(This post was originally posted in 2013.)
Bob Meyer was an outdoorsy kid whose happiest days included Scouting, canoeing, hiking and sledding. When Bob and his wife, Gayle, were raising their daughters, Anna and Molly, the family spent many hours hiking, climbing and camping. Even as the girls are now grown, the family still spends the time they have together in pursuit of the outdoor activities that they all enjoy. And now, the Meyer Family is making it possible for generations of kids – and grownups – to have those same kinds of experiences in the outdoors that they all love.
For Bob, fond childhood memories include camping with his sister and parents, Fred and Dottie, and taking trips to national and state parks. He recalls camping with members of the Save the Dunes Council when natural areas in northwest Indiana were caught between conservation and steel interests.
Still, there’s more than just childhood memories driving the Meyers to protect Indiana’s natural assets – there’s also the legacy left by Bob’s father. Fred Meyer served on the board of the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and he was instrumental in getting the state’s first dedicated Nature Preserve, Pine Hills, established in 1969 in Montgomery County. The designation provides for a conservation easement on the land so that it is permanently protected.
Now the Meyers have followed in Fred’s footsteps by recommending a grant from the Robert R. and Gayle T. Meyer Family Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation, towards the purchase of 55 acres in Morgan County. In fact, Bob, Gayle, Anna and Molly suggested the gift as a tribute to Fred and Dottie.
More about the Fred and Dorothy Meyer Nature Preserve here.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Manager