By Milt Grissom
As fall approaches and the leaves start to turn, there is a certain crisp smell in the air accompanying the change of colors. Each season seems to energize Indiana’s citizens to take advantage of a hike in a state park or nature preserve. I would encourage each of you to also attend a festival near an Indiana State Park this year. Combining a visit to a state park, reservoir, or one of over 350 nature preserves with a local festival is a great way to spend a weekend. And you not only spend your recreation dollars to support our public lands, you support the nearby communities that depend on your visits. After the leaves are gone in late November is still a great time to hike or camp. The different views and sounds are incredible.
IPA has been busy this summer! Read about the work of our Trails Committee in this newsletter. Our Outreach Committee has been at Earth Day events and the Indiana State Fair. We’ve seen an uptick in “listens” to our podcast with IN the Parks.
We welcomed new board member Doug Gray. Simply put, he is a bird expert and more. I witnessed this firsthand while driving around Salamonie Lake, where he attended his first board meeting. Doug retired from Eli Lilly and Company, Inc. and lives in Franklin, Indiana, where he has also pastored a local church. He supports the concept of Birding for the Soul, which uses the outdoors for mental health and healing. We could not be more excited to have him join IPA.
You do not have to be on the IPA board to participate in the work of the organization. We welcome ideas, comments and photos of our beloved parks and nature preserves. We also invite you to attend or assist with any of our events and outreach opportunities. Tell us about your skills and willingness to assist at info@indianaparksalliance.org and we’ll let you know about opportunities that fit your interests. And you would be a welcome participant in the activities of any Indiana State Park Friends Groups, too!
IPA’s recent board meeting at Salamonie Lake was preceded by a very interesting driving tour given by property staff. We saw the reservoir, built in the 1960s, doing its job. The lake was well above summer pool as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after recent rainfall in the Upper Wabash River watershed. Flooding in northern and central Indiana has been devastating, but without J. Edward Roush, Salamonie, and Mississinewa lakes, flooding would have been worse downstream on the Wabash. We also drove through Salamonie River State Forest, now managed by the staff of Salamonie Lake. Its campground is now a part of DNR’s campground reservation system.
We also saw a technology Indiana State Parks is using to take on the big problem of invasive plants. Traditionally, the plan of attack has included the use of backpack sprayers or sprayers attached to tractors, which require time to transport materials and equipment to access sometimes-remote sites. The assistant manager for wildlife at Mississinewa Lake acquired a drone equipped to spray in a more focused and time-saving manner and the board got to see it and ask questions.
I was able to see the benefit of wayfinding trail maps funded through Trails for Tomorrow when visiting Clifty Falls State Park at the end of June. You’ll see the results of our summer match campaign highlighted in this newsletter – we did it and raised more than $20,000 to support trail projects! You can still add to our available funds for these projects – the more we all give, the more we can do through partnerships with friends groups and other grants. Enjoy the colors and smells of fall and share your adventures with us. We’ll be out there with you, exploring our great Indiana State Parks and Nature Preserves. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.