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A Brief History
A Brief History
Beginning in the early summer of 2022, the Hoosier Environmental Council and residents banded together and testified at local city council hearings against a speculative warehouse development in Indianapolis that threatened high-quality wetlands. Despite compelling evidence to support the protection of these wetlands, the petition was swiftly approved, with no discussion amongst council members about our concerns – a clear indication that our natural resources might not be a top priority to current City of Indianapolis leaders, and that something must be done.
Since then, the Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) and residents continue to tirelessly speak out against several other required regulatory approvals from the city and environmental agencies. All permits and petitions for the development were approved – except one. HEC circulated a petition to gather signatures to support the denial of a wetland permit for the development and received nearly 2,300 signatures from not only the Indianapolis area but from all over the state, showing broad support for wetland protection.
Thanks to the Hoosier Environmental Council’s permit watchdogging program, petition signers, and community leaders and advocates like Robin Heldman and Cathy Burton, we effectively placed immense public pressure on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to conduct a public hearing for a required wetland permit. Nearly 50 people attended, and several spoke against the warehouse development, rallying behind the idea of wetlands – not warehouses.
In a rare but monumental decision from the agency, IDEM denied the developer’s wetland permit, effectively stalling a portion of the development and sending a strong signal that impacting wetlands in exchange for warehouses isn’t always in everyone’s best interest. After nearly two years of advocacy, the Hoosier Environmental Council and Franklin Township residents finally saw a hopeful outcome to protecting these wetlands and, as a result, the Wetlands Not Warehouses campaign was born.
Wetlands provide critical habitat for various plant and animal species, many of which are threatened or endangered.
Who we are:
Who we are:
We are homeowners
We are taxpayers
We are scientists and engineers
We are birders
We are hikers
We are parents
We are members of this community who value natural spaces that all our neighbors can access
Why this wetland?
Why this wetland?
We believe that natural spaces like this are essential to the health and well-being of our community.
Pleasant Creek has been identified as a concern and at risk for serving the needs of the area.
This area serves as a high-quality stormwater management device.
This wetland has over 225,000 cubic feet of stormwater storage.
With the rate of development in Indianapolis, this wetland will also serve as a critical piece of infrastructure for flood control.
43% of threatened or endangered plants and animals in the U.S. live in or depend on wetlands.
This area serves as a valuable habitat for migratory birds, raptors, and songbirds. Nine different bird species of greatest conservation need have been identified in this wetland.
Our Inspiration
Our Inspiration
After years of reviewing development proposals, many of them warehouses, and witnessing unchecked growth and development that needlessly consumed land and contributed to the loss of our precious wetland ecosystems, the Hoosier Environmental Council and residents realized it was time to do something about it. The Wetlands Not Warehouses (WNW) campaign emerged from a mutual interest between the Hoosier Environmental Council and Franklin Township residents to conserve environmentally significant wetlands along I-65 and County Line Road on the southside of Indianapolis from a warehouse development.
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