“The purpose of a trail is to provide active transportation and creat greenways through developed areas.”

— American Trails website

Walking and biking: healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

Preserve Greenspace: The natural character of our Township needs protection.

Indy’s Urban Wilderness

your 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Lawrence Township, IN

focused on connectivity

Why did we need this?

Lawrence Township is Indianapolis’s “Green Corner”: urban neighborhoods amidst undeveloped land, extensive tree canopy, and unique valleys.

However, we have few municipal parks and almost no safe walkable or bikeable trails between neighborhoods, our schools, shopping, and natural areas like Fort Harrison State Park (“Fort Ben”).

IUW is needed to unlock the area’s potential by preserving green space and building safe connections: “connectivity.”

Connectivity is preserved greenspace and safe connections.

Healthful Recreation
Improved Social Bonds and Reduced Crime
Outsized Impact on Property Values and Economic Development

Catalyze Connections

Our first project was advocating for an extension of the Fall Creek Greenway in the City of Lawrence. Succeeding in this required bringing together the cities of Lawrence, Indianapolis, and the Indiana DNR.

For this project, IUW brought together these government agencies and other stakeholders, provided critical public outreach, and was instrumental in securing funding.

Your involvement provides critical support and helps ensure that local sensibility and practical issues are considered in the design and implementation of the Fall Creek Greenway Extension. It will also soon help our campaign to complete the greenway and other connectivity projects in Lawrence Township.

To add your voice of support and stay updated, join us now.

Preserve Greenspace

IUW supports projects such as the Sargent Road Nature Park, a 26-acre park at the corner of 82nd St and Sargent Road. The Mud Creek Conservancy, a local Land Trust, successfully raised funds to buy this land to preserve its natural character and provide a nature trail without public money. It recently opened and is the first public-access greenspace for the area’s neighborhoods!

Click here to learn more about Sargent Road Nature Park and donate to the MCC. Every donation makes a positive impact.

Fall Creek Greenway: A paved, multi-use trail along the beautiful Fall Creek from Downtown Indy to Fishers and beyond (via the City of Lawrence and Fort Harrison State Park).

Sargent Road Nature Park: A 26-acre nature preserve at 82nd St and Sargent Rd with public access and a nature trail.

“[Fort Harrison State Park is part of] the largest unfragmented forest left in Central Indiana”

— John Bacone, IDNR Director of Nature Preserves (ret.)

“Greenspace is community space consisting of land (such as parks) rather than buildings”

— Merriam-Webster

Safe Connections: unlimited, safe access from your neighborhood to green spaces, amenities, recreation.

Valuable Infrastructure: Strengthen Lawrence Township for businesses, attract and retain families.

How will IUW do that?

4 overlapping spheres of action

Build Relationships
- Government Agencies
- Conservationists and user groups
- Local businesses
- Neighborhood Associations
- Other nonprofits
Conduct Public Engagement
- Bring the community together (you are not alone in supporting these initiatives; we are many!)
- Education and outreach to grow support (like our booth at the 2024 Fort Ben Farmer’s Market!)
- Incorporate your ideas into plans presented to the decision-makers
Create Maps
- Incorporate Existing Comprehensive Plans
- Local Input
Financing
- Donations from individuals, Associations, and businesses
- Grants (public and private)
- Partnership with the city, state, and federal governments

IUW’s mission focuses on developing stakeholders' support, engaging the public, and coordinating with multiple government agencies to generate connectivity planning and funding.

A Community Partner Bringing Together Government, Businesses, the Public, and Other Nonprofits to Create a Better Lawrence Township

Indy’s Urban Wilderness: a closer look

People & Purpose

We are local volunteers who created Indy’s Urban Wilderness in June 2019 to advocate for developing built infrastructure for healthy neighborhoods in Lawrence. IUW is a nonprofit corporation and public charity, and donors can deduct contributions from federal income tax under IRS code 501(c)3.

Partnership

There has not been adequate development of greenspace protection and safe connections for people to use for many reasons.

By definition, the planning and implementation of public infrastructure is the government's responsibility. However, the area of IUW's focus is complicated by the intersection of three distinct government entities (the City of Lawrence, the City of Indianapolis, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which oversees Fort Harrison State Park) and the many other interest groups in the area (neighborhood associations, conservationist, etc.

Before IUW, no organized effort was working to address this lack of connectivity.

IUW brings stakeholders together and will act to catalyze the design and construction of a connectivity plan.

With the support of individuals, businesses, and foundations, we will continue to partner with government agencies to develop the built infrastructure to make Lawrence Township a vibrant place where our families and businesses can thrive.

progress

Building positive working relationships with government leaders was our first action, which led to commitments from the cities of Lawrence and Indianapolis, as well as the Indiana DNR, to cooperate in the planning and completing of the Fall Creek Greenway in the heart of Lawrence. We remain engaged with these public agencies to create consensus for our next connectivity campaign.

We also continually strive to educate the community, integrate public input, and grow community involvement to ensure a broad support base.

Our future is a better Lawrence Township, where we continue to identify local priorities and build connectivity among neighborhoods, the Sargent Road Nature Park and Fall Creek Greenway, schools and commercial amenities, and the growing network of regional greenways.

So You Can Find Your Wilderness

Where do you live? Where do you want to go?

Do the existing (black and blue) and planned (green) sidewalks and trails safely connect you?

Would the red/purple line help? That’s the Fall Creek Greenway connection we’re advocating.

Ready to help fill the map in with connections to your neighborhood?

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