Got Nature? Blog

Purdue Extension was recently honored as the 2025 National Runner-up for the Innovation & Creativity: Team Award by the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) for its work in leading Wind Energy End-of-Service Listening Sessions.

Winning Team: Kara Salazar, Marty Huseman, Jon Charlesworth, and Tamara Ogle

Kara Salazar, assistant program leader for Community Development and Sustainable Communities extension specialist, and her team members, Tamara Ogle, Purdue extension community development regional educator, Jon Charlesworth, senior extension educator, and Marty Huseman, Purdue extension educator, partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to organize and host listening sessions across the Midwest region, focused on wind turbine decommissioning and end-of-service considerations. These sessions created forums where community members and landowners could learn, ask questions and share their perspectives about what should happen when wind turbines reach the end of their life cycle. What roles different stakeholders should play, what responsibilities exist and how transitions can be managed fairly and transparently.

The goal of this work has been twofold. First, to ensure that public education about wind turbine decommissioning is accessible and tailored to local concerns. Second, to gather real on-the-ground insights from those most affected by end-of-service processes. Feedback from these listening sessions will directly inform NREL’s future research and resource development, helping ensure that when wind energy infrastructure transitions occur, communities are supported with the tools, knowledge and policies needed to navigate those changes.

This work also connects to Purdue Extension’s Wind Energy Resources, a collection of research, tools and outreach materials designed to help communities, landowners and local leaders understand the opportunities and challenges of wind development. These resources cover topics ranging from economic impacts and land use planning to community engagement and end-of-service issues, equipping Indiana residents and decision-makers with the information needed to make informed choices.

Other Resources:
Environmental Planning in Community Plans, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces: Creating Healthy Communities, The Education Store
Conservation through Community Leadership, The Education Store
Tree Installation: Process and Practices, The Education Store
Planting Forest Trees and Shrubs in Indiana, The Education Store
Planting Your Tree Part 1: Choosing Your Tree, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Sustainable Communities Extension Program
Subscribe – Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel
Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources Calendar, workshops and Conferences

Diana Evans, Extension and Web Communication Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources