February 2026 update from your local Heartlands Group

February 13, 2026

Happy Friday the 13th, fellow Hoosiers. If you’re the superstitious type, we reckon you can ward off any bad luck today by reading this newsletter and taking action to protect Eagle Creek’s waters! Read on for more information.

In this newsletter:

🙌 Thank you for showing up this past month!
🥾 Join us on the trail this spring
📣 Take action to protect Eagle Creek
📚 Come to our virtual Book Club
🫶 How to get involved with our activities this year

Happy reading! As always, if you have any questions about our work in and around the Indy area, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Rebecca Dien-Johns
Chapter Digital Strategist
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

Thank you for showing up this past month!

From Statehouse days, to rising up against data centers in our communities, to joining us at our latest Type-In — y’all showed up for our communities in the last few weeks! Here are just a few photos to celebrate what we’ve done together so far this year.

Sierra Club staffers Megan, Colleen, Robyn, and Nicole at Renewable Energy Day on January 20. Photo: Nicole Snider

We loved the conversations we got to have with many Indy folks!

Read a report here: Hoosiers Energized at Renewable Energy Day.

Members and supporters of the Heartlands Group — along with concerned Central Indiana community members, impacted neighbors, and partner organizations — gathered prior to the Citizens Board meeting on January 12. Photo: Megan Anderson.

We were there to raise public awareness about the proposed plan to siphon millions of gallons of water a day from our watershed up to the LEAP district in Lebanon and for wastewater to be deposited into Eagle Creek.

Read the section Protect Eagle Creek Reservoir and our Water below for how you can take action!

We gathered at Indy Type Shop for our Words for Water Type-In on February 8. Photo: Rebecca Dien-Johns.

We wrote letters to our reps that were delivered to the Statehouse on Water Stewardship Day, the following day!

Want to get involved? See all our upcoming events, outings, and trainings on our website!

We’d love to meet you.

An early morning shot with a dark blue sky in the background, of a group of a people on a sidewalk by a road outside an office building. The people at the front of the groups have their back to the camera and they have filming equipment. One person is more towards the front of the group being filmed. The group of people being filmed are holding signs. Four people tabling indoors. There is lots of information on the table including flyers and petitions. One of the people is wearing a shirt saying I heart clean air. Another is wearing a shirt saying Repower Indiana. All four people are smiling.

Five people indoors typing on old fashioned typewriters. Some are wearing respirator masks. There are books for sale in the background.

About the Heartlands Group:

The Heartlands Group serves the greater Indianapolis area. It's part of the Hoosier Chapter of the Sierra Club, hosting Sierra Club outings, hikes, conservation education and sustainability events in Central Indiana. Our mission is to leave a better environment for future generations.

To get involved with our activities this year, email Chapter Outreach Coordinator, Colleen Curtin: coleen.curtin@sierraclub.org

Join us on the trail!

A group of 7 people around the base of a wide tree in the woods. They're dressed for cool weather. Some are wearing caps and have walking poles. They are all smiling.

Lori (third from left) and fellow hikers at the base of a sycamore tree on the trail. Photo: Rebecca Dien-Johns.

Becoming a Sierra Club Outings Leader was a bit outside of my comfort zone at first, but I was quickly put at ease by how welcoming and supportive the other Outings Leaders and members of the Sierra Club have been. From the very beginning, it’s felt like a community that truly wants to help each other succeed and enjoy the outdoors together.

What drew me to becoming a leader was the chance to combine my love of hiking with building community. One of my favorite things I’ve taken away from each hike has been how much I’ve learned from fellow members along the way — especially about the different types of wildflowers, trees, and invasive species we encounter on the trails.

Looking ahead to this spring, I’m excited to lead several hikes around the Indianapolis area. Planned outings include Eagle Creek, Holliday Park, and Ritchey Woods, each offering its own unique scenery, trail options, and seasonal highlights. I also plan to scout out additional hiking areas in and around Indianapolis to add even more variety to the schedule.

I’m looking forward to getting outside, exploring new trails, and hiking together this spring. Check back at sc.org/hcevents in coming weeks as the dates are confirmed. I hope you’ll join me on an upcoming outing!

Lori Peters
Outings Leader

PS Interested in becoming an Outings Leader? Join the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter: Summer Outing Leader Training Orientation on May 11, 2026.

Protect Heartlands Area Water

An illustration with big orange letters saying SAVE EAGLE CREEK Save Our Water. There illustration is of a blue sky, with white clouds, and an Eagle perching on a branch. There is a water body with trees and a heron on a log, and a duck on the water.

Let Mayor Hogsett know that you want him to protect Eagle Creek and our drinking water, and to call for an independent study of the Citizens-Lebanon Water Supply Program!

Read more and take action here.

Water Issues Team (WIT) Call Out

Join us virtually on Thursday, February 19th, at 6pm for our Call Out Meeting for the Heartlands Group Water Issues Team. This team is for folks who call our Heartlands Group (Indianapolis and the surrounding counties) home and who want to work on local water related issues.

Water Issues Team volunteers might help organize a community meeting on water related issues, facilitate a summer long water testing program, provide testimony on water related issues at city council meetings, or provide support during water related public education programming.

Register: Heartlands Group: Water Issues Team (WIT) Call Out
When: Thu, Feb 19, 2026; 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Eastern)
Where: Virtual

For more information, contact colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org

Colleen Curtin
Outreach Coordinator
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

Heartlands Group: Local Issues Townhall and Gathering

Are you interested in meeting other Sierra Club members and supporters who live in the Greater Indianapolis metro area?

Do you want to learn more about environmental issues facing our region?

Come on out Monday, February 23rd, and meet up with other Heartlands Group members and catch up with the work Heartlands Group and Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter are doing in Central Indiana. Learn about outings and hikes at places like Benjamin Harrison State Park, Eagle Creek Park, Southeastway Park and other nearby nature spaces. Catch up on some of the issues the Group is working on including opposition to proposed data centers in Decatur Twp and Martindale-Brightwood, opposition to the Citizens-Lebanon Water Supply Program, and many other important local issues.

Doors open at 5:30pm for some catching up and community, and our Local Issues Townhall and Gathering will run from 6:30pm-8:00pm.

Register: Heartlands Group: Local Issues Townhall and Gathering
When: Mon, Feb 23, 2026; 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (Eastern)
Where: Indianapolis (register for details)

For more information, contact colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org

Colleen Curtin
Outreach Coordinator
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

Join our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club!

Join us for the 2nd year of our Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Book Club! This year we have some fantastic reading selections as well as opportunities for members to submit suggestions for future books. Have a book you want to see us read this year? Email your recommendation to colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org.

Meet with us on February 24th for When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy by Beronda L. Montgomery.

On March 31st check out Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice by Rebecca Kormos with us.

For more information, contact colleen.curtin@sierraclub.org

Colleen Curtin
Outreach Coordinator
Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

And finally, some news stories featuring some of the issues we are working on locally...

Meta breaks ground on $10B data center campus at LEAP district (WTHR)

Community members speak directly to Lebanon Utilities, Citizens Energy Group about LEAP district water deal (WRTV)

Eagle Creek in the spotlight as utilities defend wastewater plan linked to LEAP district (WTHR)

Utilities answer questions about LEAP district, Eagle Creek water deal (Mirror Indy)

Residents gain hope after meeting on Eagle Creek wastewater proposal (WRTV)

Supplying water to LEAP district may cost $1B. Who will foot the bill? (Indy Star)

Pike Township data center stalls after backlash as Indy plans regulations (Indy Star)

Developer withdraws proposed Pike Township data center (Fox59)

Related blogs:

Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Blog