Complete YMCA family fitness challenge for prizes
The Brown County YMCA, 105 Willow St., is offering a Family Fun Fitness Challenge from Nov. 21 to Dec. 20.
Groups and families are welcome to complete challenges such as biking 3 miles in the state park, walking the Salt Creek Trail for at least 30 minutes, flossing every day for one week, taking a Thanksgiving Day walk and more.
One point is received per completed challenge. The grand prize is a three-month YMCA family membership. Participation prizes and goodie bags also will be awarded.
For more information, visit browncountyymca.org/events or call 812-988-9622.
2021 state park passes and permits now available
Indiana state park passes, lake permits, off-road cycling permits, and horse tags for 2021 are now available at property offices and front gates, and online at ShopINstateparks.com.
A resident annual entrance pass costs $50. An annual entrance pass for visitors who live outside the state costs $70. Annual entrance passes are not valid for entrance to the Indiana State Museum, state historic sites, or Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center.
Golden Hoosier Passports cost $25 and are available to all Hoosier residents 65 and older. There’s also a Golden Hoosier Passport for disabled Hoosier veterans (DHV) who qualify to purchase a DHV license plate. To quality, the veteran must be 50 percent service-connected disabled as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Anyone who has been issued a Prisoner of War license plate may receive a passport for free. SSDI Golden Hoosier Passports may be used by an Indiana resident receiving or eligible to receive Social Security Disability Income under 42 U.S. code 423 as described by the Social Security Administration.
Lake permits are available for motorized watercraft for $25 and non-motorized watercraft for $5. These permits are required for all private watercraft using state park, reservoir, and state forest lakes, and all watercraft moored at marinas, private docks, or bank ties on those lakes. The 2020 lake permits also remain available for the rest of this year.
Off-road cycling permits are $20 and are required for each bicycle user for off-road bicycle access and use of DNR properties where off-road cycling is allowed. These permits are required only for trails identified as intermediate, advanced and expert. They are not required for trails identified as beginner. These permits are not a park entrance permit and do not cover special user charges for services and facilities within the property.
Horse tags cost $20 and are required for each horse brought to DNR properties where horse use is allowed. A horse tag is not an entrance permit and does not cover special user charges for services and facilities within the property. Horse tags and lake permits remain available to purchase for use for the rest of 2020.
None of the 2021 permits will be valid until Jan. 1, 2021.
State park annual permits are also available as part of holiday gift packs, which include a one-year subscription to Outdoor Indiana magazine and a gift card for state park inns or campgrounds. Holiday gift packs are available for $100 or $150 at shopINstateparks.com.
Duke grant funding the planting of 5,000 trees
Approximately 5,000 native trees will be planted in Indiana state forests, covered by a $25,000 grant.
The Duke Energy Foundation presented the Powerful Communities grant to the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF) and its Indiana Tree Project initiative.
The Indiana Tree Project is a joint effort between the INRF and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Forestry, as well as citizens and businesses throughout the state, to plant new trees and promote healthy forests. A tree planting day will be scheduled in the spring. Volunteers from Duke Energy and the DNR will participate in the planting.
These trees will be planted in one of the regional forests of Morgan-Monroe, Mountain Tea or Yellowwood, said Bruce Calloway, manager for Government and Community Relations for Duke.
The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded 19 Powerful Communities grants in Indiana, totaling more than $235,000, for environmental programs to support water quality, conservation, and habitat and forest restoration.
“Trees are an investment in future generations,” said Stan Pinegar, Duke Energy Indiana president. “They help give wildlife a home, they clean our air, and they create beautiful places around us that can be enjoyed for years to come.”
“We’re glad to support Indiana’s commitment to reforest the state.”
