What began with a visit by the Carpenters with Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron to the site in the summer of 2020 has culminated in a conservation legacy for future generations. The 215-acre site, located along Eagle Creek southwest of the intersection of US 421 and State Road 32, was formerly the Wolf Run Golf Course. When the golf course closed in 2017, nature began to reclaim the fairways, the greens and the cart paths. After the owner of the property was unsuccessful in plans to develop the site with housing, office and retail space, the Carpenters stepped in to purchase the property. From their very first visit, the Carpenters recognized its potential – how the green space, multiple habitats and native wildlife could become a nature sanctuary for Zionsville and its citizens for years to come.
Thus began a multi-year process in which the Carpenters, the Zionsville Board of Parks & Recreation and the Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department studied the feasibility of the project and secured far-reaching private and public support for the Carpenter Nature Preserve, including a $3 million grant from Indiana’s Next Level Conservation Trust and a $500,000 grant from its Land and Water Conservation Fund. In Spring 2023, the Town of Zionsville voted to approve a bond to facilitate the purchase of the property. The Carpenters sold the property to the Town of Zionsville for $1.5 million under market value.
The Carpenter Nature Preserve will be the first park in Union Township and the largest preserve in Boone County. Visitors will be able to enjoy various habitats, including waterways, forested areas and grasslands. The Town anticipates that the first walking trails will be open to the public in late 2025/early 2026. Future plans for the Preserve include a nature center, walking trails, boardwalks, a playground, outdoor classrooms, an overlook on Eagle Creek and enhanced wetlands, woodlands and prairies. The Zionsville Parks Foundation will partner with the Zionsville Parks Department to seek funding for future capital projects at the Preserve.
At the dedication of the Carpenter Nature Preserve Jim and Nancy Carpenter were presented with the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash Award!
Photography provided by the Town of Zionsville and Christie Turnbull Photography
If you would like to support the preservation and enhancement of the future Carpenter Nature Preserve nature park, please donate to the Zionsville Parks Foundation today!