Fort Harrison State Park: Illegal Trail Construction in Chinquapin Ridge Nature Preserve

The preserves were dedicated in 2011. They were first conceived as a part of the park development plan in the late 1990s following an assessment and determination that the areas included important habitat for rare species. Including nature preserves in our state parks is part of our charge to conserve and manage natural resources. Because the park was originally federal land and DNR needed to obtain a deed from the National Park Service, the preserves were held internally as protected land without official dedication.

The dedication process includes presenting a proposal to the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), the rule-making body for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The proposal is listed on the NRC agenda, which is posted publicly at www.in.gov/nrc/meetings-and-minutes/ before the meeting. The meeting is public, and anyone can speak about agenda items at the meeting. Following NRC questions and approval, articles of dedication are developed and recorded along with a master plan for the preserve.

The master plan for Warbler Woods Nature Preserve included foot trails and the existing hard-surface Harrison Trace Trail. The master plan for Bluffs of Fall Creek Nature Preserve included potential foot trails in the future. The master plan for Lawrence Creek Nature Preserve included a multi-use trail proposed by HMBA. The master plan for Chinquapin Ridge included the possibility of potential foot trails in the future, with a primary intent to protect the rookery and other species and topography.

The Chinquapin Ridge Nature Preserve protects the stream corridor of the Fall Creek Valley and an important block of forested habitat in Indiana’s Central Till Plain. Several native and rare plants and animals are found in this nature preserve. One of these species is the state- and federally endangered Indiana bat which has been documented on site, indicating the possibility of a maternity colony in summer. There are also two state-endangered mussels in Fall Creek and a rookery (nesting area) for great egrets and great blue herons, both federally protected migratory birds. The state-endangered cerulean warbler and two state watch-listed plants have also been documented in the preserve.

HMBA brought a proposal to Indiana State Parks around 2005. The original proposal contained a request for trails in several areas of the park, including the area that is now Chinquapin Ridge Nature Preserve. The DNR initially approved construction of about 3 miles of trail in the Schoen Creek drainage, and denied approval of trail construction in the area that contained the heron rookery (now Chinquapin Ridge Nature Preserve) because of State and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service guidelines for distances required to prevent rookery disturbance. We undertook a study to evaluate the potential impact of mountain bike trails on ground-nesting birds in the Lawrence Creek area. Following the results of the study, which looked at three options for trail design in Lawrence Creek, we approved the construction of a modified multi-use (mountain biking and hiking) trail in Lawrence Creek that closed the existing trail (mostly an old Jeep route established by the military), and reduced the HMBA-proposed trail construction mileage to leave a largely intact forest interior, which is what those ground-nesting species need most.

Mountain bikers and hikers both use trails in Lawrence Creek Nature Preserve and in the Schoen Creek area. It is a rare day that hikers and bikers are not both out on the trails. The project has been successful.

No, not for hiking or mountain biking. The park is limited in size and surrounded by neighborhoods and businesses in the city of Lawrence. Additional development is not anticipated.

There have been discussions about a community trail connection through a park entrance gate and on to Boy Scout Road.

Yes. Two men have been charged in Marion County with Criminal Mischief (Level 6 Felony) and Criminal Trespass (Class A Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.

The park’s property manager discovered the trail while conducting a routine boundary inspection of the nature preserve.

No. However, use of the unauthorized trail is prohibited. The trail entrances have been closed and will be monitored to ensure the trail is not used. People who do not comply with park rules and enter the preserve for hiking, biking or fishing may be fined or ejected from the park.