Zionsville, IN

Elizabeth Mueller often sits in the backyard of her Zionsville, Ind., (pop. 7,743) home, taking in the sights and sounds of nature—the rat-at-tat-tat of woodpeckers, the chatter of cardinals and chickadees gathered at feeders, the antics of chipmunks darting from under brush piles, or squirrels scurrying in the treetops.

“In the summertime, we have hundreds of butterflies,” says Mueller, who has landscaped her home’s perimeter with plants and flowers native to central Indiana.

Mueller’s backyard is one of more than 100 sites in and around Zionsville certified as “backyard wildlife habitats” by the National Wildlife Federation. To be certified, a site must provide four basic elements: food, water, shelter, and a safe place for wildlife to raise young.

“Zionsville has more certified (wildlife habitat) sites than some states,” says David Mizejewski, manager of the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program. “A lone habitat provides a great benefit, but by having a concentration of habitats in one area, as Zionsville does, the positive effects grow exponentially.”

Zionsville’s contributions to wildlife are so unique that, in ceremonies last September, the National Wildlife Federation certified Zionsville a “community wildlife habitat,” an honor shared by only two other communities in the nation (Alpine, Calif., and Reston, Va.).

The initiative for Zionsville’s successes began five years ago. One day, as Mueller was driving home from Indianapolis, she saw a great blue heron foraging in a trash-filled drainage ditch near a bustling highway. “It was the most depressing sight I’ve ever seen,” she recalls. “Here was this magnificent creature apparently so desperate for food it had no fear of traffic.”

It wasn’t long before Mueller and friend Myrene Brown, two avid gardeners, were giving talks and demonstrations to other property owners on how to create wildlife habitat in their own backyards. “Everybody I talked to thought it was a great idea,” Mueller says.

Today, Zionsville is home to more than 200 acres of designated wildlife habitat. Some homeowners have established large, lavish gardens and landscapes, while other sites are simple, yet functional, such as the tiny plot at the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce office: some colorful perennials, a bird feeder, water tray, and a few berry-laden bushes. Wildlife sanctuaries also have been created at parks, schools, churches, and businesses around town, making it a true communitywide endeavor.

One popular site is the “rail trail,” a scenic two-mile stretch of abandoned railroad right-of-way used for hiking, bordered in wildflowers, ornamental grasses, and shrubs.

And at Union Elementary School, students not only learn about butterflies in the classroom, they observe the real thing in a “butterfly garden,” sown and tended by the children with the help of local garden club members.

Such examples prove Zionsville’s efforts have been a positive, not only for nature, but also for people, says Nancy Carpenter, a volunteer who helped place dozens of bluebird houses throughout Starkey Park, the town’s largest habitat area. “Where careful planning has happened, the community reaps the rewards of higher property values, beauty, serenity, recreation, and an overall higher quality of life,” she says.

Zionsville is known for its quaint brick-paved Main Street lined with antiques stores, gift shops, and fine eateries. Well-maintained houses with tidy yards are the norm, and numerous horse farms skirt the village. Still, over the years, new housing developments have been chipping away at the surrounding agricultural and wooded acreage.

“This has always been a great place to live,” says town Councilman David Brown. “We wanted to be aggressive in preserving space where wildlife could thrive.”

With a smile, Brown adds, “Nowadays, Zionsville probably has more great blue herons flying overhead than anywhere.”

Veda Eddy is a freelance writer in Columbus, Ind.

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