Awards round up The IAA was recognized with several additional awards in the quarter. Here is a summary: In January, the IAA won the Indianapolis Host Committee’s 1st and Green Challenge in the Government category. The IAA team took first place through the everyday efforts of its employees over several months to conserve energy and water. In February, it was announced that Sodalis Nature Park has been recognized through an award granted by the Indiana Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). The IPRA selected Sodalis Nature Park out of hundreds of state-wide parks and recreation agencies for the honor of "Outstanding Park Development." Sodalis Nature Park opened last May in the southeast corner of Hendricks County, at 7700 S. County Road 975 East in Plainfield, Indiana. on property owned by the IAA. The unique name came from the federally endangered Indiana bat, Myotis sodalis, which inhabits wooded areas in and around the park that have been protected for the Indiana bat under a Habitat Conservation Plan. The park is operated and maintained by Hendricks County Parks and Recreation (HCPR).
The park consists of 210 acres of land that were previously closed to the public and that serve as a refuge for more than 100 species of wildlife, including the Indiana bat. It offers a 5.5-acre catch-and-release fishing pond, more than three miles of nature trails, a quarter mile of paved trails, educational areas, picnic areas, and other amenities. The park allows visitors the rare opportunity to enjoy a robust, permanently protected wildlife habitat, something they will not experience at any other park in the region, particularly one located in a major metropolitan area. To say it has been well accepted is an understatement, as 51,000 visitors explored the park from May through December last year. Finally, in March, Airport Revenue News (ARN) again recognized the IAA for its world-class concessions program at IND. For 2011, IND earned a first-place ranking in ARN’s prestigious annual awards program in the following categories:
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