Tag Archives: state parks

Ways for libraries to partner with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources

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The Indiana Department of Natural Resources would like to share four ways that Indiana libraries can partner with the agency.

Indiana State Parks partners with libraries for the Adventure Backpack Program. Libraries can purchase up to five laminated letter passes which will travel with each backpack and will be shown at a property entrance gate along with the backpack. Participating libraries supply the backpack and its contents. The letter pass and backpack is returned to the library. Each letter pass is $50 and is good for one calendar year beginning on Jan. 1.

A new One-Day Pass is a card that can be given as a prize for reading programs or used as giveaways in contests or at events. The card allows recipients to visit the state park of their choice any day of the year. Similar to the annual pass, the One-Day Pass allows the cardholder and all persons accompanying the cardholder in a single private, family-type non-commercial vehicle to any property administered by the Indiana DNR for one day only, where entrances are designated and fees are charged. It is not valid for entrance to state historic sites or Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center. The cost is $7 per pass with a minimum purchase of 10 passes. The card may be used at any time, including holidays and weekends, and expires Dec. 31, 2025

The One-Day Pass is an effective and useful option to promote and reward! It can be used for:

  • Summer and winter reading programs.
  • Adult learning programs and book discussions.
  • Attending health and wellness or nature programs.
  • Computer classes and reading challenges.
  • Patron engagement in annual events.
  • Guest speakers.
  • Employee recognition.

Bradt Natural Area, Versailles State Park.

As nonprofit organizations, libraries may request a donation in the form of a buy one, get one free Annual Entrance Pass. Both the purchased and donated passes must be entered in an event to raise funds, or as prizes for reading programs. The cost is $50 with each pass good for one calendar year beginning on Jan. 1. Those interested in the Adventure Backpack Program letter passes, the One-Day Pass or the Annual Entrance Pass should email Julie Plank, program director with the Indiana DNR, and include their contact information and the number of passes they would like to purchase. Purchasers will be contacted by phone for credit card information and emailed an itemized receipt immediately after credit card has been accepted and the order is completed. Passes are placed in the mail within 24 hours of purchase.

Library staff may also request copies of the 2025 Indiana Recreation Guide. The colorful recreation guide provides patrons with information about state parks, state forests, fish and wildlife areas, nature preserves and off-road state recreation areas. Each page displays activities available at each location, such as boating, fishing, camping, golf, swimming and more. The guide is free of charge. To receive a carton of 100 guides, send a request via email with a contact name and the name and address of the library. Include the number of requested cartons. No P.O. boxes. The 2026 Indiana Recreation Guide will be released in February of next year.

Please note that libraries are not permitted to purchase state park passes for circulation. Indiana State Parks shall not replace lost or stolen passes and will not refund or exchange passes.

This post was written by John Wekluk, communications director at the Indiana State Library.

The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Indiana State Parks

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Have you ever been to an Indiana State Park, like the one in Brown County? Maybe took in the toboggan ride at the Pokagon in Angola? Hiked the trails at Spring Mill? Ridden your bicycles on the trails? Camped? Swam? If so, give thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program of Indiana of the 1930s.

After the stock market crash of 1929, and under the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the federal government created the New Deal. It consisted of programs to help the country’s economy get back on its feet and working again. One program was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was also the most popular.

The program enlisted young men between the ages of 18 and 25. They could sign up for a renewable six-month term and earned $30 (of which $25 was sent to their families) and lived in company camps. During the life of the program in the 1930s, about 64,000 enlistees helped to build Indiana’s state parks.

Under the command of the U.S. Army, the CCC’s mission was to teach land management, soil conservation and park construction. Indiana benefited greatly from this program, giving us a wide array of state parks.

The Indiana State Library has a large collection of newsletters from various CCC camps.  You can find some of them in our growing digital collections. These rare newsletters, often printed by the camp’s journalism group, provided information about the camp, events, activities, educational opportunities, poetry, short stories, cartoons, humor and sports.

For further information, check out these websites about the CCC program in Indiana:
Indiana State Parks: History and Culture
Building Indiana State Parks – Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration
“We Can Take It!”: Race and the Civilian Conservation Corps in Indiana, 1934 to 1941
The Civilian Public Service Camp Program in Indiana (Indiana Magazine of History)
Indiana State Parks

This blog post was written by Christopher Marshall, digital collections coordinator for the Indiana Division, Indiana State Library. For more information, email Christopher.