Mission
Red-tail Land Conservancy’s mission is to preserve, protect, and restore natural areas and farm land in east central Indiana while increasing awareness of our natural heritage.
By strategically preserving and restoring critical forests, prairies, wetlands, and waterways, Red-tail Land Conservancy plans for a future where the natural beauty and healthy habitats of east central Indiana will exist for generations to come. Land preserved by Red-tail is protected from development forever.
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is funded by private contributions from individuals, businesses, and foundations. Our mission focuses on five counties in east central Indiana: Delaware, Henry, Madison, Randolph, and Wayne counties.
Red-tail Land Conservancy is a proud supporting member of Indiana Land Protection Alliance (ILPA). ILPA is a vibrant nonpartisan network of land trusts, conservation partners, and community members. Our alliance champions land and water protection for all of Indiana.
Core Values
- We believe preservation and stewardship are important in creating a legacy to transfer to future generations.
- We believe in using innovative practices based in science.
- We believe experiential education fosters personal responsibility to make choices that promote preservation and stewardship of natural land.
- We believe responsibility is important for the community to trust our commitment to accomplish our mission.
- We believe relationships are important because they enable east central Indiana communities to connect and collaborate on ideas, initiatives, and projects.
Learn more about Red-tail Land Conservancy: Meet Our Team | The Red-tail Blog
History
Red-tail’s first meeting was held at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, IN in 1999. It attracted 87 people from across east central Indiana. “Red-tail Conservancy” was established with the creation of our first conservation easement in July 2000. In 2012, we evolved to “Red-tail Land Conservancy” to reflect our top priority– the protection, preservation, and restoration of land for plant and wildlife habitat.
In 2000, Red-tail went from an all-volunteer organization to hiring our first paid staff, Executive Director Barry Banks. We have since expanded our capacity through the generosity of our supporters. Our mission continues to be carried out by a small staff and volunteer Board of Directors with representatives from counties we serve.
Barry Banks became Executive Director Emeritus in 2018 upon his retirement.