Indiana Wildlife Federation Inc

THE INDIANA WILDLIFE FEDERATION (IWF) IS A STATEWIDE, NONPROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION, WITH THE MISSION TO PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION, SOUND MANAGEMENT, AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF INDIANAS WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT THROUGH EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND ACTION.

EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY FOR WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT: PROTECTING WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE HABITAT THROUGH EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY, FORUMS ON CURRENT TOP PRIORITIES AND THREATS TO NATURAL RESOURCE, AND HABITAT CERTIFICATION AND WORKSHOPS FOR PRIVATE LANDOWNERS, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES, BUSINESSES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. THE CERTIFIED WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY HABITAT PROGRAM, FORMERLY REFERRED TO AS THE CERTIFIED BACKYARD HABITAT PROGRAM, IS DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION. THIS PROGRAM EDUCATES AND ENCOURAGES INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES OR SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THE FOUR NEEDS OF WILDLIFE BY UTILIZING NATIVE PLANTS TO PROVIDE FOOD, AS WELL AS PROVIDING WATER, COVER AND NESTING SPACE. ACROSS THE STATE OF INDIANA, WE HAD OVER 400 HABITAT CERTIFICATIONS IN 2021 AND IWF DELIVERED VIRTUAL WILD HABITAT WORKSHOPS TOTALING OVER 270 PARTICIPANTS.INDIANA'S WILD CLIMATE PROGRAM IS A PRESENTATION THAT UTILIZES THE LATEST CLIMATE SCIENCE FROM PURDUE'S CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH CENTER PAIRED WITH COMPELLING WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY THAT ILLUSTRATES THE PRESSURES THAT HOOSIER WILDLIFE POPULATIONS ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING DUE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE WARMING. THIS PROGRAM ILLUSTRATES THE GROWING NEW PATTERN OF EXTREME RAIN EVENTS IN THE SPRING AND FALL, CONSIDERABLY MORE SUMMER DAYS ABOVE 90 DEGREES, AND MORE WINTER SNOW FALLING AS RAIN. THIS PROGRAM IS BOOKED VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON AND HAS BEEN DELIVERED 6 TIMES IN 2021.CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE TRAILS PROGRAM - THE CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE TRAILS PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRAILS INTO THRIVING HABITAT CORRIDORS THAT ARE EASIER TO MANAGE, OFFER A GREATER BENEFIT TO TRAIL USERS, AND PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION OF LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS THROUGH ENRICHING HUMAN INTERACTION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT. BY PARTNERING WITH THE INDIANA WILDLIFE FEDERATION (IWF) THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE GUIDANCE, FEEDBACK, AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES WHICH WILL HELP THEM BUILD AND MAINTAIN WILDLIFE-FRIENDLY TRAILS. IN 2021 WE CERTIFIED 3 NEW TRAILS ACROSS INDIANA AND HELPED COORDINATE VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AT 6 TRAILS THAT HAVE CERTIFIED IN PAST YEARS TO HELP MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVEL FOR HABITAT. THE TRAILS PROGRAM RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE NINA MASON PULLIAM CHARITABLE TRUST TO IMPLEMENT ANOTHER YEAR OF STAFF AND PROGRAM SUPPORT.CONNECTING YOUNG PEOPLE WITH NATURE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND EXPERIENCES CONTINUED TO BE A TOP PRIORITY. THE ANNUAL $1000 HOLT SCHOLARSHIP TO PROMOTE YOUNG PEOPLE TO PURSUE CAREERS IN NATURAL RESOURCES WAS AWARDED TO AN INDIANA UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PURSUING A DEGREE AND CAREER IN NATURAL RESOURCE OR ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION. IN 2021 THE AWARD WAS GIVEN TO EMMA SMYTH, A WESTFIELD, INDIANA RESIDENT STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI.THROUGH THE GARY DOXTATER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, IWF HOSTED 2 SUMMER INTERNS TO WORK ON WILDLIFE AND HABITAT COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE ORGANIZATION. INTERNS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN OUTDOOR WORK DAYS LIKE INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVALS, EDUCATIONAL HIKES, AND HABITAT PLANTING PROJECTS.IWF CONTINUED INTO ITS FOURTH YEAR OF LEADING THE INDIANA MONARCH CONSERVATION PLANNING AND STRATEGY SESSIONS TO WRITE THE INDIANA MONARCH CONSERVATION PLAN WHICH WAS SUBMITTED IN 2018 AS A PART OF THE MID-ATLANTIC MONARCH CONSERVATION STRATEGY BEING LED BY THE MIDWEST ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (MAFWA). IWF SERVES ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE INDIANA CONSERVATION ALLIANCE (INCA), A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF OVER 25 CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING A UNIFIED VOICE FOR THE PROTECTION, STEWARDSHIP, AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT WAS A MAJOR OBJECTIVE FOR 2021. WITH NO END TO SOCIAL DISTANCING IN SIGHT, THE IWF TEAM ADAPTED AND BEGAN DELIVERING OUR CONSERVATION PROGRAMS REMOTELY ON ZOOM. WE HAVE BEEN ADJUSTING ALL OF OUR PROPS AND PROGRAMMING TOOLS TO A VIRTUAL PLATFORM AS WELL AS INCREASING SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATIONAL BLOG POSTS, SHORT EDUCATIONAL WILDLIFE VIDEOS, AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS.WE ADDITIONALLY RECEIVED CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FROM THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION TO EXPAND OUR CLIMATE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE STATE.

WATER RESOURCES INITIATIVES: IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION, IWF CONTINUED TO WORK ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT IN INDIANA. IWF PARTNERED WITH THE US FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE TO ADDRESS THE THREAT OF ASIAN CARP TO OUR WATERWAYS, FOCUSING A FULL-TIME PERSON ON THE GREAT LAKES AND THE OHIO RIVER WATERSHED.