PARTNERSHIPS:
PROJECT BLUEWAYS
Preserving Our Local Waterways
As a place-based family foundation that was established in 1926 in Muncie, Indiana, Ball Brothers Foundation has a long history of supporting efforts related to the White River. Since 2020, we’ve been building on this interest by dedicating additional funding to projects involving the White River, the Mississinewa River, and surrounding watersheds in East Central Indiana. This effort, known as Project Blueways, supports efforts that focus on:
Increasing access to—and appreciation of—local waterways
Improving soil & water quality and reducing pollution
Supporting collaborative watershed planning efforts
Promoting East Central Indiana as a regional/state destination for canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing, and agritourism
“Our waterways are integral aspects to our quality of life. Protecting our waterways, diminishing runoff, and increasing accessibility to East Central Indiana’s rivers are crucial in preserving our natural amenities for many years to come.”
This collaborative effort expands on existing efforts and supports new projects. Explore a few Project Blueways initiatives that are positively impacting local watersheds and waterways.
Promoting ECI as a Regional/State Destination for Water Recreation
With more paddlers enjoying canoeing and kayaking through Muncie (now that several dams have been removed), there is a need to create better portage options where low-head dams still exist and to add canoe/kayak launch sites to increase public accessibility. In 2020, a small Ball Brothers Foundation grant built a new portage spot at the Indiana-American Water company just upriver from the new Kitselman Trailhead. A larger grant in 2022 is funding the design, permitting, and construction of up to 4 strategically placed public access canoe/kayak launches along the White River from Prairie Creek to downtown Muncie.
Improving Soil & Water Quality, Reducing Pollution
As part of its holistic approach to water quality assessment, Muncie Sanitary District’s Bureau of Water Quality has been studying local mussel beds for over 40 years. In 2021, the BWQ initiated a pilot mussel propagation program that produced over 350 juvenile mussels. A new grant from Ball Brothers Foundation will support the build-out of a conservation/education facility adjacent to a new mussel propagation facility that will soon be constructed along the White River on Muncie’s westside. This will be a unique facility in the state of Indiana that will be used to educate school groups, community members, and others about mussels, the White River, and more.
Increasing Access to—and Appreciation of—Local Waterways
Red-tail Land Conservancy recently acquired Hidden Canal Nature Preserve, located on the White River in Madison County. Grant funding is helping Red-tail to create a master site plan focused on restoring the property and preparing it for public use.
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Funding to the Nature Conservancy is supporting three White River projects: (1) The creation of a new video about the White River, (2) two on-river raft excursions through which Nature Conservancy staff will showcase the river’s unique species and characteristics to leaders and landowners in the area, and (3) a bioblitz water monitoring day.
A series of grants helped Taylor University—and its students—initiate a planning effort to expand outdoor recreation areas southwest of campus along the Mississinewa River. Most recently, funding supported the expansion of an access road and creation of a canoe/kayak launch and trailhead/parking area. The project increases access to the Mississinewa River between its headwaters and its confluence with the Wabash River, as well as provides opportunity to further connect the community with the Cardinal Greenway.
Supporting Collaborative Watershed Planning Efforts
Collectively called the Upper White River Watershed, the areas of Muncie Creek, Killbuck Creek, and Buck Creek suffer from water quality and pollution problems arising from both agricultural and urban sources. Funding to Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District is assisting in the development of a watershed management plan for the Upper White River Watershed through report writing, outreach, and analysis of water quality monitoring data.
Project Blueways News
Over the next several years, five new launches are scheduled to be constructed along the White River in Muncie, allowing for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing from the city’s east to west gateways.
The addition of these launches comes on the heels of five decades of work by individuals and organizations to improve the water quality in the White River, one of East Central Indiana’s most important natural assets. As the health of the river has improved, so too has interest in related outdoor recreation.