Reports & Studies

On May 31, 2022, RES conducted inspection surveys for two species listed by the State of Indiana State: the eastern hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) at the Blackiston Mill paddling launch site and the Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) at the River Camp launch. These inspections were required as part of the Floodway Construction Permits issued by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). They were conducted by two RES biologists who are familiar with the habits, life cycles, and with identifying both the hellbender and Blanchard’s cricket frog. The methods used, as well as the results, are discussed in more via the link below.

Thoughtfully planned and superbly managed public park systems have the power to shape economies, lifestyles, and growth trajectories for entire regions. Once the master plan for Origin Park was complete, the Conservancy team brought in the urban economy experts from HR&A to conduct an analysis of how the new park will impact our region. By looking at the park as designed, the surrounding communities, and national and international economic development trendlines, HR&A’s team completed a thorough study of how the park will change our community and region once complete and open to the public. In this study you will see how our region stacks up against peer communities, how we have work to do in order to make our community more competitive and healthy, and how this park can help us create a better community for all.

Creating space for wildlife to thrive is among the most vital services that Origin Park can deliver for our region. The diversity of plant and animal species that could utilize this urban waterfront and wetland zone is simply staggering. To provide these species the space and habitat they require to thrive requires active, intentional, and thoughtful stewardship. To begin this work we first have to understand the plant communities that exist here. Think of it as knowing our neighborhoods and their residents.  We then look forward at trends impacting the site’s environmental viability and resilience.

This report by Applied Ecological Services is the foundational data from which planners begin to shaping a new, healed, and restored landscape that will bring incredible wildlife experiences to life for you, the future park guest. In doing this work, Origin Park provokes a new idea on what a waterfront park can be – we REWILD our urban core!

The Ohio River shapes this project in profound and powerful ways. Climate change models suggest the Ohio River’s mean streamflow will increase. The same models suggest that the frequency of major flood events will also increase in number and duration. Discussions and studies of the Ohio River’s hydrology at this site with our partners at the Corps of Engineers taught the OLIN design team one paramount lesson - this site is incredibly complex, dynamic, and ever-changing. We are attempting to build a park on a massive river where it expresses some of its rawest and most unrestrained power.

The Flooding & Erosion study sets the stage for our team’s approach in both responding to the impact of climate change – more extreme water levels – and thinking through the realities of designing a space that will align with existing infrastructure that controls the river in the project area. There is a big lesson in here. If action isn’t taken to stabilize the Ohio River’s North Shoreline, erosion will inevitably continue, if not accelerate threatening landfills, cultural resources, recreational access, and rare urban ecosystems.

The globe’s most successful urban parks are never “build it and they will come” propositions. The planning of the needed amenities, the circulation between the amenities, and the audience needs that the park will serve are based on understanding the local market. The attached plan here serves as the framework for Origin Park as we project visitor needs and demands.

Developed by PROS Consulting, the nation’s leading outdoor recreation planning firm based in Indianapolis, this plan was completed ahead of the master plan. It evaluated existing parks and park plans across the region, the use rates of residents for park space, and then allowed us to design specific amenities to meet these identified demands while filling gaps in our regional public park system and not duplicating services.

Place. It defines everything. What was there? What is there? What will be to come? These fundamental questions are the basis of any landscape work. The best parks do not "muscle into" a space. Rather, they reflect the specialness of their place.  Before architects or engineers are hired to design a park, we believe conducting a thoughtful and rich inventory of the stories of the land is vital. 

In 2018, RHC hired professional ecologist/naturalist Michael Gaige to conduct a full inventory of the general park area to learn its stories, listen to its systems, and teasing out what could be. His evaluation here introduces us to the ecology, recreation, human settlement patterns, and succession underway on the land. By reading this document and using it as a road map, we can design a park that elevates and celebrates "place" and the special resources found uniquely therein. We welcome you to join this exploration by downloading and reading Michael's insights. 

His findings confirm much that you likely feel already. Where you live is special. And where this park will go, specialness will be found, created, conserved, and celebrated.