March 18, 2025

Legislation to Promote Prescribed Burning Signed by Governor Braun

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana A new law to expand Indiana’s prescribed fire capacity was signed by Gov. Mike Braun on April 30. The bill expands a prescribed...

Nearly 4,000-acre Fish & Wildlife Area opens in southern Indiana

Busseron Creek is Indiana DNR’s largest conservation project in 20 years...

Indiana Environmental Group Sues the State for Allowing Powerplant to Keep Discharging its Coal Ash Laden Wastewater to the White River

(MARTINSVILLE, IN)– The Hoosier Environmental Council (“HEC”) filed suit last week in Morgan County Court against the Indiana Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (“OALP”) for...

Green Steel Committee hopes to clean up Region steelmaking

Local advocates are pressuring Northwest Indiana’s steel mills to adopt cleaner technologies and curb toxic emissions. They warn the mills are among the nation’s top...

CLC Awarded $50K by Herbert Simon Family Foundation

The Conservation Law Center was awarded a $50,000 grant by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation for 2025 to support its mission to protect Indiana’s natural...

Advocates Demand Stricter Oversight for Tradebe’s East Chicago Facility

Tradebe’s operations in East Chicago are under scrutiny as IDEM weighs two key permits: a renewal and expansion of the facility’s hazardous waste permit under...

New DNR fish and wildlife area highlights success of partnership with military, conservation groups

Nearly 4,000 acres in Sullivan County will become the new Busseron Creek Fish and Wildlife Area. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources was able to...

Indiana permanently protects 4,000 acres with new southern Indiana fish and wildlife area

Nature has reclaimed an old coal mine in southern Indiana, and state environmentalists have collaborated to ensure the land will belong to all Hoosiers. Indiana’s...

A Partnership for Progress: How the Conservation Law Center and The Conservation Fund Secured Busseron Creek’s Future

The Conservation Law Center and The Conservation Fund secured permanent protection of 4,000 acres in Southern Indiana, creating the Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area,...

Historic Partnership Secures Nearly 4,000 Acres for Conservation and Future Public Recreation in Southern Indiana

A 3,950-acre conservation near LGTF, Indiana, ensures biodiversity, recreation, and resilience through partnerships, opening to the public in 2025....

Important water policy proposals drafted

CLC has drafted five policy proposals focused on PFAS regulation, wetland protection, and the establishment of an Indiana Water Authority....

New CAFO analysis tells us what we know and fear

A recent International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health report on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the United States highlights a disturbing truth:...

Without sound water policy, Indiana’s economic future is down the drain

Water, essential to all life on the planet, is an abundant resource in Indiana. This alone puts Indiana in a resilient position as we navigate...

Gary officials, environmental group react to Fulcrum Bioenergy bankruptcy filing

Fulcrum Bioenergy has declared bankruptcy, and a Gary environmental group is pleased by the news. The California-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sept. 9,...

A Forester’s Full Circle

Conservation work is largely relationship-driven. One of Central Indiana Land Trust’s longtime champions, Michael Spalding, was not only instrumental in expanding Meltzer Woods in 2020....

Midwest Resilience Specialist

Raenah Bailey is the Midwest Resilience Specialist for the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape and the Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape....

Staff Spotlight: Michael Spalding

Michael recently returned from a wildland firefighting assignment in California. He originally became certified as a wildland firefighter after completing the basic courses and training...

Gary resident sues Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission over alleged statutory violations

A Gary resident is suing the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission over alleged violations of transparency rules, the eligibility of two of the body's...

Climate and Conservation Summit

SISL Coordinator, Rob McCrea, was invited to attend the Climate and Conservation Summit hosted by the Department of Defense and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

Company behind planned trash-to fuel plant in Gary reportedly facing bankruptcy

California-based Fulcrum Bioenergy, the company behind controversial plans for a jet fuel making facility in Gary, is facing bankruptcy, according to a report by Bloomberg...

GARD seeks judicial review after judge dismisses Fulcrum Bioenergy complaint

The grassroots environmental group Gary Advocates for Responsible Development (GARD) is seeking judicial review of a complaint against the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)...