The Greenways Foundation promotes greenways, blueways and multi-use trails in Indiana.

10 years online!

Pleasant Run Trail, Summer 1999

The Greenways Foundation web site was officially launched on July 4, 1999.

GF Board member Tom Olsen spearheaded the initiative, recruiting crittur dot com to undertake the visual design and background coding, partly to counter a web site that routinely criticized trail development in general, and the Monon Trail in particular. Within six months, our new web site was routinely beating the negative site in web searches, and our visitor count has grown steadily ever since then.

The Greenways Foundation wants to thank all of its loyal supporters and the thousands of people who vote for trails every day, using their feet and their wheels. You make it all worthwhile!

Enjoy some legacy peeks, back in time, thanks to the Wayback Machine. (Note: Load times can be slow and some links and photos may not work.)

• December 1999
• August 2000
• April 2001
• October 2002
• March 2003
• May 2004
• July 2005
• February 2006
• June 2007
• January 2008

Pedal & Park progress

With all of the current buzz about “sustainability,” it’s worth noting that we have been parking bicycles at public events for the past 12 years, and that the all-volunteer program we call “Pedal & Park” is entering its ninth season.

And the momentum is picking up. In 2008, we parked nearly 4,000 bicycles — a record — at twice the number of events we attended in 2007. This year, we have 14 events on our docket and are in talks with other possible venues.

And as of closing time at the Indiana State Fair, we have already parked nearly 3,300 bicycles at nine events!

Learn more about the program and get our full schedule at the Pedal & Park web site, and then ride your bike and park at our next event. You have fun! We’ll watch your wheels.

Westfield’s Monon now open

The City of Westfield hosted a ribbon cutting and dedication celebration for the first mile of its Monon Trail (146th Street to 156th Street) on Saturday, June 6. Named the Alyn Bernell Mile, the section honors a longtime trail advocate for his hard work and dedication to trail development throughout the years.

Construction began late last year, and the City of Westfield has been finishing the final asphalt layer, trailhead construction and landscaping this spring. “We are thrilled to finally be opening the extension of the trail in Westfield,” says Westfield Mayor Andy Cook. “We hope to maintain this momentum and continue construction of the Monon up to SR 32 yet this year.”

Trail and volunteer honored at Greenways Luncheon

Harry Denham on the Pine Creek bridge at Bunker Hill

More than 100 trail supporters gathered for our 2009 Greenways Foundation Fundraiser, during which Harry Denham of the Nickel Plate Trail was named the Greenways Volunteer of the Year and the Monon Trail was inducted into the RTC Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

Cleaning up

Schoolchildren, college students and young families were among the hundreds of eager volunteers who came out for the 21st Annual White River Cleanup on Saturday, April 11. It was a sunny, if brisk, morning of satisfying fun/work cleaning the banks of White River in downtown Indianapolis, with support from these sponsors.

We have photos! View a slide show of the 21st Annual White River Cleanup.

You also can view a follow-up media story, Students clean up along White River, by Daniel Miller, WISH-TV, April 11, 2009.