Bloomington's Bryan Park Gets Its Due!
- Team Canopy
- Jun 3
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Everyone loves Bryan Park! That seems to be a fair statement. It is unlikely you will ever overhear a disparaging word about the 35-acre “Crown Jewel” of Bloomington's Park System.
On any given day, you will see people playing basketball, soccer, softball, frisbee, tennis, hacky sack, or Pokemon Go; gathering for reunions, birthday parties, study session, music, movies, sunbathing, casual hangouts or playdates; or just strolling around or through, alone or with friends, with two legs or four. Yes, the park is well-loved and well-used!
The City of Bloomington has done a great job stewarding this park so that there are wild spaces like the creek, and more specific use spaces like the playgrounds and baseball fields. It’s rolling hills lets you find a niche to lose yourself and be surrounded by green. It is a gift right in the middle of our city.
But did you know that Bryan Park is now is designated a Level 1 Accredited Arboretum?
Thanks right! ArbNet is a global network of arboreta and professionals dedicated to trees, promoting the exchange of knowledge, experience, and resources to assist arboreta in achieving their institutional objectives and enhancing professional standards via their accreditation program. Their recognition and support of conservation efforts and municipal tree collections ultimately enhance urban forestry. Bryan Park received accreditation by ArbNet earlier this year.
So, what does this mean?
First off, Bryan Park is the first public park in Indiana to reach Accredited Arboreta status. It is the home of nearly 400 inventoried trees, denoting 60 different species. Not bad for a park that is roughly 70 years old. According to Bloomington's Urban Forester, Haskell Smith, there are plans for adding even more species.
"All of Bloomington enjoys and takes their natural areas pretty seriously. By continuing to have outside organizations audit and accredit us for all the effort we pour into these initiatives, it serves to reassure our community that we are continually dedicated to our programs, canopy and green spaces," noted Smith.
Bryan Park is also notable for being home to the largest American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) on city-owned property, as well as a specimen black oak (Quercus velutina) and several 40+ DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) specimen ash trees. The park is part of Bloomington's larger urban forest, which is crucial for climate resilience and is actively managed by the Parks and Recreation Department. You can find up to date information on Bryan Park's trees on Parks and Recreation's Treekeeper website.
How did we get here?
Bryan Park has a rich history, dating back to its purchase by the city in 1951 for $1. The park was named in honor of William Lowe Bryan, then-president emeritus of Indiana University, who served from 1902-1937. Over the last 70 years, the park has evolved from a largely vacant field into a vibrant community hub. The Bryan Park Pool was added in 1959, quickly becoming the neighborhood cooling spot every Memorial Day through Labor Day. Playgrounds and courts have been added over the years, with the latest playground renovation completed just last year.
But what about the trees?
It is difficult to trace information relating to the early days of Bryan Park and the city's tree-planting initiatives. However, it is clear that the city, as well as the Byan Park Neighborhood Association, have led active roles in developing the number of trees and species within the park.
In 2006, about 40 volunteers led by the neighborhood association planted more than 2,000 native Indiana plants in the park, purchased with a $17,063 Neighborhood Improvement Grant. The goal was to improve wildlife habitat, reduce the need for mowing, and stabilize the creek bank. Both flowering and nonflowering species added color and variety to the creek.
To this day, the City's Urban Forestry and Urban Greenspace teams dedicate countless staff and volunteer hours to protect and grow the native tree canopy and curated understory within the park.
Tim Street, Director of Parks & Recreation credits City of Bloomington leadership and staff over the years. "Countless parks staff members have cared for the trees of Bryan Park, and we're lucky today to have mature examples of many species in the park -- including some amazing Ash trees that have survived the Emerald Ash Borer through years of preventive treatments. Achieving status as an accredited arboreta is a way of recognizing the conservation efforts that have occurred over the years, and I hope it helps people see the rich diversity of species present in the park."
The City of Bloomington cares about its parks and greenspaces and, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, “a city that takes care of its trees takes care of its people.”
