The holiday season offers us family and friend time, downtime, and outdoor time!
The leaves have fallen (except those still being held on by some stubborn oaks and beech!), and mornings are cold. The holiday season in Central Indiana offers a unique mix of large and small, famous and understated natural spots to explore. As the year winds down, Hoosier Chapter Sierra Club hikes are winding down too, giving you a chance to explore on your own. Please consider some off-the-track hiking outings this holiday season:
Muscatatuck County Park Jennings County: This is a County Park with amenities and natural diversity of a State Park, because it used to be one!
Hemlock Bluff Nature Preserve Jackson County: This is an old-growth forest preserve where hikers can see one of the only remaining stands of eastern hemlock in the state.
Meltzer Woods Shelby County: This is also an old-growth forest preserve, where visitors can envision what the till-plain woodlands might have looked like before settlers cleared the land.
Betley Woods at Glacier's End Johnson County: This park is as it sounds, sitting on the boundary of the Wisconsin Glacier more than 10,000 years ago.
Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow Johnson County: Essentially a twin park to Betley Woods above, this park shows evidence of the last glaciation of the area.
Please be reminded that hunting season is November and December. Please check all hiking areas for hunting information, and do not enter any park during hunting activities.
Trails trails trails!
Our December program welcomes a representative from the Hoosier Hikers Council . You will recognize some of the trails the HHC volunteer corps have built and maintain in the area: the Tecumseh Trail, the Yellowwood Lake trail, and two Brown County State Park trails. Come learn how the trails that you use are maintained across the state of Indiana, and how you can get involved in the trail maintenance effort!
Wednesday December 3 6:00 PM (doors open at 5:30 for socializing) Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room
Weed Wrangles and Strike Team 2025. That’s a Wrap!
As we wrap up for 2025, I want to reflect on some of the impacts Sierra Club volunteers have had on the natural world here in Central Indiana.
One of the most obvious and rewarding opportunities for volunteers are often the Weed Wrangles held by the various CISMAs such as Blazing Stars in Columbus, Winding Waters in Jennings and Jackson counties (not to be confused with Winding Waters Group of the Hoosier Chapter Sierra Club), and Brown County Native Woodlands Project. CISMAs, or Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas, are committed to the removal of invasive species on public land, such as city or county parks.
In 2025 many dozens of Weed Wrangles were held in Central Indiana, removing thousands upon thousands of invasive trees, bushes, and flowering plants. Thank you to all of you that participated in 2025! Your efforts allow for the return of native plants to natural areas, and help to bring balance back to the ecosystem. That’s a great accomplishment! And there’s nothing as satisfying as the “before” and “after” view of a natural area free of its harmful invasive species that YOU helped accomplish! If you are looking for a new volunteer opportunity in 2026, please consider helping at a Weed Wrangle in your area. Please check the CISMA site for more information.
It's almost time to vote!
The Winding Waters Group Executive Committee election will take place in December. All Group members with active memberships will receive an email or postcard with details on how to vote.
When the election is live, voting will take place in MyAccount. This is also where you can control all your email preferences.
Not a member yet? Join by November 30 to be eligible to vote in the elections this year.
Hello! My name is Buffy Dunham. My background is in native plant species propagation and invasive species remediation.
I moved to Columbus in 2001, and began applying my experience when I started noticing invasive species growing into the formerly wild areas that I enjoyed every day, such as Noblitt Park and Mill Race Park. In the beginning, I worked together with passionate Winding Waters Group volunteers to begin removing these invasives from the parks. This eventually evolved into the establishment of the Blazing Stars CISMA, Weed Wrangles, and Strike Team.
Our invasive plant removal has been very effective and rewarding as native species return to these areas after our work. What my experience has shown me is that the web of life is real and we are interdependent. I want to do as much as I can on my time on earth to make a difference and support this incredible web of life.
