Lawrence Selected for State Climate Fellowship Program
Lawrence Selected for State Climate Fellowship Program to Support Urban Forestry Efforts
Lawrence Selected for State Climate Fellowship Program to Support Urban Forestry Efforts
LAWRENCE, Ind. — The City of Lawrence has been selected to participate in a statewide climate and sustainability fellowship program that will bring a dedicated environmental fellow to the city this summer to help expand local environmental initiatives.
Mayor Deb Whitfield announced Tuesday that the city will receive a fellow through the McKinney Urban Green Fellowship program administered by the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute.
Lawrence is one of four Indiana communities chosen for the 2026 cohort. The city will collaborate with the Richmond, Evansville, and Dearborn County as part of the program, which pairs undergraduate and graduate students with local governments to work on climate resilience and sustainability projects.
The fellow assigned to Lawrence will begin work May 18 and spend the summer working full-time with city leaders. Their primary focus will be helping the city develop an urban forest and arbor program while assisting with other environmental initiatives.
City leaders estimate the fellowship will provide more than $80,000 in value through the fellow’s work and project deliverables.
Whitfield said being selected for the program is both an honor and an opportunity for the city.
“It’s a great honor and opportunity for Lawrence to be part of this initiative,” Whitfield said in an interview. “Being selected alongside the city of Evansville, Dearborn County, and the city of Richmond really shows the importance of communities working together on environmental efforts.”
Whitfield said the program will help the city take a closer look at long-term environmental planning, particularly when it comes to expanding and protecting its tree canopy.
“When you start looking at environmental initiatives, you ask what we can do for the future,” Whitfield said. “Trees are a big part of that. Trees help with oxygen and improving air quality, and they play an important role in the health of our community.”
The mayor said the information and research gathered by the fellow will help guide the city’s environmental planning, especially in Lawrence’s parks system.
“We have 13 parks throughout our community,” Whitfield said. “The opportunity the residents will have is that this fellow will gather information that can help us better understand where we can expand our urban forest and how we can continue improving those spaces.”
Whitfield added that residents may eventually have opportunities to take part in environmental efforts themselves, including community tree-planting initiatives.
“We’re looking to see if we can give our residents the opportunity to plant trees and really be part of that process,” she said. “This is something where people will see a long-term effect in our community.”
The fellowship is funded through the Urban Green Governance Grant, which was created with support from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Community and Urban Forestry program.
Program leaders say the initiative aims to help Indiana communities strengthen their urban forestry programs, making them more competitive for future tree-planting grants and expanding long-term environmental resilience across the state.
Located northeast of Indianapolis, Lawrence is home to about 50,000 residents. The city has experienced significant redevelopment since the decommissioning of Fort Benjamin Harrison in 1996 and continues to promote sustainability and community health initiatives under Whitfield’s administration.
