Wednesday, November 15, 2006 - 2:45 PM
226-4
K-12 Outreach: Industry, University, and Community Cooperation.
Eli Lilly and Company Tippecanoe Laboratories is located near Lafayette in north central Indiana . The site produces a wide variety of human and animal pharmaceutical health products. The area dedicated to production of pharmaceuticals is about 122 ha. Surrounding this production area, the company owns an additional 810 ha. This area is split between farmland and land managed for wildlife. The wildlife area is actively managed by a Purdue graduate student to enhance habitat and serve as an outdoor educational facility. The graduate student is supported by a grant from Eli Lilly. The wildlife area provides recreational and learning opportunities to the employees as well as the citizens of the Greater Lafayette area. Bluebird boxes, archaeological sites, restoration of high-quality prairie habitat and walking trails are all part of the wildlife habitat area. This site is unique because it encompasses a variety of ecosystems. The combination of tall grass prairie, hardwood forest, wetland, and gravel hill prairie requires a creative management approach. A strong network has been developed by Eli Lilly with local school systems, NICHES (Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystem Survival), Banks of the Wabash, INPAWS (Indiana Native Plants and Wildlife Society), Purdue University, Indiana Division of Forestry and Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation District to enhance the site and provide educational opportunities for K-12 students. The Purdue-Eli Lilly collaboration serves as an excellent model for protecting natural resources and serving as an environmental steward while emphasizing community involvement.
Recorded presentation