Community Support Strengthens Indianapolis’ Mud Creek Conservancy
In 2022, Mud Creek Conservancy (MCC) celebrated a season of growth, thanks to the continued support of MCC members and conservation-minded community members. MCC supporters helped the organization surpass a $50,000 matching challenge from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. With Mud Creek Conservancy 60 days granted to meet their goal, it was reached in just over one month. Once completed, Sargent Road Nature Park will be MCC’s first public preserve.
Just 2 years ago, the 26-acre Sargent Road Nature Park property was for sale, under imminent threat of development. The dream of a nature park was just that – a dream. Now, the property has been purchased and preserved, and MCC is nearing its goal to make this urban nature park open for all to enjoy.
Mud Creek Conservancy’s First Land Acquisition Connects Community to Nature
MCC has been busy pursuing several preservation opportunities in the Mud Creek Valley. Thanks to the grassroots support received to complete the organization’s first land acquisition at Sargent Road Nature Park, MCC was able to leverage that effort and apply for additional acquisition funding through Indiana DNR’s Next Level Conservation Trust. This project has been approved and will preserve an additional 12-acres of riparian habitat and create a new public nature preserve in northeast Indianapolis.
Sargent Road Nature Park Improvements Underway
On August 2, MCC broke ground on Sargent Road Nature Park with the commencement of installing bridges, improving a nature trail, and constructing parking. See the update below!
via Facebook:
BIG NEWS: We broke ground TODAY on Sargent Road Nature Park!
Permits are finally in (thanks to Context Design and V3 Companies) to begin work on the first major phase of the Sargent Road Nature Park implementation. If you’ve driven past 82nd St and Sargent Road this week, you may have noticed that our contractor (Williams Creek Management) began mobilizing equipment on Monday, getting bridges in place (which the deer are already enjoying) and gearing up for an exciting period of ongoing improvements to our nature trail and parking area at SRNP. After the final pre-construction site walk/stroll, we officially broke ground on the permanent nature trail!
We anticipate construction of the improved portion of the nature trail and the entry+parking area to take at least 10-12 weeks to be completed. We are now entering a window of time when your continued support and donations will be incredibly impactful as we work towards hitting our next fundraising goal ($100,000) and implementing our collective vision for Sargent Road Nature Park.
Keep tabs on the progress at: https://www.mudcreekconservancy.org/updates