Marcella Hughes is a local artist and advisory board member of Canopy, who leads guided tree walks in Bryan Park. She noted, "the presence of an engaged Parks and Recreation Department and amazing environmental groups like Canopy and MC-IRIS indicate that we are prioritizing our natural environment and trees, especially as we begin to face the impacts of climate change. There is so much to learn still about the importance of trees, but it’s clear we have the voices and the initiative to educate our community."
In 1984, Bloomington became the first city in Indiana to receive the Tree City USA designation given by the Arbor Day Foundation, only eight years after the program was initiated. This honor is awarded to communities meeting certain standards of urban forestry management, which is detailed below. Bloomington has now been awarded this designation for 41 consecutive years, while receiving 'Growth Awards' for eight of those. Bloomington also celebrated its third time being named a 'Tree City of the World' in honor of the city's commitment to plant, grow, and maintain trees to benefit the community.
Tree City USA
The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community united by the bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. In the last 50 years, they have planted more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is just the beginning!
The criteria for becoming a Tree City USA rest on these four standards.
PEOPLE
Tree City USA partners will assign tree care responsibilities to a mix of professional foresters or arborists, city departments, and citizen-led tree boards. This formal designation guarantees accountability, consistency, and transparency in tree maintenance decisions on city-owned property.
POLICY
A public tree care ordinance establishes uniform guidelines for planting, maintaining, and removing trees in public areas. This formal policy brings visibility to your initiatives and ensures transparency for residents. Such ordinances should be adaptable and progressive, addressing long-term requirements and evolving landscapes.
INVESTMENT
Trees should be viewed as an investment in a community's health, comfort, and sustainability, rather than as a cost. For this reason, Tree City USA partners dedicate a minimum budget of $2 per person to community forestry, which helps fund the planting and upkeep of green spaces.
CELEBRATION
Celebrate Arbor Day! Tree Cities participate in various activities, ranging from official proclamations to week-long festivities. These events can enhance the visibility and recognition of tree management efforts and serve to honor committed volunteers or public servants.
Appreciating what is in our backyard
Our busy lives sometimes make it easy to take places like Bryan Park for granted. Many of us drive past its edges, Henderson or Woodlawn, on a daily basis. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of others enjoying its bounty, while other times we keep our blinders on. Perhaps we should learn from Walt Whitman, who said “Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.”
Some are fortunate to live adjacent to the park, having it literally in their own backyard. One of those lucky folks is Jon Lawrence, who currently leads the Bryan Park Neighborhood Association. "Bryan Park holds a special place in my heart. In less than five minutes from my front door, I find myself in this cherished haven with my dog, often encountering friends through the familiar wagging tails rather than their human names! What once was a simple ditch a few decades ago has transformed into a picturesque stream, teeming with diverse fauna and flora, creating a vibrant natural landscape that I love to explore."
Whether you are an immediate neighbor or not, we all have our chance to celebrate Bryan Park and its new arboreta accreditation this year! The city will be hosting a Tree Celebration in the park on September 6, between 3-6pm. More details will be made available to the public in the coming weeks but mark your calendars to give Bryan Park its due!
Come explore Bryan Park with us!
And, if you are interested, Canopy would love to walk around Bryan Park with you this summer, helping you become more familiar with its trees. We are hosting another tree walk there on July 10, as well as guided walks in Winslow Woods and Lower Cascades Park. These walks are hosted by Canopy board members and staff. Here is a list of remaining Canopy Tree Walks this summer. With the exception of high winds or lightning, we will be there!
Quoting Marcella Hughes again; "I absolutely treasure introducing people to trees as if they are friends. Learning their names and their characters helps us to see them better. We learn their cycles – who feeds from their nectar, their seeds? It encourages us to build connections around them and see them as the valuable members of our community that they are. People begin to deepen their bonds with the natural world and find meaning in its movements. And then, because we begin to develop this sacred bond, we begin to care."
Isn't it great to live and work in a city that cares so much about its parks and greenspaces?
We at CanopyBloomington think so! So does Tim Street; "We're lucky to live in a community that puts high value on parks, natural spaces, and native species. My job as the parks director is very rewarding -- especially when I get to see people enjoying what we work to maintain for residents of Bloomington now and in the future."
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