By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — A new infusion of money from Lilly Endowment Inc. will allow for a much more proactive approach to protecting the health of area lakes by the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams at Grace College.
Earlier this month, the Lakes and Streams organization announced it is a recipient of a $10 million grant from the endowment to help propel the Grace College organization’s new Lake RX program.
Dr. Nate Bosch, who serves as the Creighton Brothers Endowed Director of the Center for Lakes and Streams, said money to support Lake Rx will help take their efforts to a new level.
Officials say $8 million will be set aside in an endowment for long-term use, and $2 million will be used to kickstart the effort.
New programs will be customized to address specific lakes with land-based proposals, such as wetlands management, while also addressing common problems such as E. coli and the growth of blue-green algae. More educational programs will also benefit from the new money.
“We are going to be putting those funds into visible maximum impact projects around some of our lakes here in Kosciusko County to build momentum for Lake RX increasingly over the next five years.
Bosch said collaboration with various groups will be a key component going forward.
He said they’re already hearing from those representing lakes and wetlands groups, as well as farmers, contractors and government agencies wanting to get involved.
“We’re getting a lot of good information from a lot of different organizations, and it’s fun to see that, which is exactly what we hoped with this grant,” Bosch said.
“We’re able to get more done together than we would be able to separately,” he said.
As the name suggests, Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams has had a long working relationship with Lilly Endowment, Inc., which is headquartered in Indianapolis.
That endowment is the largest private foundation in the United States, with assets reaching a record $100 billion.
The endowment provided a large gift to the Lakes and Streams nine years ago, which led to the organization being renamed.
The Grace College entity was established in 2007.
Bosch, who’s overseen the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams for nearly 18 years, realizes how unique that connection has been.
“They have invested a lot in the most important changes for the better in our state,” Bosch said.
“To have them backing this new project that we’re working on is pretty exciting,” he said.
Check out the full interview with Bosch this weekend on In The Know.
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