What are your Green Dreams for Terre Haute? Ways that we can make Terre Haute more environmentally friendly and/or more beautiful? I'd like to include your ideas here! Send them to WVAS webmaster.

Community Gardens
          Community gardens are cropping up in large cities throughout the country. They help individuals to be self-sufficient and they foster community pride. In a typical community garden, individuals or families are given a portion of the garden to plant vegetables, fruits or flowers for themselves. The local community provides assistance (e.g., seeds, compost, tools) and guidance on how to plant and take care of the garden.
          Indianapolis has two community gardens, known as the Capital City Garden Project. The American Community Gardening Association has an excellent website on how to start and maintain a community garden. There are a number of vacant lots in Terre Haute that would be excellent sites for a community garden. Several lots were recently obtained by the city (Spring, 2004). A community garden would add beauty to our city, and for those finding it difficult to make ends meet, a nearby community garden could make a difference.          There is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at nearby St. Mary-of-the-Woods, which is run by the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice and the Sisters of Providence. In a CSA, local subscribers receive seasonal produce on a weekly basis. The fruits and vegetables produced by theWhite Violet Center CSA are certified organic.

A Tallgrass Prairie at Ohio and Fruitridge
          Terre Haute House in downtown Terre Haute was originally called "Prairie House", and for good reason. Tallgrass prairie was present here in Terre Haute before the white man, and prairie remnants can still be found along US 41 north of the city. The tallgrass prairie was primarily located in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri, but small portions extended into northwest Indiana and into the area around Terre Haute. So, in a way, you could say that the prairie began in Terre Haute. To celebrate our biological heritage and place at the edge of this great Midwestern prairie, we could restore a local piece of land to tallgrass prairie. Dobbs Park has a small area planted with prairie grasses and wildflowers. But, a larger piece of land would give people a truer sense of the beauty and pleasures of the tallgrass prairie.
          The Milwaukee, Wisconsin metropolitan area has a large restored tallgrass prairie located at Wehr Nature Center. This prairie, with winding path and benches, is a beautiful and popular place for families to walk. In northern Illinois, many new housing subdivisions have a common area planted with tallgrass prairie and a nearby walking trail. Where could we plant a prairie in Terre Haute? One of the two large mowed fields at Ohio Boulevard and Fruitridge Ave. would be a good site. Many Terre Hauteans enjoy walking/jogging along Ohio Boulevard and adjacent Deming Park, but there is currently no nature or walking trail at Deming. A prairie adjacent to Deming would provide a natural walking trail and landscape that would further enhance one of our favorite parks.

This page last modified 6/09/04