Southern Indiana sentinel Landscape
Photo by Marty Jones
Click the above image to access our Strategic Plan
Ensuring our nation’s military readiness and protecting Indiana’s natural heritage.
In 2022, the federal government designated the 3.5 million acre Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape (SISL), at the time one of only ten such areas in the country, recognizing the critical importance of southern Indiana’s four military installations and the area’s rich natural and agricultural heritage. The four critical Department of Defense installations and ranges that are the cornerstones of the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape are Naval Support Activity Crane, the Lake Glendora Test Facility, Atterbury-Muscatatuck Training Center, and the Indiana Air Range Complex. The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership is a coalition of federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that works with private and public landowners to advance sustainable land management practices around military installations and ranges. Founded in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior, the Partnership’s mission is to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, prepare for drought and flood, and bolster agricultural and forestry economies. This vast landscape contains six state parks, seven state forests, nine state fish and wildlife areas, 39 state-dedicated nature preserves, one National Forest, and three National Wildlife Refuge as well as thousands of acres protected by local land trust partners. The Conservation Law Center (CLC) at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law coordinates the Sentinel Landscape program in Southern Indiana.
Sentinel Landscape Partners work to:
Protect training and readiness on southern Indiana’s military installations
Conserve land for agriculture and sustainable forestry
Improve water quality
Create and restore wildlife habitat and ecosystems
Support rural economies
“This designation ensures we continue to protect Southern Indiana’s beautiful landscape and at the same time preserve our nation’s critical military mission here at home. In doing so, we’ll bolster regional economic development and the employment opportunities that come with it, alongside our federal and military partners. Indiana’s proud to do both, enhancing national security and our state’s natural resources.”
Why is the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape important?
The four installations and ranges provide a variety of testing and training opportunities for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Guard, as well as federal and state partners.
Indiana’s four military bases are critical to our national security and are essential economic drivers for their local communities and the State of Indiana.
Encroachments and incompatible land use near the installations have increased over the past several decades, impacting the military’s ability to maintain mission readiness.
Compatible land uses, including farms, forests, wetlands, and grasslands are good neighbors to our military installations.
SISL supports sustainable land management of farms and forests by connecting private landowners with available resources and programs.
Encouraging sustainable compatible land uses near our military installations will help keep farms and forests healthy and productive, improve water quality, and provide important habitat.
Healthy working and natural landscapes adjacent to our military bases make our local economies stronger.
How can you join the effort to conserve our natural resources while supporting our military?
If you are a landowner who values conservation, reach out to us and we can help you navigate what partners and programs might best fit your goals for your property. Our new Conservation Discovery Web Application can also help you discern your options.
If you are an agency or organization who feels like you might be a good fit for a partnership and are not already engaged with us, please reach out so that we might explore a potential partnership.
Photo by Marty Jones
Are you ready to promote conservation on your land?
Click the button below to visit our Conservation Discovery Web Application. Once there, you can search for your name or address or simply navigate to your ownership parcel. After you select your parcel, you can narrow down your conservation interests on the menu found on the left side of the screen and then generate a custom report with various options for enhancing conservation on your land. The report also contains contact information to connect you with local professionals who are passionate about conserving Indiana’s natural resources.
“It’s no exaggeration that the Sentinel Landscape is one of the biggest conservation projects in Indiana history, and it’s an example of how conservation can be an across-the-board win when the right partners work towards common ground. Even more, the Sentinel partnership we’ve assembled shows our shared recognition that conservation projects help our economy and improve our quality of life.”
Photo by Marty Jones
Our Partners
Federal Partners
State Partners
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