Indiana recently purchased 1,500 acres of these forested Morgan County hills, where young whooping cranes have followed their ultralight teachers on a migratory path to their new winter home.

We're working to protect an additional 1,500 forested acres in the area this year, using federal funds along with money donated by people who purchase and proudly display Environmental License Plates.

The Morgan County effort is just one of several projects we are working on to protect important natural areas.

We are one-third of the way toward meeting our new goal of purchasing and protecting 100,000 important natural acres by our state's bicentennial in 2016

Our new goal is as lofty as that of the biologists working to bring whooping cranes back from the brink of extinction.

How will we succeed? We will sell more Environmental License Plates, develop more partnerships with organizations that are working to protect natural areas, and will leverage more funding for the Indiana Heritage Trust.

Environmental License Plates and the Indiana Heritage Trust are the foundation of a statewide effort to save land for forests, parks, wetlands and nature preserves.

Read on to learn more about what we accomplished in 2003 with help from Hoosier motorists and private land trusts. And please continue to join us in this noble effort.

Joe Kernan, Governor