Guest blog submitted by Meera M. Patel. Ms. Patel is a rising senior at Fishers High School, a High Honor Roll student and a Project STEM intern. This summer, Ms. Patel is researching Combined Sewage Overflows, assisting with community based research and spending some of her time interning with Amber Rollings at CEES.
Reconnecting to Our Waterways (ROW) is a grassroots level enterprise established in 2012, which has a main goal to develop a sense of unity among neighborhoods by promoting cohesive and community- based change in six major Indianapolis waterways as well as in the neighborhoods surrounding them. These waterways include Eagle Creek, Fall Creek, Pleasant Run, the White River, Pogue’s Run, and the Central Canal. These particular waterways were chosen due to their existing community and engagement network.
One of ROW’s initiatives involves creating half-mile trails, or ten minute walks, surrounding each waterway. Another initiative is to create three mile trails, or 20 minute bike rides, around each waterway. These measures and other involved efforts are aiming to create new ways to view, learn about, and experience the unnoticed beauty of the waterways.
The newest effort to enhance experiencing the beauty of our local waterways is the StreamLines Initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation. StreamLines will encourage Indianapolis inhabitants to interact with the six waterways through art installations, poetry, music, and dance. An app and website have also been created to provide around-the-clock accessibility and increase the amount of opportunities available to learn about the waterways. The learning component of this initiative, known as Informal Science Learning (ISL), will teach the community about the waterways through interactive programming and exhibits and encourage the people to come back and learn more.
Because over half of the nation lives in urban areas, StreamLines hopes to inspire a sense of curiosity about the natural environment that still surrounds us but often is over shadowed by the built environment. The leaders of StreamLines also hope that this curiosity will foster appreciation among community members and “inspire the next generation of scientists.” The launch of StreamLines will take place soon with more information pertaining to the launch on the ROW website. The inspirational and delightful Molly Trueblood is the direct contact for the StreamLines project. Her direct contact information is: mtrueblo@butler.edu, 317-940-6505.