Nancy Carpenter, a local conservationist who repurposed the 216-acre Wolf Run Golf Club to help create Carpenter Nature Preserve in Zionsville, received the honor of Zionsville 2023 Woman of the Year at the March 15 Mayor’s Breakfast at Town Hall.
The breakfast celebrated women’s contributions to the Zionsville community.
In 2020, Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron contacted Nancy and Jim Carpenter, Zionsville residents who love nature, and told them about the property. The town was not able to purchase the property at the time, so the Carpenters agreed to purchase what is now Carpenter Nature Preserve for $5.5 million and sold it to the town so that Zionsville could repurpose it as a public park.
“Parks give us places to breathe and renew our spirits, places to share special times with our families,” Nancy Carpenter said at the breakfast. “They give our children places to explore and be creative, their trees clean the air, their wetlands and streams give us clean water. They give us eye relief from all that is manmade. They allow our communities to prosper by being places people want to live and raise families, and last, but not least, they allow us to share our planet with all creatures.”
Contingent on the bonding process, the preliminary plan is for the Carpenter Nature Preserve to open in late 2025 or early 2026.
The vote to issue a Carpenter Nature Preserve bond not to exceed $5.5 million will be conducted before the Zionsville Town Council at 7 p.m. April 10. The date is subject to change. The meeting is open to the public.
