Did you know that our own Sugar Creek begins in a field near Kempton, Indiana, which is located in Tipton County? It flows through Tipton, Clinton, Boone, Montgomery and Parke counties until it joins with the Wabash River. The Wabash, of course, joins the Ohio, the Ohio to the Mississippi, the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, and from there on to the Atlantic Ocean. Even a slight change to the conditions of that small field in Tipton County, Indiana could affect the Sugar Creek that flows through our own backyards. Likewise, our local environment and the ways we choose to interact with the Creek could have ramifications farther downstream in our state, our nation and our world.
As I have mentioned in a previous article, the library recently received a grant to develop a series of programs for Indiana Humanities’ One State/One Story initiative. Indiana Humanities chose “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil for this year’s book. This work is all about reflecting on the natural world and making connections to deeper, more personal experiences. Although these experiences are unique to the author, they are also universal in their themes and invite us as readers to connect with her through our own lives. The series of programs we developed to go along with the book is called “Nurturing Through Nature: One People, One Planet.” Just as one drop of water joins another and then another in a field in Kempton, Indiana, so we too are connected to one another through our mutual experiences and our shared environment.
Our first event for our program showcases just one of the many ways we are connected in this community in a physical and tangible way, and one that I’ve already noted: our area’s major waterway, Sugar Creek. Join us at the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County on April 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. as we engage in a community conversation with a panel of local conservation experts and Sugar Creek enthusiasts. We will talk about the challenges facing the Creek, the impact of our individual and collective actions upon the Creek, and what we can do to both help and enjoy the creek responsibly.
In conjunction with this event, there will be a special display featured on the second floor of the library running from April 15 to May 15. Since conservation and environmental responsibility is both an individual and community topic, and since each of our actions impacts both ourselves and others around us, the display will feature both local and global topics. We will have a section dealing exclusively with Sugar Creek: its history and formation, its unique attributes, and some of the ways that we love to interact with it, such as hiking, canoeing and fishing. Many of these items will be pulled from our local history section and will not be able to be checked out, but will be available for patrons to peruse and explore in-house. Front and center will be Dick Munro’s iconic 2012 “Paddling Sugar Creek from the Source to the Wabash” (RL 977.24 Mun, in-house use only). Some books that will be available for checkout include “The Practical Handbook of Kayaking and Canoeing” (797.122 Mat) and “Gather at the River: 25 Authors on Fishing” (808.83 Gat).
It was not an accident that our first big event was scheduled so close to Earth Day (April 22). Each of our actions impacts our local and global environment, so we will also explore easy, Earth-friendly changes we can make to our lifestyle that seem small but can collectively make a big difference. Some of these topics include moving toward low-waste or even zero-waste consumption; find out how in “How to Go (Almost) Zero Waste: Over 150 Steps to More Sustainable Living at Home, School, Work, and Beyond” (640.286 And). You probably knew that large-scale agricultural practices can impact the local environment, but were you aware that the way you care for your own lawn and garden can affect it as well? Learn about safe alternatives to lawn and garden maintenance as well as incorporating native plants and landscapes in “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard” (635.9 Tal). And “The Climate Diet: 50 Simple Ways to Trim Your Carbon Footprint” (363.70525 Gre) will help you reassess multiple aspects of your life, from what you buy, how you eat, and how you choose to travel.
CDPL and the CMMC are so excited to present this first in a series of special programs for you this year. We hope you will be able to participate in our community conversation about Sugar Creek from 7-8 p.m. April 21 at the Carnegie Museum, and also stop by the library any time from April 15 to May 15 to view our exhibit on how we can contribute to a healthy local and global environment. See you then.
Amanda Grossman is the assistant manager of reference and local history at Crawfordsville District Public Library.
