Eagle Creek Nature Notes

Eagle Creek Park Foundation
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Eagle Creek Nature Notes

Welcome to Eagle Creek Nature Notes, the podcast that helps you plan your next adventure to Eagle Creek Park! Join us as we dive into the rich history of Eagle Creek Park, located in Indianapolis, IN. Uncover fascinating stories and secrets of one of the largest city parks in the country. Whether you're a local looking for hidden gems or planning your first visit, this podcast is your go-to guide for maximizing your experience and creating unforgettable memories in one of nature's finest playgrounds.

Season 1

  1. EPISODE 1

    Mindfulness Hike at Eagle Creek Park

    Dr. Blair McKissock guides listeners through a series of mindfulness exercises focused on connecting with nature. She emphasizes the importance of being present and aware of the natural environment around us. The exercises include deep breathing techniques while observing natural elements, grounding practices that involve feeling the earth beneath your feet, and mindful walking where listeners are encouraged to pay attention to the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. McKissock is the former Executive Director of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation.    Timestamps for mindfulness exercises  We recommend you pause after each series of instructions to complete the exercises.  Prepare for Mindfulness Exercises: pause at (3:25) to finish breath work  Exercise One: (3:25), Using the Senses  Exercise Two (7:43), Use your senses to connect with the natural environment   Exercise Three: (9:19), Connect with your surroundings through touch.   Exercise Four: (11:38), Think about the interface between humans and nature.  Exercise Five: (14:46), Gratitude, peace, and connectedness    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation. To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org   Host: Dr. Blair McKissock, former Executive Director of Eagle Creek Park Foundation  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on: November 7th, 2022

    17 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Bird Migration at Eagle Creek Park

    Why does Eagle Creek Park have an entire nature center dedicated to birds? Join Ornithology Center Manager, Jenna McElroy and Naturalist Aidan Rominger to learn about why Eagle Creek Park is a Midwest birding hotspot! They share all about birding and bird migration at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, IN. Learn about some of the rare and unusual species that migrate and breed, especially on the West Side of the park.     Support the Ornithology Center  To financially support the raptors at Eagle Creek Park, consider Adopt a Raptor    Resources and birds mentioned in the episode:  Cornell Lab has countless bird resources at: www.allaboutbirds.org  Cornell Lab’s MerlinBirdID app is second-to-none for bird identification  Lights out Indy helps protect birds from hazards like windows and cell towers:  Eagle Creek Park sits in the Mississippi Flyway migration route,.    A short, incomplete list of birds you can see at Eagle Creek Park mentioned in the episode  Blackpoll Warbler  American White Pelican  Henslow’s sparrow  Blue Grosbeak   Prairie Warbler  Wood Thrush  Kentucky Warbler  Hooded Warblers  Blue-winger warblers  Oven birds   Worm-eating Warblers  Mississippi Kite  Black Vulture  Sabine's Gull  Least Tern  Black-legged Kittiwake    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.  To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org   Hosts: Jenna McElroy Manger of Ornithology Center and Aidan Rominger, Naturalist  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on: March 7, 2023

    10 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Park History at Eagle Creek Park

    Where did the giant “Bear” statue come from that gives “Bear Overlook” its name? What was the land Eagle Creek Park now calls home like in the past? What was it like before there was a reservoir? Park Historian and Volunteer Coordinator Anne Cecere sits down to answer these questions, and more! Anne and Adam discuss the amazing history of Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, IN.     Resources from the episode  Anne mentions an interactive history map of Eagle Creek Park – check it out!  Anne also runs the Eagle Creek Park History Facebook Page    History Before European Colonizers settled the Midwest  Learn more about the Miami Nation, which lived where Eagle Creek Park now stands before White settlers arrived and was forcibly relocated by the United States Government to Oklahoma. There’s also information here about the Miami Nation of Indiana, which is not federally recognized, but has built community in Peru, Indiana.    Despite signing a treaty with the US Government, the Delaware people were forced to move west and settle in Indiana (including central Indiana) among other places. More information about the Delaware Tribe (Lenni Lenape) can be found here, and on their official website.     Time Stamps for References to Resources  The Bear: 1:15  Matt Berg Installs “Bear” at Eagle Creek Park  Bear being moved from White River to Eagle Creek    Damming the reservoir 2:12,   Photos resources in the interactive map #17     Before it was a park 3:34 See   “Knoll House”      Old churches, cemeteries and schools: 4:48   Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church  Mt Pleasant Site Plaque  Jones Chapel Cemetary  Pike Township School #4: Interior Exterior Full School    Famous people in the park: 9:17  Kittle House 1947 (knoll)   Maurine Dallas Watkins and George Watkins  Eagle Creek land plot 1931 (MD Watkins)   Chicago Play Poster    Reforesting and maintaining the park 14:20   Image of Eagle Creek before reservoir    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.  To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org Host: Adam Hibshman, Marketing and Program Coordinator for Eagle Creek Park Foundation  Guest: Anne Cecere, Park Historian and Volunteer Coordinator  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on: September 5, 2023

    17 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    All Persons Trails at Eagle Creek Park

