Environmental Benefits
I grew up in New Castle, just one block from Chrysler High School, and I never knew the gentle trill of a bluebird or the fascinating rattle of a kingfisher. I had never seen a meadowlark or a bobolink except in a coloring book my Mom bought me. Now I know that bluebirds, kingfishers, meadowlarks and more hover right outside the borders of our town. Of course, when I grew up there were empty lots everywhere—right on Parkview drive was the meadow with the wild strawberries. And somewhere down in Castle Hills Drive was the frog and tadpole pond.
Many kids these days have lost that easy connection with nature. When schoolkids visit our land in Westwood they are often unfamiliar with the simplest aspects of the natural world. One little girl didn't even know that the bright yellow flowers and the "puff balls" were both called dandelions.
The Indianapolis trails system, including the Monon Trail, have a motto: Bringing Neighborhoods to Nature. You see, these trails are more than strips of asphalt. Many communities call their trails Greenways or linear parks. The trails are a corridor for wildlife. Lined by native trees and wildflowers, they provide a pathway for wildlife free from the lawnmower, plow and car.
In the past Henry County was composed of small family farms each separated by a hedgerow of trees and shrubs. These linear paths provided home for birds and butterflies throughout the year. Now the farms have grown and the hedgerows have faded away.
Our birds are hungry for shelter, berries, and a place to raise their young. Where can a caterpillar make his cocoon safe to develop into a beautiful butterfly? Researchers have discovered that wildlife diminishes in parks that are set like islands in a landscape. Parks need to be connected by corridors of greenspace so the animals can move from site to site.
All over the country linear parks are being promoted as the best way to provide natural space for wildlife. And the trails provide a way for our citizens, especially our children, to meet the bluebirds and the butterflies that also call Henry County their home.