The West Fork White River is the heart of East Central Indiana.
It has a rich history and heritage culturally, historically, and biologically.
It's an especially diverse river valley with a floodplain forest and free-flowing river.
containing a healthy fishery and wide variety of plants and animals.
There are cultural and historic sites like Camp Chesterfield,
which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
And of course Mounds State Park, where 2,000 year old Native American earthworks mark
the presence of our area's earliest known inhabitants.
It's with this backdrop
that the Hoosier Environmental Council
has proposed the Mounds Greenway,
a linear park and trail system following the White River
from Anderson to Muncie.
This floodplain corridor along the river
encompasses about 2,300 acres that would be
conserved as part of the Mounds Greenway.
Conserve, Connect, and Create
are the three pillars of the Mounds Greenway.
Conservation is at the heart of the Mounds Greenway proposal
both conserving the free-flowing White River and
conserving the great and diverse
habitats along the river.
The conservation end of the Mounds Greenway
proposal to me is extremely appealing.
That it protects a free-flowing river.
That is conserves these massive trees and old growth
forests that we have in certain pockets along the river.
We have about ten percent of our land in
East Central Indiana is still in some sort of
wildlife habitat, ten percent. And it's mostly fragmented.
Our highest priority for land types to permanently
preserve are along the wildlife corridors
to somehow link those up
and help those species move back and forth.
The river is alive, and when you walk by the river
you know that every single time there's usually a
new experience either from a different
wildflower or a different animal.
The birds are great. There's always a Great Blue Heron.
There are always Kingfishers. I've seen Cedar Waxwings.
It's very thick with Smallmouth Bass.
And so if we have this protected place where people
can get out and easily see the wildlife
it just gets them excited about nature and starts them
thinking about how they can be better stewards of the environment.
We want everybody that lives around here to understand
that the White River is their river
and they will help protect it if they see it.
It's a very good ratio of people that say
"This is cool I like this, yeah, I'm glad I live here"
and they'll tell other people about it.
Yorktown's Morrow's Meadow Park,
Daleville's Shellabarger Park,
Chesterfield's Walbridge Acres are all nice parks
that exist along the river, those would be connected.
The trails of Muncie Indiana...
the White River Greenway in Muncie then connecting
to the Cardinal Greenway, the Anderson City trails.
Those are all part of the connectivity
the second central element of the Mounds Greenway.
The indigenous people that lived in this area
particularly the Miami where known as great
pedestrians and great trail walkers.
And I think that the Mounds Greenway does a really nice
job of tipping its hat to our cultural history,
specifically our indigenous history in this area.
Families are stressed, and the opportunity for families
to do things together even it it's just going on a walk
or riding your bike as a family that's great because
because it creates family bonding time to connect in a positive way.
Sometimes I feel like in society we're actually doing
the opposite. That's not how I want to live.
I want to live in community,
and the river and the greenways are a
great way to do that.
A way that is much more personal and interactive.
I'll be riding up on the Gaston end or down
towards Richmond and there's always somebody
out there I know. It is just an extension of my backyard.
It's really, really fun!
The Mounds Greenway would be like the missing link
in our system of recreation that we have in
East Central Indiana, and the thought that
I can get on my bike and ride all the way to Anderson
and go to Mounds Park instead of having to
get into my car. That makes me really excited.
Building a better quality of place,
a clean and healthy environment,
opportunities for physical activity
will help encourage people to remain here and raise their families.
It will encourage young people who grew up here and left to come back.
I lived on the East Coast for a long time.
And then I moved to the West Coast,
to California for a couple of decades.
My priority...the top of my list was I needed to be close
to some trail, some greenway, some place where
I felt that I could safely get out and bicycle or walk,
bird watch...do all the things I love to do.
My daughter moved to Colorado so she could be near
water and hiking and the mountains. And so I think that
if we in Anderson realize the importance of the river,
the importance of a greenway
it will draw young people here. I mean...they will love it!
And then finally we anticipate that the
Mounds Greenway on completion would generate
about 13 million dollars in annual benefits.
Well, if you create opportunities for things to do in Anderson
then people are going to stay, and more importantly
people are going to come to experience those things.
And this that comes all kinds of economic influx and opportunity.
Anderson in particular,
you know, there's a very fine bike shop over there.
So I don't know how much cross traffic we'll get.
But we should each get more, as there's more trail
it's going to open up visibility to more people.
We're not against development.
But we are for smart development.
We want our communities to thrive,
and be productive and successful.
I think a greenway would bring a lot of prosperity.
People want...young people especially...
If you talk to my daughters they want little coffee shops
nice places to eat, they want to be outdoors.
Hamilton County spends a great deal of money trying to
bring people in as a destination tourist location.
That translates real well up here. People love to go
somewhere for a weekend, take their bicycles,
ride down a path. If they can use a canoe for part of
that trip or a kayak that's even more fun for them.
We're out in the county. The only reason it works is
because the shop abuts the Cardinal Greenway.
Because it literally runs through my back yard I was
able to put a sign out there, and, fortunately just that
and word of mouth keeps me busy year round.
I like the idea of being able to walk for a little bit
and then walk up and have dinner at one of the
restaurants downtown then get back on the trail and
walk for a little bit and then head home.
We anticipate reduced healthcare spending by
local residents because they have opportunities
for more physical activity, something that is greatly
lacking in the East Central Indiana region.
And so you get to get outside, you get to become active
and that also helps with your mental health in giving you
an opportunity to release those endorphins
and balance out anxiety or depression that
they may be experiencing.
Another aspect of the economic benefit
is the boost in property values within a half mile or so
of the greenway corridor.
To have a greenway though your property is going to be
really appealing to people. I think about this property.
And I think about it being so close to the interstate.
And with a greenway close to the state park.
I mean, this property could be invaluable.
It is our goal to accomplish the Mounds Greenway
in a very collaborative form and not simply come in
and propose to take people's land away from them.
If there's a greenway in the back of my house that I can
hop on my bike and ride places, that'd be phenomenal!
And I think that a majority of communities that have
done that...it draws people to those communities.
We talk about all the tangible reasons why
the Mounds Greenway is a good idea,
from environmental protection, outdoor recreation
opportunities, economic opportunities,
quality of life, but one other equally valuable reason for
the Mounds Greenway and that's inspiration.
People need places to go that inspire them.
To float a wild river. To fish a wild river.
To hike or bike on a wild forest trail.
That's exactly what the Mounds Greenway would
give us, a place that inspires us.
We have a great deal of pride in our history.
And we have a great deal of pride in Anderson
as to where we want to go.
The Mounds Greenway would be a wonderful way
for us to be able to come together as a community.
I hope people consider it, and consider what it can
do for future generations.
The Cardinal [Greenway] has proved it, the
the Mounds Greenway folks know it.
Making it convenient and easy for people to
step outside their daily life and just a few steps away
or just a few minutes on a bicycle and they're
totally immersed into a real natural setting.
That's smart...that's very smart!
The Mounds Greenway needs your support and
involvement to become a reality.
Please share this video and talk with your friends,
family, and community officials
about the Mounds Greenway.
For more information and a listing of Mounds Greenway
partners and supporters go to moundsgreenway.org
To find the latest on Mounds Greenway events
like and follow the Mounds Greenway on Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram.
Together we can Conserve, Connect, and Create
a better place to live...with the Mounds Greenway!
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