    Emily Storm-Smith sits down to discuss the All Persons Trails on the West Side of Eagle creek park. These feature two ADA loops at the north and south end of the new West Side Hiking Trail complex. As the name “All Persons Trail” suggests, they were built as part of the larger West Side Trail project to ensure that anyone, even folks who require the use of mobility aids can use them.  At the time of recording Emily was the President of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation Board of Directors. Emily is a lawyer who lives in Indianapolis and has a passion for accessibility. Her young son requires mobility aids, so this episode is a chance to hear about how her advocacy resulted in accessibility for everyone who visits the West Side Hiking Trails.   **Official West Side Hiking Trails Map**  Forest Service Guidance on Accessibility (trails on page 35-42)  Photos from Emily and Adam’s visit to one of two ADA trails, the South Loop Trail near Bear Overlook:  ADA South Loop Trail Sign  Adam and Emily at Bear Overlook  Adam and Emily at Parking Lot Transition Zone  Adam and Emily Walking on ADA South Loop  Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.  To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org   Host: Adam Hibshman, Marketing and Program Coordinator for Eagle Creek Park Foundation  Guest: Emily-Storm Smith, President of Eagle Creek Park Foundation Board of Directors  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on: September 18th, 2023

    30 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Champion Trees Hike at Eagle Creek Park

    What natural wonders will you see if you hike the entire 5-mile West Side trunk trail that connects the Eagle’s Crest and Bear Overlook? Marty Risch sits down to discuss the amazing trees, water features, and more. This podcast can serve as a guide to a hike from North to South on the West Side Hiking Trail, and we’ve included resources to help you get the most out of such a hike! Marty was a park ranger in the 1970s and worked as an environmental scientist for the State and Federal Governments. These days he’s a trail volunteer and he’s the brains behind the Big Tree Registry at Eagle Creek Park through which he’s crowned dozens of Champion Trees which we discuss in this episode.   From the Episode with Marty  West Side Trail Features Text & Photos (follow along)  West Side Trail Features Maps (w numbers) (follow along)  Adam and Marty at Champion Tree  Champion Oak at Bear Overlook  **Official West Side Hiking Trails Map**  **Big Tree Registry Website (lists all Champion Trees!)**    A few images from an Eagle Creek Park Foundation Member Event in April 2024  Champion Trees Hike Beech Tree  Champion Trees Hike at Tulip Tree  Champion Trees Hike Marty by Champion Oak    Tree Identification Resources  How Old is My Tree? (Purdue)  American Beech Tree Identification  American Beech Tree Leaves  American Sycamore Bark  American Sycamore Leaf  Oak Tree Identification by leaf  Bur Oak Leaf  Temple Oak (Indianapolis)  Chinquapin Oak Park Sign (Indianapolis)  Chinkapin Oak Leaves  Tulip Tree Leaves (State Tree of Indiana)  Tulip Tree Flowers    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.  To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org   Host: Adam Hibshman, Marketing and Program Coordinator for Eagle Creek Park Foundation  Guest: Marty Risch, Eagle Creek Park Advisory Committee and the brains behind Eagle Creek Park Big Tree Registry  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on November 3rd, 2023

    36 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Why the West Side Trail at Eagle Creek Park?

    How did Eagle Creek Park’s West Side Hiking Trail Complex come to be? Which organizations funded, planned, and built the trails? How did Eagle Creek Park Foundation work with Indy Parks to make it all happen? A core group of people who made the project possible sit down to discuss the ins-and outs of all things West Side Hiking Trail.  **Official West Side Hiking Trails Map**    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by the Eli Lilly Foundation.  To find full episode transcriptions and more about Eagle Creek Park Foundation, visit eaglecreekpark.org   Host: Adam Hibshman, Marketing and Program Coordinator for Eagle Creek Park Foundation  Guests: John Pankhurst (Director Emeritus, ECPF), Karen Bumb Lauer (Director Emeritus, ECPF), Alex Upchurch (former Executive Director, ECPF), Meghan Mustin (Executive Director, ECPF), Brittany Davis Swinford (Regional Manager of Eagle Creek Park), Brenda Howard (Senior Ecologist, Department of Public Works)  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on Feb 28, 2024

    32 min

  7. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Welcome to Nature Notes - The podcast from Eagle Creek Park

    John Pankhurst welcomes you to Eagle Creek Nature Notes, the podcast to help you plan your next visit to beautiful Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. John serves as Director Emeritus of the Eagle Creek Park Foundation Board of Directors and played an outsized role in the project to develop the West Side Hiking Trails at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, IN. The grant that funded the trails also funded the podcast    Eagle Creek Nature Notes is brought to you by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation and was made possible by a grant from the Eli Lilly Foundation.   Host: John Pankhurst  Producer: Jen Edds, Brassy Broadcasting Company  Recorded on: March 3, 2023

    3 min

Trailer

About

Welcome to Eagle Creek Nature Notes, the podcast that helps you plan your next adventure to Eagle Creek Park! Join us as we dive into the rich history of Eagle Creek Park, located in Indianapolis, IN. Uncover fascinating stories and secrets of one of the largest city parks in the country. Whether you're a local looking for hidden gems or planning your first visit, this podcast is your go-to guide for maximizing your experience and creating unforgettable memories in one of nature's finest playgrounds.

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