IN Nature

03/27/2026

abc57.com/news/wild-ones-south-bend-debuts-local-guide-to-native-plant-gardening

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Wild Ones South Bend has announced the release of its new book Native Plants for Michiana: Planting with Nature and Beauty in Mind.

12/04/2025

We need every available resident to attend to speak in opposition of this.

Send a message to learn more

12/02/2025

From today's South Bend Tribune
Preserving, protecting Portage Manor | Opinion
Derek Dieter and Steve Sass
Guest columnists
* The St. Joseph County Council passed a resolution regarding the future of the historic Portage Manor property.
* A local school, St. Thomas More Academy, is willing to invest millions to renovate the building for its use.
* A new nonprofit would preserve the land surrounding the historic structure.
On Nov. 12, 2025, the St. Joseph County Council passed a resolution relating to the future of Portage Manor, the former St. Joseph County home and farm. The resolution recognized the property's natural and cultural history, ecological significance and its potential for educational and recreational benefits to the residents of St. Joseph County.
The resolution also acknowledged that the St. Thomas More Academy, a local school, is willing to initially invest between $5 million and $7 million of its own money to renovate and restore the historic county home (recognized by the Historic Preservation Commission of South Bend and St. Joseph County as one of the city's Top 10 most endangered properties) to convert it into a school and preserve it for posterity.
Finally, the resolution recommends that the county commissioners (who have the ultimate say over the property's future) bring forward the STMA proposal and others to determine their feasibility.
We applaud the council's resolution and desire to protect the historic building and its surrounding 100-plus acres of green space, and urge the commission to do the same. We believe this ecologically and culturally significant property (which has served the residents of St. Joseph County for nearly 120 years) should be stewarded, restored and opened to the public for education and recreation. To date, over 500 area residents have attended community input sessions, hikes and cleanup events (over 1,500 bags of trash removed from the woods), and their feedback has overwhelmingly favored saving the property from development.
Unfortunately, despite years of efforts, the Portage Manor property has not garnered interest from local parks, land trusts, or other conservation entities. Therefore, at a press conference on Nov. 19, we announced our intention to establish a new not-for-profit entity to preserve and protect the land surrounding the historical structure. Unaffiliated with St. Thomas More Academy, we would be neighbors and conservation partners with STMA in ensuring that Portage Manor remains a community asset for generations to come.
Those who came before us bestowed South Bend with an abundance of blighted urban land. Now the burden of responsibility falls to our generation to preserve, restore, and protect what we have left.
St. Joseph County Surveyor Derek Dieter is a former county commissioner. Steve Sass is a local ecologist.

10/13/2025

The proposed data center northeast of New Carlisle will convert 1057 acres of prime ag land to industrial use, threaten a pristine aquifer, disrupt an historic ag community and likely raise our electricity rates far into the future! It violates county and town of New Carlisle comprehensive plans and was voted UNFAVORABLE recommendation by a unanimous vote (7-0) of the Area Plan Commission. Help US oppose corporate greed by attending the following action events. Wear green to identify yourselves!
Tuesday, Oct. 14 - County-City building, 4th floor, media event at 5:30, County Council meeting at 6:00, no vote or hearing but you can express your opposition at the end (3 minutes). Signs provided or make your own (no profanity please!).

Tuesday, Oct. 28 - county Council committee meeting, County-City Building, 4th floor, 5:30. No comment allowed but presence is important! Signs provided or make your own!

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 4th floor County-City building, 6 pm. Public hearing and vote! Signs provided or make your own!
Stay tuned for canvassing and petition events.

Please contact your COUNTY COUNCIL person and demand no more data centers!!
https://www.sjcindiana.gov/2370/

08/16/2025

Enough with the exotic cash cow bees.

08/02/2025

Horrible Habits over Healthier Habitats
We have all the tools, we just see people cling to their terrible ecological behaviors.

07/17/2025

Tonight! Come join us.

Stroll the library's gardens together with Steve Sass of Indiana Nature/Ecometrid. Thursday, July 17 at 6:00 p.m ET

06/25/2025

Emergency plant rescue opportunity.

We're installing a five-foot-wide crushed stone trail through the created prairie/savanna at Elm Road Park in Granger, IN, and many native plants are about to be impacted.

Come dig some for yourself, or help transplant some to other parts of the park (or both). It's the worst possible time and weather for relocating plants, but they stand a 0% chance of survival from bulldozers.

Species include: Andropogon gerardii, Asclepias syriaca, Asclepias tuberosa, Carex brevior, Drymocallis arguta, Lupinus perennis, Monarda fistulosa, Ratibida pinnata, Rudbeckia hirta, Sorghastrum nutans.

We have until this upcoming Sunday to move them or lose them
It's a great opportunity to score some free native plants...if you can keep them alive. Bring a friend. Bring a neighbor. Bring a shovel. Bring some buckets.

DM Steve Sass or email [email protected] for more details.

06/05/2025

New addition to the library’s landscape. Last November, we planted five species of milkweed and a half dozen or so nectar plants.

The entrance to our Exploration Garden is now officially a Monarch Waystation. A Monarch Waystation provides milkweed, nectar plants, and shelter for monarchs throughout their annual cycle of reproduction and migration. To learn more about the native plant gardens around the library, attend a Summer Stroll on Thursday, June 5 at 6 pm.