blog post Mar 2021 2
Photo by Ben Valentine
Finding Home in Meltzer Woods
Written By: Ben Valentine
Date Published: April 7, 2021
Ben Valentine
First in a series on the Trek our Trails Challenge by guest blogger Ben Valentine
“The word ecology is derived from the Greek oikos, the word for home.” ― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” ― Gary Snyder, poet
These days, my home tries to be everything: office, gym, restaurant, vacation getaway, daycare—so many services and desires all fell onto each residence when COVID-19 stormed across the planet. The one refuge that remained for my family—and indeed, for so many—were the nature preserves nearby.
The Japanese concept of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, has been a great medicine to the woes of social isolation, sickness, and political unrest. Everywhere I hike, I see people on formerly quiet trails, rediscovering and reconnecting to the outdoors, that greater home of homes.
But nature is overused and in disrepair. It is hard to find places that feel intact when surrounded by corn, chemicals, and development. It has been especially hard this seemingly endless winter, stuck inside for too long—no vacations and too little social contact.
With this in mind I’ve decided that to celebrate this spring and summer, I will do the Trek Our Trails Challenge—seeking out those rarified islands of refuge and beauty that CILTI stewards. Accordingly, I hop in my car, and drive from Indy to Meltzer Woods with my son, to show him what this, my home state, would have looked like long before we were here.
My son is not yet two and a half, but the words he can say are testament to his expansive understanding of home. An outsized proportion of his vocabulary is filled with words like woodpecker, tree, mushroom, snake, flower, owl, or skip (as in skip a rock). He is just at home in the woods and riversides as he is in our house, and he takes to Meltzer Woods as if it were the city parks we frequent. But I try to show him the differences.
Photo by Ben Valentine
I tell him that there are just as many dead trees as living in a healthy forest, and we take joy in the rotting—finding mushrooms, worms, and mosses flourishing therein. I point out the impressive heights and girths of Meltzer’s old growth, and he appreciates each one. We’ve become literal tree huggers—soaking in each smell and texture. We spot titmice, chickadees, downies, red bellieds, cardinals, and robins. We search for signs of spring, and find it in small wildflowers beginning to bud and our first butterfly of the year.
We walk to the edge of the old growth and look at farmland, and imagine what it will be in 100 years, when CILTI has replanted and stewarded it. I tell my son—this is a future forest, and it will become a home to many creatures, and will outlive us all. We thank the Meltzer family for this precious gift: a glimpse of our home, 10,000 years ago.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
April 29, 2025
In presettlement times, much of northwest and west-central Indiana was covered by prairie vegetation. The vast prairie was soon converted to agricultural fields. The only remaining prairie can be found in some railroad rights-of-way and occasionally in old pioneer cemeteries that were set aside prior to the agricultural conversion.
Newsroom
April 2, 2025
April is National Poetry Month, and when we saw this poem in a recent Indiana Parks Alliance e-newsletter, we knew we had to share it.
Homepage,Newsroom
March 26, 2025
March is Women’s History Month—a time to celebrate the resilience, leadership, and impact of women throughout history.
Newsroom
