The 30th Annual Friends of Indiana Dunes Native Plant Sale is Saturday May 9, 2026, at the Friends of Indiana Dunes Office in the town of Porter. The non-profit group says the deadline for pre-sale orders is rapidly approaching - the forms need to be received by this Saturday, April 25, 2026. All proceeds from the sale...

Shirley Heinze Land Trust invites the public to attend its annual Spring Benefit on May 30, 2026, at William E. Urschel Pavilion in downtown Valparaiso. The Spring Benefit is the cornerstone of Shirley Heinze Land Trust's annual outreach and fundraising ventures. The nonprofit says this event offers the organization an...

The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County will host their first Household Hazardous Waste and tire collection of the 2026 season on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at the Porter County Expo Center at State Road 49 and Division Road in Valparaiso, IN from 9am to 2pm CST. Participants are asked to enter at Gate 3...

In Valparaiso, the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County's Northwest Indiana Earth Day Celebration is Saturday April 18, 2026, 9am to 1 pm, at the Porter County Expo Center. The district says over 2,000 people attend every year. The event includes an opportunity to shred old documents for free with Se...

In northwest Indiana, Strack & Van Til says customers will have the opportunity to help out Humane Indiana and support local wildlife during a week-long checkout challenge campaign. Monday, May 4, 2026, through Sunday, May 10, 2026, shoppers at all 22 Strack & Van Til locations across the Region and the Town &a...

Porter County residents with gardening questions can get answers directly from local Master Gardeners thanks to the Garden Helpline. Purdue Extension Master Gardeners will be at the Porter County Extension Office working the Helpline on Mondays and Wednesdays starting April 20, 2026, from 9 AM to 11 AM. You can feel fr...

In Crown Point, the Lake County Master Gardeners annual Plant Sale is Saturday, May 9, 2026. On sale will be a variety of plants, including herbs, vegetables, native plants, annual flowers, perennial flowers, trees and shrubs, and hanging baskets. Gently used garden tools and treasures will also be for sale. The sale...

With Spring officially here, tree and plant experts at The Morton Arboretum say the Chicago region is currently on track for an average arrival time of spring blooms despite recent weather fluctuations and temperature swings. The arboretum says historical records indicate that, on average, peak spring blooms in the Chi...

In La Porte, the La Porte County Master Gardener Association is hosting a special event featuring a nationally-known author of several books, including "Bringing Nature Home" and "The Nature of Oaks. "A Morning with Doug Tallamy - Saving Nature in Your Yard" is March 28, 2026, at the La Porte C...

In northwest Indiana, Save the Dunes says the thousands of sandhill cranes stopping at the Great Marsh at Indiana Dunes National Park this month are "an incredible reminder of what habitat restoration can achieve". The nonprofit says during the 20th century much of the 4,000 acres of the Great Marsh wetland c...