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Applications for funding from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Community Recycling Grant Program are due Sept. 6, 2024.

Counties, municipalities, solid waste management districts, universities, schools, and nonprofit organizations located in Indiana, are eligible to submit a Community Recycling Grant application requesting $1,000 to $100,000 in funding for recycling and household hazardous waste collection and disposal.

The Community Recycling Grant Program is funded through IDEM’s Solid Waste Management Fund. Eligible projects should focus on education and promotion of recycling, processing of recyclable materials, waste reduction, or HHW and organics management (including yard waste management and composting).

Grant funding is intended to create successful, cost-effective, and sustainable programs. Applicants must demonstrate a direct or indirect increase in waste diversion as a result of the project.

To apply, visit IDEM’s website at idem.IN.gov/recycle/resources/indiana-community-recycling-grant-program. For additional information, contact 800-451-6027 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Final funding determinations will be made in late-December 2024.

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The Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology announces that Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant application packets for FY 2025 are available on the DHPA website.

Read more about important changes for FY2025. Applicants are encouraged to contact the DHPA grant staff: Malia Vanaman at 317-232-1648 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Steve Kennedy at 317-232-6981 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss potential projects and confirm eligibility of the applicant, activity, and property.

The deadline for proposals is Friday, October 4 at 5 p.m. This is not a postmark deadline; all proposals must be received at the DHPA by the deadline.

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Early bird registration is open for the Preserving Historic Places Conference 2024, in Madison, IN through Sept. 1.

Conference sessions will highlight Main Street successes, heritage tourism, local preservation commissions and innovative approaches to preservation.

The conference take place in Madison Oct. 22-25. Madison is a town rich in 19th-century architecture and heritage that provided a hub for industry, commerce, the Underground Railroad, and transportation.

Full conference registration ends October 11. For information and updates see indianalandmarks.org/tours-events/preserving-historic-places-conference.

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Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Free Family Movie showing of the film "Elemental" has been rescheduled for Friday, Aug. 23, at Field 4 at the Salem Community Park, 1104 E. Hackberry St., Salem.

The event will begin at 7 p.m., and the movie will start at 8:30 p.m.

Attendees should bring chairs and blankets and arrive early to secure the best spot for viewing.

The event will include free admission, free popcorn, a bounce house, concessions provided by Salem Parks and Recreation, and much more.

The film is set in Element City where residents who are elements of nature--Fire, Water, Land and Air--live together.

This Substance Free Alternative Event is sponsored by the Washington County Family YMCA, Salem Parks and Recreation Department, Washington County Community Foundation and Choices Life Resource Center.

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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) has announced the recipients of its annual Indiana Archaeology and Indiana Historic Preservation awards, which recognize outstanding efforts in each field.
The awards will be presented by DHPA director Beth McCord and the rest of the division’s staff at local award ceremonies this fall.

The recipients include professional consultants Jerry Sweeten, James Heimlich, and Ryan Duddleson; Turner Chapel AME Church in Fort Wayne; and the city of Huntington.
Jerry Sweeten, James Heimlich, and Ryan Duddleson will receive the Indiana Archaeology Award for their diligently conducted research and coordinated efforts to archaeologically document certain dams across the state. Documentation of the dams has led to interesting finds regarding the engineering and architectural history of Hoosier dam building.

The Turner Chapel AME Church congregation will receive the Indiana Historic Preservation Award for choosing to place the historic church on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP), sharing its rich heritage. The congregation purchased the 1927 brick and limestone Gothic Revival church from a United Brethren congregation. In 1969, the congregation chose to protest the lack of integration in Fort Wayne’s public school district by hosting a Freedom School. Many families enrolled their children in this school, withdrawing from the public school system, and within a week district officials agreed to additional integration measures.

The city of Huntington will also receive the Indiana Historic Preservation Award for its outstanding grant-assisted rehabilitation project to repair the stone water race in Memorial Park, which is listed on the NHRP. The community applied for a $60,000 grant from the DHPA’s Historic Preservation Fund matching grant program. Constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1937, this stonework channel averages 8 to 12 feet wide, 3 to 5 feet deep, and is nearly 500 feet long. Repair work included cleaning debris and silt from the channel, building curbs to support undermined walls, reconstructing collapsed sections of walls and floor using both new and salvaged stones, and repointing deteriorated mortar joints. The project was originally estimated at $350,000 but the final cost was $565,000. The award recognizes Huntington’s significant financial commitment to this historic resource, its outstanding grant administration, and the excellent workmanship of its masonry contractor.

As the State Historic Preservation Office, the DHPA oversees the federally funded Historic Preservation Fund grant program, the federal Reinvestment Historic Tax Credit program, and the state’s Historic Homeowner Tax Credit program. The DHPA also functions as Indiana’s central repository for historic structures and archaeological site records.

To view more DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.