Blue River Foundation received Duke Energy grant

Ten Indiana nonprofit environmental organizations will receive $154,577 in grants from the Duke Energy Foundation to enhance and improve Indiana's environment.

"We understand the importance of maintaining a commitment to environmental responsibility in our communities," said Melody Birmingham-Boyd, Duke Energy Indiana state president, in a media release. "That's why we work with a number of stakeholders to develop initiatives that lessen the impact of energy production on surrounding habitats."

The Blue River Foundation in Shelby County was one of the grant recipients. The foundation received $11,000 to help build two canoe access ramps to the river.

Other grant recipients include:

• Sycamore Land Trust Beanblossom Bottoms nature preserve trail project in Monroe County, $27,500 to make the trail more accessible to visitors with disabilities;

• Indiana Forest Alliance in Jackson County, $15,000 to enhance an aquatic salamander habitat in Indian Creek and the Blue River;

• Wabash River Enhancement Corporation in Tippecanoe County, $24,077 to purchase supplies for water sampling on the Wabash River;

• Indiana Natural Resources Foundation in Greene County, $20,000 to help fund interpretive exhibits in the Goose Pond fish and wildlife area;

• Jeffersonville Township Public Library in Clark County, $15,000 to help pay for a rain garden landscape project at the library's Clarksville branch;

• Indiana Wildlife Federation in Vigo County, $15,000 to help fund ongoing restoration efforts at Lake Le Fer at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College;

• Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District in Owen County, $7,500 for the MYPath ecological restoration project;

• Vermillion Trails Alliance in Vermillion County, $5,000 to help fund the Trail Head Park;

• Hamilton County Parks and Recreation in Hamilton County, $14,500 toward a mobile environment and nature education trailer.

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work. In Indiana, the Foundation contributes more than $2 million annually in charitable gifts. More information about the Duke Energy Foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.