Zionsville nature preserve set to open soon on former golf course

A new nature preserve in Zionsville will open later this month after years of work converting an old golf course into publicly accessible greenspace.  

The Carpenter Nature Preserve is located on the site of the former Wolf Run Club. The club, which closed in 2017, sat at the northwest corner of south Michigan Road and State Road 32 where Eagle Creek runs through the town. Once the 215-acre nature preserve opens, soft and hard-paved trails will lead visitors through woods, prairies and wetlands.

Jarod Logsdon, superintendent of parks and recreation for the Town of Zionsville, said the town is excited to get people out to the property.

“I think it’s a great example of how people and greenspace can be side by side,” Logsdon said. “[Greenspaces] obviously enhance the quality of life for residents, but they’re people’s front door to nature.”

Handshake agreement keeps land undeveloped

The town purchased the land from residents Nancy and Jim Carpenter, who bought it from developers after it hit the market in 2017. The couple held onto the property after then-Mayor Emily Styron asked the couple to keep it free from development, Logsdon said.

Once the town had shored up the money in 2021, it purchased the property from the Carpenters. The town leveraged state and federal grants to acquire the land for $5.5 million and reserve money for the initial construction and mitigation phase.

Nancy Carpenter, in a 2023 news release, said Styron invited them to the property for a visit. The couple immediately recognized how appealing it would be to a developer.

“We couldn’t let that happen,” Nancy said in the release. “You cannot find anything like this in central Indiana that will ever be available again.”

The Carpenters, who cofounded Wild Birds Unlimited and have been involved with Zionsville parks for years, maintained the property prior to selling it to the town. They mowed down old golf cart trails, set up bird boxes and planted gardens to attract pollinators. The couple worked with the town to create the master plan that eventually led to the creation of the preserve.

Education and amenities at Zionsville preserve

The preserve currently is in phase one of construction and planning, Logsdon said, and when it opens it will have more than just trails.

The department built a pavilion with nearby restrooms as well as a nature playground with a nearby seating shelter. The playground isn’t the typical steel jungle gym, Logsdon said, but is built using wood from the Pacific Northwest.

The natural building material in the playground is meant to give visitors “a taste of nature play before they go out into the preserve,” Logsdon said.

A small amphitheater also sits on the grounds, which will host campfires and other events.

These amenities will be complete when the preserve opens to the public. The department plans to build a regional nature center in the future to provide more in-depth environmental education to visitors.

While visitors will be able to visit most of the preserve, about a third of the property will be closed to the public as the Indiana Department of Natural Resources works to rehabilitate wetlands. The state will spend about $4 million to restore and maintain Eagle Creek and its tributaries in the park.

Once the preserve opens, visitors can access the entrance off 900 East, just south of SR32.

Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.