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NICHES to Break Ground on Stewardship Headquarters

NICHES Land Trust (NICHES) is pleased to announce it will break ground on a new facility this month in Warren County.

The $1 Million Stewardship Headquarters project is a vital step for NICHES, which plans to nearly double its current land holdings, expanding to protect 8,000 acres by 2030. In addition to acquisitions, the organization’s Strategic Plan is guiding NICHES toward a future that includes growth in public outreach programming. To ensure current and future preserves are functional, high quality natural areas, NICHES’ Strategic Plan also calls for a facility that serves as a centrally located, working storage space. The facility will also store supplies necessary for hiking trails and outreach events, which expand community access to local natural areas.

“NICHES Land Trust is dedicated to providing high quality care to the natural areas under our protection. Without land stewardship, habitats will degrade over time and biodiversity will be lost forever. We are honored to steward the land and take this responsibility seriously. NICHES needs our own facility to store the equipment and supplies necessary to carry out our commitment to the environment,” says Shannon Stanis, Executive Director for NICHES Land Trust. “We are so grateful to our supporters and thrilled the Stewardship Headquarters is becoming a reality with the Groundbreaking Ceremony on July 24.”

In 2020, NICHES purchased a parcel of land in Warren County at the weighted center of the organization’s existing and known future holdings (including land in estate plans and priorities for land protection). The property had been previously developed and used as a livestock transfer station, meaning NICHES could re-use developed land for the facility. This opportunity further aligned the project with the organization’s values of careful, sustainable development in the community.

NICHES has been diligently planning and fundraising for the facility for several years. To date, the organization has raised 92% of the project goal. This project's success has been supported by the generosity of individuals and private foundations who have contributed just over $930,000 to the project so far, including support from the Roy Whistler Foundation and the McAllister Foundation. NICHES is also extremely grateful for a major grant of $450,000 from North Central Health Services.

"NICHES' initiative aligns with our 2022-2024 Community Health Needs Assessment Implementation plan goal of improving community health by encouraging healthy choices and reducing disparities related to activity and nutrition. By providing increased access to high-quality green space, we hope our community will see improvements in mental health, physical health, and overall quality of life." - Stephanie Long, CEO/President of North Central Health Services.

Once completed in early 2025, the new Stewardship Headquarters will amplify NICHES’ ability to implement its mission more efficiently and effectively, a critical step in the future sustainable growth of the organization and its benefit to communities in Northern Indiana. The facility's floor plan can be viewed here.

A formal Groundbreaking Ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. on July 24, 2024, at NICHES’ Kickapoo Cliffs property, located at the intersection of N Kickapoo Road (CR 425) and E Independence Road in Warren County. All members of the public are invited to attend and celebrate this tremendous accomplishment for NICHES and the future of environmental conservation in northern Indiana.

 

Support the Stewardship Headquarters Campaign

The new Stewardship Headquarters will amplify the land management accomplished at nature preserves managed by the NICHES Land Trust. The facility will help NICHES and our community partners accomplish our goals to have a healthy community that is well connected to local, thriving natural areas. 

The staff have collaborated with a contractor on the facility’s design that includes specialty rooms for herbicides, seed cleaning, mouse-proof seed storage, and even native plant nursery beds to make a more sustainable future for NICHES' stewardship. We invite you to join us as we build upon a legacy of caring for the land.

 

For More Information

Please contact NICHES Development Director, Ann Fields Monical, at (765) 423-1605 or email her at ann@nicheslandtrust.org.