Welcome to Eagle Creek Nature Notes, the podcast that helps you plan your next adventure to Eagle Creek Park! Join us as we dive into the rich history of Eagle Creek Park, located in Indianapolis, IN. Uncover fascinating stories and secrets of one of the largest city parks in the country. Whether you're a local looking for hidden gems or planning your first visit, this podcast is your go-to guide for maximizing your experience and creating unforgettable memories in one of nature's finest playgrounds.
Who's Ready for Owl Fest 2024 at Eagle Creek Park?
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
8 Aug 2024
Why the West Side Trail at Eagle Creek Park?
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
8 Aug 2024
Champion Trees Hike at Eagle Creek Park
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
8 Aug 2024
All Persons Trails at Eagle Creek Park
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.
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
8 Aug 2024
Park History at Eagle Creek Park
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. (https://delawaretribe.org/)
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
8 Aug 2024
Bird Migration at Eagle Creek Park
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 (http://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
8 Aug 2024
Mindfulness Hike at Eagle Creek Park
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
6 Mar 2024
Welcome to Nature Notes - the podcast from Eagle Creek Park
Welcome to the trailer episode for the Eagle Creek Park Nature Notes podcast.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Contact Eagle Creek Nature Notes
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Eagle Creek Nature Notes?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
