Following Margery Barker’s death in 1980, she bequeathed the Barker House to The Nature Conservancy with the hope that it would continue serving conservation efforts for generations to come. Her vision has endured, as the house has remained home to organizations dedicated to protecting the natural landscapes of Northwest Indiana.

The Nature Conservancy first transferred ownership of the Barker House to the Midwest Audubon Society, which established its Midwest headquarters there. When the Audubon Society later closed its office, ownership returned to The Nature Conservancy. In 1987, Save the Dunes Council established its offices in the Barker House, followed by the Shirley Heinze Environmental Fund (now Shirley Heinze Land Trust) and the newly formed Save the Dunes Conservation Fund in 1994. Together, these organizations made the Barker House a hub for conservation leadership and collaboration in the region.

In 1997, Save the Dunes Conservation Fund purchased the Barker House from The Nature Conservancy, ensuring that Margery Barker’s vision would continue under local stewardship. Four years later, the organization successfully secured National Historic Landmark designation for the house, recognizing both its architectural significance and its important place in the region’s conservation history.

In 2010, the Save the Dunes Conservation Fund and Save the Dunes Council merged to form the organization now known as Save the Dunes, continuing a decades-long legacy of protecting, preserving, and restoring the Indiana Dunes. Shirley Heinze Land Trust relocated to its Meadowbrook property in Valparaiso in 2013.