The Indiana Department of Natural Resources invites all individuals to celebrate the state’s public lands and waters Sept. 27-28 with special events happening across the state.

National Public Lands Day, celebrated Sept. 27, is the nation’s largest single day of volunteerism on public lands. See dnr.IN.gov/places-to-go/events or on.IN.gov/dnrvolunteer for listings of programs. Participants can also collect trash at a nearby DNR property for a rewarding way to help protect wildlife and promote healthy natural resources.

Sept. 27 is also National Hunting and Fishing Day and the last Free Fishing Day of the year. Indiana residents can celebrate with DNR and fish public waters with or without a license. DNR has resources for new and advanced anglers in its Fishing Guide (on.IN.gov/fishingguide) and an interactive map at on.IN.gov/where2fish to help locate sites. Indianapolis area anglers can find resources to create family-friendly fishing outings with the help of the new Fishing Trip Planner at indianafishingplanner.com.

For hunters, squirrel, dove, and youth deer seasons are open and are great options for connecting with the outdoors. DNR’s Hunting & Trapping Guide, available at on.IN.gov/huntingguide, has a full list of open seasons and helpful resources no matter your experience level.

Sept. 28, Indiana State Parks, State Forests, and State Recreation Areas will offer free admission where entrance fees are normally charged. This is a great time to explore a DNR property you haven’t visited before to do things like boat, hike, bike or view wildlife. Visit on.IN.gov/recfinder to plan your trip. The entire weekend serves as a reminder our public lands are places for outdoor recreation, conservation, and making memories with families and friends.

For more information about how to be a DNR volunteer go to: on.IN.gov/dnrvolunteer.

 

Leave the hummingbird feeders up

Fall is coming on and brisk days are ahead, but don’t take down your hummingbird feeder just yet. Finding an available feeder may be life saving for hummingbirds running late in their migration. Even though the temperatures will have dipped, hummingbirds may still be out there.

Leaving your hummingbird feeder up will not cause the birds to stay or delay them in their migration. 

 

Trees for towns and communities

Grants totaling $508,559 are available to fund community and urban forestry projects throughout Indiana. There are three separate grant opportunities available. All three have the same application deadline of Oct. 23, 2025; however, each grant has different parameters, funding levels and project types.

Please read the application instructions for each carefully because grant eligibility and the application processes have changed. You may apply for more than one grant, but receiving funding for more than one grant is not guaranteed. Funding announcements will be made by Nov. 17, 2025.

All grant materials and information are available on the DNR website at: https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/programs/community-and-urban-forestry/grants/.

The grant opportunities are now open for applying. All applications will be submitted on the State Budget Agency (SBA) website at: https://www.in.gov/sba/grants/state-agency-grant-opportunities/.

Community & Urban Forestry Assistance (CUFA) grant where projects may include inventories, management plans and tree plantings.

State Urban Forest Resilience (SUFR) grant with funding for managing and recovery from emerald ash borer. Projects may include removal of dead ash trees, treatment of ash trees and tree plantings.

Small Town Big Trees where only communities with a population of 10,000 or less are eligible for the grant. Projects may include inventories, management plans and tree plantings.

LARE Grants

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced organizations in 12 Indiana counties will receive $1,324,000 in grants to fund 18 different lake, river, and watershed land treatment projects through DNR’s Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program.

The projects are in LaGrange, Montgomery, Kosciusko, Owen, Marion, Elkhart, Starke, Dekalb, Randolph, Fountain, Jennings and Gibson counties.

The grants are funded through the LARE fee paid annually by boat owners when they register their craft with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The user-funded program benefits boaters all over the state. The grants allow for the completion of projects too difficult for local organizations to fund on their own. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and local sponsors share at least 20 percent of the cost.

This round of grant-funded projects will benefit eight lakes and 11 rivers and streams, with some projects benefiting more than one lake. In addition, two land-based projects associated with watershed land treatment practices have been funded in coordination with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Many of the projects aim to improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient inputs. Improved water quality helps fish and wildlife populations and improves recreational opportunities.

The projects, listed by body of water, county, project type, and grant award, can be found at lare.dnr.IN.gov.

 

Body of Ligonier man recovered

Indiana Conservation Officers were investigating after recovering the body of a Ligonier man from Engle Lake in Noble County earlier in September.

At 8:50 a.m., officers were notified of a missing person, 47-year-old Michael W. Vinson, of Ligonier, who had not returned home from a fishing trip to the lake.

Officers on scene found a kayak, paddle, and fishing equipment floating in the water. Officers located Vinson’s body using a side-scan sonar.

At 4 p.m., Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement divers recovered Vinson’s body in 25 feet of water.

Indiana Conservation Officers remind the public to always wear a life jacket when on or around the water.

 

‘till next time, 

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication or e-mail Jack at jackspaulding1971@outlook.com

Spaulding’s books, “The Best Of Spaulding Outdoors” and “The Coon Hunter And The Kid,” are available from Amazon.com as a paperback or Kindle download.