NIPSCO awards environmental grants
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Northern Indiana Public Service Co., a subsidiary of Merrillville-based NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), has named the recipients of its 2020 Environmental Action Grant. The grant is being awarded to 15 area organizations to support projects such as pollinator habitats, restoration, and education, among others.
The 2020 recipients include pollinator habitats at Porter’s Indiana Dunes National Park, restoration projects at Steuben County’s Clear Lake, and Carrol County’s Whistler Woods as well as multiple youth projects to support outdoor engagement.
According to John Stout, NIPSCO manager of vegetation management, the grants leverage and expand on the environmental work the company is already focused on, including air and water quality improvement, reforestation, restoration, and environmental education.
“The projects that were selected embody the vision of our conservation framework. We believe these projects will contribute toward enhancing a local quality of life and provide great value to the places where we all live and work,” said Stout.
The 2020 NIPSCO Environmental Action Grant winners include:
- Clear Lake Township Conservancy, Cyrus Brouse Clean Stream Project
- Dunes Learning Center, Virtual Citizen Science
- EACS Educational Foundation/Paul Harding High School, Nature Trail
- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Teens for Nature – Conservation Crew
- Friends of Indiana Dunes, Pollinator Gardens
- Gabis Arboretum at Purdue Northwest, Woodland Restoration Project
- Izaak Walton Porter County Chapter, Bat Watch 2020
- LaGrange County Community Foundation/Friends of LaGrange County Parks, Student water quality monitoring
- NICHES Land Trust, Woodland Restoration Project
- Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, East Branch of the Little Calumet River Water Trail Extension Phase II
- Ryan Park Elementary, Nature Trail Improvement and Educational Enhancement
- Shirley Heinze Land Trust, environmental education programming
- TEkVenture Incorporated, outdoor wildflower meadow play area
- IU Kokomo, Camp Persimmon environmental sustainability day camp
- Windsong Pictures, youth environmental project videos
NIPSCO says it has awarded $250,000 in grants to support more than 70 projects in the program’s five-year history.