It’s a fact, the stalwarts who founded INPS in 1993 are getting on in years. We need new blood to invigorate the organization and carry the mission forward. Where will the next generation of stewards come from?

We’re lucky to have attracted some energetic young people to take leadership positions. We’re taking the INPS display to garden shows, Earth Day festivals, and master gardener events to spread the word. But we need to do more.

We’re especially concerned about how to gain mindshare with the generation just coming up, many of whom who seem to be totally out of touch with the natural world.

School outing at Winterhaven Wildflowers and Monarch Preserve.

Broadening Our Reach

Here are a few projects INPS is working on to develop tomorrow’s promoters and protectors of native plants. We invite you to explore where you might fit in.

Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund  A program of grants to schools and youth organizations to support inspiring excursions to Indiana’s natural areas and youth-initiated projects that bring them in contact with nature.

Books for Families  Wake Up, Woods, our inaugural children’s picture book about Indiana’s native spring plants, is now in its third printing and still drawing rave reviews. Rumor has it there are more books to come…

School Projects  INPS volunteers are working informally in local schools to share with students and teachers their passion for native plants and the natural world.

Native Plant Wizard Patch Program  A series of guided exploratory activities to inspire, educate, promote stewardship and enhance children’s understanding of native plants in their natural environments.

Education and Outreach  INPS chapter volunteers greet the public wherever people gather to learn about gardening or the natural environment. They also furnish speakers for meetings and events.