The Zionsville Board of Park and Recreation and Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department has launched a new website designed to share the progress and plans of the future Carpenter Nature Preserve and capture input from the public.
This website is organized around a combination of maps, graphics, text and questions that describe the project background, the project plan and the project steps.
The Carpenter Nature Preserve, located at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 421 and S.R. 32, is a 215-acre nature preserve proposed by the Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department as a town and regional destination for a new nature center, walking trails, boardwalks, nature-inspired playground, outdoor classrooms, Eagle Creek overlooks, enhanced wetlands, woodlands and prairies. The nature preserve will enhance existing wildlife habitats and provide viewing for these habitats while teaching visitors of all ages about the natural environment they are visiting.
The existing site is the former location of the Wolf Run Golf Course and is owned by private citizens. In the summer of 2020, Mayor Emily Styron toured the property. She later contacted two Zionsville residents with a love for nature, Jim and Nancy Carpenter, and together, thought of a new vision for the property. The Carpenters purchased what is now Carpenter Nature Preserve and have taken the role of interim owners of the property. While the Town identifies funding sources to purchase the property, the Carpenters are repurposing and preserving the land.
“I am grateful to the Carpenters for their conservation and restoration efforts and for their vision for what will be Zionsville’s largest conservation park,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “With Starkey Park at the southern boundary of Zionsville and this property at the northern boundary, we are solidifying our ‘town within a park’ moniker.”
Now, the Zionsville Board of Park and Recreation and Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department invite the public to see the proposed master plan and share input.
To visit the Carpenter Nature Preserve website and participate in the survey, click here.