserving Indiana’s wildlife and vegetation ecosystems that cannot be rebuilt in a single lifetime still remains. When these ecosystems are destroyed, the safety of all plants and animals in the state will be affected as the food supply chain is disrupted. That’s why organizations like the Central Indiana Land Trust and Indiana Conservation Partnership are working to protect the old-growth forests that keep the only habitat for many native animals and plants intact.

Each county in Indiana also has a Soil and Water Conservation District offering information to private citizens and businesses alike on how to develop communities while respecting the state’s natural resources. By contacting any of these organizations, Indiana residents may learn more about land conservation.

Visitors to Indiana in centuries past were greeted with a view unfamiliar to guests and residents today. Sprawling plains of waving grasses, thousands of acres of untouched forests, and rich, undrained swamplands spread across the state that European settlers discovered. But in the decades after their arrival the lands were quickly cleared and drained for farming, and natural forestland was depleted for the production of food, the lumber industry, and housing development.

While sustainable farming and land-clearing methods have been developed, the problem of conserving Indiana’s wildlife and vegetation ecosystems that cannot be rebuilt in a single lifetime still remains. When these ecosystems are destroyed, the safety of all plants and animals in the state will be affected as the food supply chain is disrupted. That’s why organizations like the Central Indiana Land Trust and Indiana Conservation Partnership are working to protect the old-growth forests that keep the only habitat for many native animals and plants intact.

Each county in Indiana also has a Soil and Water Conservation District offering information to private citizens and businesses alike on how to develop communities while respecting the state’s natural resources. By contacting any of these organizations, Indiana residents may learn more about land conservation.