IN the Parks

09/19/2025

Alan is the king of rock puns and was so awesome to interview! I love this video about his life. Hear more from him on the podcast!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-parks/id1759998840?i=1000684810888

09/14/2025

The fire tower episode was one of my favorites to make!

This fall get the best views of the changing leaves by climbing one of Indiana State Parks fire towers! 🍂

There are six fire towers open in Indiana State Parks. These were part of a larger network of fire towers that once protected Indiana against fires. In 1930, Indiana began constructing a series of fire towers with the goal of having no visibility gap. By 1952, Indiana had 33 towers, most of them in the southern half of the state.

By the 1970s, planes replaced fire towers as the means of locating fires. Six of these sentinels remain open in Indiana state parks (there are others on forestry properties, but we are focusing on towers which remain in state parks) as remints of this past protective watch. Join us as we explore at Indiana State Parks!

Learn a little about the history of fire towers, lookouts, and women who took on the look out job with the Podcast IN the Parks! Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Apple: https://ow.ly/Tvp650VGAmf
Spotify: https://ow.ly/jWK750VGAmg

Photo: McCormick's Creek State Park's Fire Tower

09/07/2025

Mississinewa Lake Color Palette

08/21/2025

📍McCormick’s Creek Fire Tower Color Palette

08/02/2025

Ginger Murphy is who I have to thank for letting the IN the Parks podcast happen! She is really incredible and has done so much for our parks!

01/08/2025

This was such a great episode to put together because the interpretive naturalist position is so awesome!

Interpretive Naturalists connect you to nature, history, culture, and park services through memorable experiences! They do much more than identify plants and wildlife. Their goal is to instill a “sense of place” and understanding of each property’s uniqueness.

Join them this winter for fun Tree ID workshops, guided winter hikes, history talks, and much more! Find events at: on.in.gov/INStateParkEvents

Learn more about the history of interpretive naturalists and their job at Indiana State Parks through the IN the Parks podcast! The episode on interpretive naturalists can be found at:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-parks/id1759998840?i=1000680662684
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/03FvPG8rV5eK8rAeovBuQ7?si=o44E_GyxT3qWEtzDQnT-ag

01/07/2025

🎙️🎧New podcast — The State of the State Parks! Hear from the director of Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources, Dan Bortner, about the initiatives and improvements he’s most proud of from his 4 years as director. You’ll learn about Dan, the Unity Blaze initiative, Next Level Trails, how Spring Mill has become more accessible, updates on the lodge at Potato Creek, and more!

Pictured here: the new Spring Mill inn and how the park built a massive ramp into Donaldson Cave so more people can experience it.