Indiana Code Title 14. Natural and Cultural Resources § 14-31-1-1

(1) laboratories for scientific research;

(2) reservoirs of natural materials, not all of the uses of which are now known;

(3) habitats for plant and animal species and biotic communities whose diversity enriches the meaning and enjoyment of human life;

(4) living museums where people may observe natural biotic and environmental systems of the earth and the interdependence of all forms of life;  and

(5) reminders of the vital dependence of the health of the human community upon the health of the natural communities of which the human community is an inseparable part.

(1) maintain close contact with the living communities and environmental systems of the earth described in subsection (a);  and

(2) benefit from the scientific, esthetic, cultural, and spiritual values the living communities and environmental systems possess.

(1) the department establish and maintain a registry of the areas described in subsection (a);

(2) the state acquire and preserve the areas described in subsection (a);  and

(3) other agencies, organizations, and individuals, both public and private, be encouraged to set aside the areas described in subsection (a) for the common benefit of the people of present and future generations.