For our May program, we invite you to join us as we welcome our guest speaker Clyde Myers who will be with us to share his love of and expertise about foraging.
Clyde is an author and forager from Columbus, Indiana, who loves helping people rediscover the abundance growing just outside their doors. Through years of exploring southern Indiana's forests and fields, he has developed a practical, approachable style for teaching edible and medicinal plant identification, safe harvesting, and the joy of connecting with nature through wild food.
Foraging with Clyde Myers Wednesday May 5, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room
We look forward to seeing you there in person or via Zoom! The event is free and open to the public.
Winding Waters Native Plant Sale
The 8th annual Winding Waters Native Plant Sale is well under way! Each of the 33 varieties of plant was chosen with the goal of making native plantings attractive and affordable to everyone. Although advance orders were due on April 15, we still have plenty of plants left to be sold at the Columbus Farmer’s Market on Saturday May 9th and Saturday May 16th. Please come find us at the Market!
Click here for the COMPLETE LIST OF PLANTS AND DESCRIPTION. Most will be available at the Farmer’s Market priced at only $5.00. We accept cash, check, charge, and paypal.
Eastside Library Planting Project
The Winding Waters Group and Bartholomew County Public Library Native Plant Partnership Project is up and running!
This project helps us meet our larger organizational goals of connecting people with nature and wildlife, and closing the nature equity gap, and entails establishing native plantings at the new Eastside Library Branch at 421 McClure Road, the former Eastside Community Center.
The Ribbon Cutting on April 15 was a huge success. Thank you to all who participated! We will next be planting redbuds, oakleaf hydrangeas, and a variety of native groundcover around the Library Branch in May, and the public is invited to help.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 19th, 3:30-7:30pm to help beautify the new facility with native plants!
Please reach out to Julie Lowe at j_lowe66@yahoo.com for more information or to volunteer.
Hikers backpack donated by the Winding Waters Group to the Bartholomew County Library's "Library After Dark" fundraiser. Photo: Julie Lowe.
Earth Day 2026 Volunteering
On Wednesday April 22 the Winding Waters Group celebrated Earth Day volunteering on two ends of the county! Some attended a Weed Wrangle in Columbus, supporting sister organization Blazing Stars CISMA.
Before and After photos tell the success story of the work!
Others worked at our home base of Anderson Falls to remove trash from the woods. Anderson Falls, on the East edge of Bartholomew County, is a popular county park, which means there is plenty of trash to pull from the roadsides! Thank you to all that offered your time to beautify your communities and protect our earth!
Before (R) and after (L) of removed privet. Photo: Julie Lowe.
Did you know? Indiana has the largest network of invasive species remediation volunteer teams in the entire country! The Blazing Stars CISMA, established only 4 years ago, focuses on invasive removal from Mill Race Park and Noblitt Park in Bartholomew County, but conducts Weed Wrangles across the area, supporting high school student groups, houses of worship, and community organizations. Please join us! Contact Julie Lowe at j-lowe66@yahoo.com for more information.
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 sale pick-up help: Friday, May 5th at 8:30 AM (from 2 - 4 hours) 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
Grassroots Forest Forum Roadless Rule Town Hall
Sierra Club folks at the event. Photo: Sleeper Cheatham
The Grassroots Forest Forum Roadless Rule Town Hall was a huge success, thanks to you!
The Sierra Club Uplands Network Conservation Committee and the Winding Waters Group held the Town Hall on April 4, 2026 at the Monroe County Library.
Some highlights of the day included collecting testimonials from participants about the Roadless Rule, its effects on the Deam Wilderness and roadless areas around the country, and standing up for the rights of public land.
The screening of the film Crown Jewels was well attended, and testimonials in support of the Roadless Rule were both informative and moving!
Thank you for supporting the only Roadless Rule Town Hall in the state!
“The White River Alliance (WRA) is a 16-county consortium of local governments, industry, utilities, universities, agriculture and the regional community that exists to protect and improve water quality on a watershed basis in the larger Upper White River Region. Local governments (cities, towns, and counties) are on the front lines of water quality protection, yet are faced with limited financial resources and changing regulatory expectations. We can do much more together than as individual communities to protect our vital water resources and leverage our financial and technical resources.”
The WRA supports a myriad of events and activities to raise awareness among the community about how to protect the water quality, activities to engage with the river, summer educational programs, and volunteer opportunities. Please check them out!
It was recently reported by the Indianapolis Star that IDEM is more consistently testing water quality of the White River, and all rivers in Indiana. IDEM reports that Indiana’s waterways, which have consistently been among the dirtiest in the country, are gradually getting cleaner thanks to new policies requiring buffers between fields and riverfronts, and the completion of the new sewer system in Marion County preventing overflow from entering waterways. On top of that, the White River Alliance has recently revealed its White River Vision Plan to make recreation on the White River more accessible. Please check the White River Alliance website for a myriad of activities and events inviting folks to enjoy the White River!
Events
Saturday May 2, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Calli Nature Preserve and Muscatatuck County Park Wildflower Hike North Vernon, IN
Wednesday May 5, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Foraging with Clyde Myers Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room Columbus, IN
Monday May 11, 8:30 AM Hike and Wrangle on the Hayes Trail Bloomington, IN
Tuesday May 19th, 3:30-7:30 PM Help with Native Plantings at the new Eastside Bartholomew County Library Branch Columbus, IN
Wednesday, June 3, 5:30 - 7:30 PM Evolution and Conservation of Bats Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room Columbus, IN
Volunteer Spotlight: Josh Burbrink
Hi, I’m Josh, and I’m committed to serving my community and helping shape a better future for our country. I volunteer as a firefighter and EMT in Harrison Township, Bartholomew County, and serve as President of the Friends of the Library Board. I’m always looking for practical ways to make a positive impact through service, innovation, and environmental stewardship.
I serve on the Sierra Club’s Winding Waters board, where I work on conservation efforts and explore how technology and data can drive smarter environmental decisions. A project I’m working on currently is improving the Winding Waters' monthly public presentations to be more accessible, such as adding live streaming and recording options. Please come check out our programs on the first Wednesday of the month, 5:30 - 7:30 at the Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room, and let me know how I'm doing!
