Eagle Creek Nature Notes

Adam sits down with Jenna and Donna from the Ornithology Center to talk about the upcoming Raptor Election at Owl Fest 2024, happening on October 26th and 27th at Eagle Creek Park!

In this episode, they dive into how visitors can vote for their favorite raptor and explore the ongoing care and training of the raptor ambassadors. Jenna and Donna, the Manager and Assistant Manager, share background stories about each bird to help you make your choice in the election. See you at Owl Fest!

Episode time stamps:

0:00 – Intro, Owl Fest, and Fundraising with the Foundation and Ornithology Center

16:00 – Election Intro

17:35 - Matilda the Turkey Vulture

21:10 – Reddington the Red-tailed Hawk

23:25 – Minerva the Great Horned Owl

32:50 – Obi the American Barn Owl

37:10 – Carson the Bald Eagle (Eagle snorts video)

46:45 – Falcons generally

49:02 - Hazel the American Kestrel

51:28 - Freyja the Peregrine Falcone

56:20 – What makes a raptor a raptor?

58:40 Recap of all 7 raptor election candidates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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