Happy Spring, fellow Hoosiers! We hope that you’re spending lots of time outdoors.
If you’re looking for inspiration for hikes, you’ve come to the right place! We have several wonderful outings planned.
Read on to find out more!
Winding Waters Native Plant Sale
You may already know that one of the Winding Waters Group's main objectives is to promote native plants in and around Columbus and Bartholomew County. We are active throughout the growing season supporting native plant beds in such places as the Columbus Airpark, Blackwell Park, the Community Garden, and even the Ellipsis project of Exhibit Columbus 2025, among others. If you are interested in volunteering in our native plant bed work, please reach out to Julie Lowe at j_lowe66@yahoo.com.
In tandem with these activities, we announce the 8th annual Winding Waters Native Plant Sale! Each plant of the 33 varieties of plant is priced at only $3.50, with the goal of making native plantings attractive and affordable to everyone!
Click here for the COMPLETE LIST OF PLANTS AND DESCRIPTION. Click here for the ORDER FORM.
Orders are due Wednesday April 15 Pickup date is Friday May 8 from 2:00 - 5:00 PM
You will also find us at the Columbus Farmers Market selling any remaining plants on Saturday May 9th and May 16th.
Eastside Library Planting Project
As we announced last month, in partnership with the Bartholomew County Public Library, The Winding Waters Group was recently awarded a grant for “The Winding Waters Group and Bartholomew County Public Library Native Plant Partnership Project.” This project helps us meet our larger organizational goals of connecting people with nature and wildlife, and closing the nature equity gap. The project entails establishing native plantings at the new Eastside Library Branch at 421 McClure Road, the former Eastside Community Center. We will be planting redbuds, oakleaf hydrangeas, and a variety of native groundcover.
Did you know, the Bartholomew County Main Library has an Invasive Species Removal Kit, donated by the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group, ready for you to check out?
The kit includes protective gear, cutting tools, and literature about invasive species to get you started!
Calling all Volunteers!
We welcome volunteers to help with both the Native Plant Sale and the Eastside Library Planting Project above! Please let us know if you would be interested in helping out and learning more about native plants.
Please contact Julie Lowe at j_lowe66@yahoo.com for the following volunteer shifts:
Plant delivery and sorting on Tuesday, May 5th at 8:30, and Plant pick up on Friday, May 8th from 2-5. Farmers Market plant sale help: Saturdays, May 9th and May 16th at 8:30 (from 2 - 4 hours) Eastside Library Planting help: Tuesday, May 19th, 3:30-7:30pm
From our Uplands Friends: Grassroots Forest Forum Roadless Rule Town Hall
The Sierra Club Uplands Network Conservation Committee and the Winding Waters Group will be holding a Grassroots Forest Forum Roadless Rule Town Hall on April 4, 2026 at 1 PM at the Monroe County Library. Some highlights of the day will include speakers talking about the Roadless Rule and its effects on the Deam Wilderness, roadless areas around the country, and standing up for the rights of public land. We will also show the film Crown Jewels and will take testimonials for the Roadless Rule.
Grassroots Forest Forum: Roadless Rule Town Hall Sat, Apr 4, 2026; 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Eastern) Bloomington, IN
Please join us in this town hall, the only one in the state, to learn more about the Roadless Rule, or to share your testimony. Read more about the Roadless Rule here.
For more information about the Town Hall, reach out to Julie Lowe at j_lowe66@yahoo.com
Events
Wednesday April 1, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Pollinator Community Meeting, Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room Columbus, IN
Saturday, April 4, 1:00 PM Grassroots Forest Forum Roadless Rule Town Hall Monroe County Library Bloomington, IN
Friday April 10, 4:00 - 5:30 PM Howell Wetlands Hike Evansville, IN
Sunday April 12, 12:00 - 3:00 PM Wildflower Hike at Brown County State Park Nashville, IN
Friday April 17, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Wildflower Hike at Green’s Bluff Freeman, IN
Wednesday April 22, 12:00 - 2:00 PM Earth Day at Anderson Falls Roadside Clean-up Columbus, IN
Thursday April 23, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM Hayes Trail Spring Wildflower Hike Bloomington, IN
Saturday April 25, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Art and Nature Family Hike Bloomington, IN
Saturday May 2, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Calli Nature Preserve and Muscatatuck County Park Wildflower Hike North Vernon, IN
Saturday May 9, 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM Columbus Farmer’s Market Winding Waters Native Plant Sale Columbus, IN
Saturday May 16, 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM Columbus Farmer’s Market Winding Waters Native Plant Sale Columbus, IN
Tuesday May 19th, 3:30-7:30 PM Help with Native Plantings at the new Eastside Bartholomew County Library Branch Columbus, IN
Volunteer Spotlight: Eric Riddle
Eric, a Columbus native, has served as the Sierra Club Winding Waters Group secretary since 2021, but he has contributed in many other ways to the community.
Following the 2008 flood in Columbus, he served as a case manager during the disaster recovery and later published “Watershed: Service in the Wake of Disaster” about the community’s response.
He also helped Columbus become Indiana’s first Bee City USA affiliate in 2021 and a Tree City USA affiliate in 2022.
Photo provided by Eric Riddle.
He has led the effort for developing the Columbus AirPark Pollinator Path, beginning with revitalizing Blackwell Park in 2020. He is also on the board of the Columbus Parks Foundation, First Presbyterian Foundation, and Blazing Stars CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) of Bartholomew County.
In his free time, Eric writes haiku and is currently working towards publishing “575 Gardens,” a book about the mental wellness benefits of his haiku discipline and gardening practices. And if that weren't enough, he has also hiked 250 miles of the Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Eric is married to Jen Riddle and has two adult children. Please come find Eric at our monthly library programs or weekend hikes and learn more about his work to support a thriving natural environment in the Winding Waters Group area!
