Students at 63 Indiana schools will experience the outdoors during the 2025-26 school year thanks in part to a grant program supporting field trips to Indiana State Parks and other state park-managed properties.

The Discover the Outdoors Field Trip Grant Program is for all K-12 schools and is administered through the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, the supporting nonprofit of the DNR.

Grants of up to $500 are awarded to fund transportation costs, program fees, and classroom supplies related to the field trips. A recent gift of $10,000 from STAR Financial Bank, along with the continued generosity of individual donors, has allowed the program to increase the total dollars distributed again this year.

The program is expected to distribute $27,691 through 68 grants this year, the largest amount in its existence. An estimated 5,623 K-12 students will benefit.

Since the program’s start in 2013, a total of 345 field trip grants have been awarded, giving an estimated 30,800 students the opportunity to visit state parks at a reduced cost to schools and students. With this year’s awards, more than $92,000 in overall funding has been distributed to allow students to visit an Indiana state park for a guided hike or talk with an interpretive naturalist.

The fund was established in memory of Tom Huck, a long-time DNR employee who was an ardent supporter of outdoor experiences for children in parks. In addition to generous individuals, periodic support for the program is provided by the Indiana Master Naturalist Advisory Council, the Indiana Parks Alliance and the INRF.

“It’s exciting to see so many teachers engaging their students with our natural and cultural resources,” INRF executive director Jody Kress said. “The grants for field trips funded by generous donors give school children a chance to experience Indiana State Parks, which for many students is the first time.”

To donate to the field trip program, visit IndianaNRF.org.

Monon South Trail opens in Salem

On May 30, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Radius Indiana celebrated the opening of the next segment of the Monon South Trail in the town of Salem.

The segment runs 3.3 miles south of downtown and includes 2.8 miles of paved surface and 0.5 miles of crushed stone surface. The segment also hosts an original L&N boxcar restored thanks to a matching grant from more than 90 donors and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program.

“The Monon South Trail is opening new sections at a rapid pace, with the new section in Salem opening just weeks after Borden’s trail section opened,” said Dale Brier, deputy director of community grants and trails for Indiana State Parks. “At the DNR, we’re proud to financially support this trail’s construction, which will eventually be Indiana’s longest.”

Together with previous openings in the towns of Mitchell, Orleans and Borden, the Monon South Trail now has more than 12 miles of trail open to the public.

With dedicated state funding support, DNR purchased the 62.3-mile Monon South corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for the combined sum of $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius an additional $22.3 million to support Phase 1 development, which is expected to be completed by August. The program now offers Hoosiers and visitors alike over 20 miles of hard-surface trail along the historic former Monon Railroad rail line.

Indiana’s DNR has led the largest infusion of trails funding in state history with $180 million in dedicated trail funding administered through DNR facilitates critical trail connections within and between Hoosier communities. With the recent opening, 43 of the 89 projects are complete with another 22 under construction. More than 125 miles of trail have been built since the program’s inception.

Brown County State Park celebrates restoration of Peachtree Shelter

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Parks and the Friends of Brown County State Park celebrated the restoration of the park’s historic Peachtree Shelter on June 6.

The Peachtree Shelter was originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The young men of the CCC were paid to implement conservation projects and construct facilities in the fledgling state parks during the Great Depression.

The CCC built several log shelters with shake shingle roofs in the park, including Peachtree; however, Peachtree, which is about a quarter mile from car parking, is the only one exclusively accessed by hiking.

Last year, repairs to the structure were made possible by the generosity of the Friends of Brown County State Park, Brown County Fabulous Fifty Women’s Giving Circle, Brown County Community Foundation, and several private donations.

Child’s body recovered from Syracuse Lake

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the drowning of a child on June 1 on Syracuse Lake in Kosciusko County. At 4:45 p.m., Kosciusko County Dispatch received a 911 call about a missing 4-year-old in the 800 block of East North Shore Drive in Syracuse.

Syracuse Police Department officers arrived minutes later, removed the child from beneath a pier in 3 feet of water, and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The child was transported to Goshen Hospital and pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m.

Preliminary investigation indicates the child wandered from inside a home the child was visiting. After a brief search of the house, a parent of the child called 911 when the child could not be located. The child was believed to have been last seen 20 minutes before being pulled from the water.

Indiana Conservation Officers have preliminarily categorized the death as accidental.

Investigation into drowning of Princeton man

Indiana Conservation Officers were investigating the death of a Princeton man after the boat he was in capsized May 29 on a private lake in Pike County.

Brandon L. King, 49, was fishing about a mile and a half north of the town of Winslow when the Jon boat he was in tipped over. A witness to the accident called for help.

Pike County deputies were able to get King to shore but life saving measures by Pike County Emergency Medical Services were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. King was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

The preliminary cause of death has been ruled drowning.

Peru juvenile airlifted after ORV accident

Indiana Conservation Officers were investigating an off-road vehicle (ORV) accident with injury on June 1 in the town of Peru.

Miami County Dispatch received a 911 call at 3:30 p.m. regarding the incident, which occurred in the 2000 block of North Country Club Road.

Preliminary investigation indicates the side-by-side ORV was being operated by a 10-year-old in a field on private property when the accident occurred. A 13-year-old female passenger in the ORV was looking over the door toward the ground when she fell from the machine and was struck by it. The passenger was conscious when first responders arrived and was airlifted to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis with head injuries.

Conservation officers urge operators and passengers of ORVs to follow all manufacturers’ safety recommendations and properly use all safety equipment, including seat belts and helmets.

‘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.