Indiana Parks Alliance

The Indiana Parks Alliance (IPA) is a charitable organization that supports Indiana State Parks and
state owned Nature Preserves, the resources they steward and the people they serve.

We consider ourselves an organization of “doers” who advocate for and promote these public lands and the opportunities they provide. That’s why our partners are so important to us. IPA integrates their objectives into one agenda to create a unified network of action for the natural and cultural resources and facilities in our Indiana State Parks and Indiana Nature Preserves. Our partners include state parks, state-owned nature preserves, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, local friends groups and YOU as a member!

A Conversation With Dan Bortner
(2/12/24)

Hear the Latest News on Indiana’s Parks & Nature Preserves.

Trails for Tomorrow

Indiana Parks Alliance is announcing their Trails for Tomorrow campaign.
About 4 million people a year hike on state park trails. In a recent survey, 70% of respondents said that hiking on trails was their #1 activity when visiting state parks. Indiana Parks Alliance is embarking on a major campaign to advocate with the governor’s office and legislature to restore trail maintenance funding and raise funds to supplement state funding to make trails at State Parks and Nature Preserves more sustainable and enhance the user’s experience.

An anonymous donor has pledged to match all donations to our “Trails for Tomorrow” campaign during the next three months, up to a maximum of $10,000. We need your donations, to help support trail and trailhead improvements at state owned nature preserves lacking such amenities…

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO DONATE!

President’s Message

Conservation Thoughts
By IPA President, Tom Hohman

As a child I was introduced to nature by my father, who was an avid fisherman. However, even before he kindled that love of nature, I was fascinated by astronomy, and the unknown worlds awaiting our exploration. I loved science fiction books, and their vision of the future in space.

I recently reread a classic science fiction novel called Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov. The novel is essentially a murder mystery set on Earth in the distant future. In this future Earth, all people live in domed, climate controlled cities. The cities are connected by enclosed passageways. Not only does no one ever need to venture outside these enclosures, no one would even think about doing so. According to the book, humans living in the cities are incapable of going outside the domes.

While this story takes place long after I will be gone, I hope this is not our future. I believe that contact with the natural world is part of what makes us human. I would hate to think that people in the distant future would separate themselves from this contact. Click to Read More