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ROW convenes community partners to enhance the quality of life through innovation, analysis, cultural advancement and investment along Indy waterways and in neighborhoods.

Fall Creek, Canal, White River Team Up on Hackberry Nature Trail
Earlier this year, discussions began between ROWs Fall Creek and White River waterway committees to remove invasive honeysuckle, open up views to Fall creek and create a rustic hiking path to what might be Indiana's largest Hackberry Tree. Soon, they connected with ROW's Central Canal Committee to work with youth from Groundwork Indy in a mentoring projects to continue to further the connection between nature and young people in our waterway neighborhoods.

In the near future, the Groundwork team will repurposed some railroad ties into steps along a particularly steep sections of the trail.  Adult volunteers worked to clear some of the spaces and mark the paths on Nov 8. On Dec 13, 15 youth joined along in a mentoring day with all three waterways working together towards a common goal, while a Red-tailed Hawk pair looked on. 

The highlighted Hackberry Tree is suspected to be the largest of its species in Indiana, estimated between 150 - 200 years old, a rare size and age for the species. Lisa Milton (White River State Park and new White River committee Co-Chair) intends to get an accurate measure of the tree soon. 

You can see the route and check out this gigantic Hackberry here.

This project is an excellent example of collective impact at work. In addition to the collaborations of waterways and partners, ROW was able to provide a grant to pay the youth and for supplies through the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust Event Grant, and supported by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful with work gloves and trash bags, and LandWorx Engineering providing water and hauling away debris.  Indy Parks leadership also walked the space and granted permission to our eager community volunteers. 

Pictured, Top: Groundwork Indy's Phyllis Boyd provides guidance on removal of invasive honeysuckle; Right: Groundwork Indy youth and leaders, Lisa Milton (White River State Park and White River Co-Chair), Greg Harger (Urban Wilderness Trail and White River Co-Chair), Keith Cruz (LandWorx Engineering and Fall Creek); Left: Large Hackberry tree

Economics: #SmallWaterwayBiz Promoted 100 Small Businesses
During ROW's recent Economics Committee meeting, a wonderful idea for lifting up  the many small, locally owned businesses along our waterways emerged -- amplifying Small Business Saturday!

ROW Staff, working closely with our Waterway Committees to identify local businesses, especially Black- and Brown- owned businesses -- and with members of the Economics Element. We moved quickly into gear to develop a unique brand for a #SmallWaterwayBiz campaign to promote waterway businesses.
 
Leading up to the November 26 launch, ROW worked with Cathead Press (Pogue's Run business) to print 100 gift bags, filled them with ROW swag and gift cards and worked with partners like Southeast Neighborhood Development, Near East Area Renewal and Cleo's Bodega & Cafe to distribute bags, and provided information about the benefits of shopping small, ways to engage with and improve our waterways, and more, in both English and Spanish.

ROW SubGrants Provide Needed Assistance to Committees 

2021 Brings More SubGrant Opportunities 

Throughout 2020, ROW's collective has continued to find ways to advance their workplaces, even in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Even in these unprecedented times of virtual meetings and distanced gathering, ROW volunteers still accomplished a great deal utilizing our subgrant programs. The collective got creative with "events" and followed ROWs strict guidelines for safe gathering / meeting. 

Projects accomplished using ROW subgrant funds included:

SEED/FLEX FUNDING

  • Barton Park Habitat Restoration (Ecology Element with Fall Creek, Indy Land Stewardship, Indy Parks Foundation, Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District)
  • Arts-Based Community Development (Spirit & Place with Arts & Culture Element)
  • Millersville Village Signage (Millersville with Fall Creek Waterway and Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center)
EVENT FUNDING
  • Crosstown Art & Science Walk and Rainbarrel Workshop (The City League with Fall Creek Waterway, Kheprw Institute and DaVinci Pursuit)
  • Bat Box Build (Pogue's Run Waterway, NEAR and Thomas Gregg School)
  • Hackberry Trail Youth Mentoring Day (Canal, Fall Creek, White River and Groundwork Indy)
  • POP Fundraising Launch (Pogue's Run and Pathway Over Pogue's)
  • #CleanOurWatershed (Healthy Connections with Friends of the White River)
  • Coloring Pages for Food Boxes (Canal Committee)
  • #SmallWaterwayBiz (Economics Element)
ROW also worked with 2019 grantees to wrap up projects this year, including: Stairs to the River, Holliday Park Sustainable Trail & Spanish-Language Education Video, Christian Park Reclamation Initiative, Fall Creek Watershed Management Plan and Indianapolis Art Center Dye Garden. 

In 2021, ROW expects continuing it's grant program to assist our Waterway and Element committees in accomplishing their goals. We will continue the Event Grants, thanks to the generosity of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust; and Seed Grants, thanks to the support of Central Indiana Community Foundation and Herbert Simon Family Foundation; ROW's Steering Committee will approve the exact grant budget in early 2021.

Photos: Top Right, Fall Creek's Chris Corr helping with native plantings at Barton Park; Top Left, Dye Garden at Indianapolis Arts Center; Bottom Right, Coloring pages distributed at Riverside Park Open House ; Bottom Left, Stairs to the River along White River.
Walk/ Bike/ Places Conference Call for Mobile Workshops

The Indianapolis Call for Ideas for Mobile Workshops for the 2021 Walk / Bike / Places Conference is now open. Local groups can submit ideas to lead a workshop in June 2021 at the conference by filling out this application form and connect with our 2021 Local Host Committee led by Big Car Collective. The deadline to apply is January 15th!

Mobile workshops take groups of participants to locations around the host city where they can experience a range of public spaces and projects, and meet with some of the city's most inspiring community leaders, business owners, and public space advocates. They often highlight local initiatives that advance the values of connectivity, access, engagement, and equity while connecting workshop leaders to event participants from around the country and abroad.
Events Calendar
*Most meetings are being held virtually for the foreseeable future.*

Sept 17: Fall Creek Meeting
Sept 28: Pleasant Run Meeting
Aug 26 & Sept 30 : White River Meeting
Sept 8 : Central Canal Meeting and Pogue's Run Meeting
Sept 9: Little Eagle Creek Meeting

One great way to get involved with ROW is to participate in a Waterway or Element Committee! Find details on the ROW events page or contact info@ourwaterways.org to get connected.
End of Year Giving: Supporting ROW Partners
Many of ROW's collective members are non-profits who are doing great work to improve awareness, care, access and connection to our waterways. Here are a few you might consider in your end-of-year giving plans:

Collective Successes During a Challenging Year
One of the key aspects of a collective impact is that there are shared goals and a shared measure of outcomes to determine progress towards the goals. ROW's Metrics Manager, Kelly Brown, helps break down some impressive successes that ROW's collective can celebrate in 2020, even in a year when there have been real challenges for our many partners and community members. 

Take Action to Improve Our Waterways
Residential Invasive Species Removal Guide
All Things Water: What a Homeowner Should Know
Clear Choices Clean Water Pledges
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Reconnecting to Our Waterways · 201 S. Capitol Ave · Suite 800 · Indianapolis, In 46225 · USA

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