11/25/2025
Friends of Southeastway Park 2025 Review
Indy Parks opened Southeastway Park in the southeast corner of Marion County in 1972 to foster relaxation, recreation and environmental education in a nature preserve setting. Totaling 188 acres, with 80 acres dedicated to forest and the balance featuring a pond and wetland, open fields, meadows, prairies, and a riparian area along Buck Creek. Several miles of paved or natural trails traverse the park, connecting visitors to the Activity Center, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and the trails through the forest along Buck Creek.
In the mid 1990s, a group of SEW Park enthusiasts founded an Advisory Council to provide a volunteer committee to help with park projects and establish a fund for park improvements. In 2021, that council upgraded its legal status to become a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation to further assist Indy Parks and the park staff with maintenance, infrastructure improvements, and manpower assistance. As a 501(c)(3) corporation, we now have the ability to apply for and receive grants and accept tax-deductible contributions. Committed to improving the park and visitor experiences, the all-volunteer members of the Friends' Board raise funds, plan projects, purchase materials, and provide the volunteer manpower needed to complete the improvement projects. We also help out with the park's environmental education programs, including the annual Maple Syrup programs, Bugfest, Environment Education Days, park cleanup, and non-native and invasive plant removal. We provide funding to park staff to attend continuing recreational and environmental education classes.
Recent projects that we've completed include: complete trail bridge reconstruction, trail bridge redecking, riprap erosion control along the small creeks feeding Buck Creek, protective railing along the riparian trail on the bluff overlooking Buck Creek, new access steps leading down to the lower floodplain trail along the Creek, restoration and mulching the Activity Center nature area and native plant gardens, Activity Center interior repairs and painting, picnic tables, pond dock and picnic shelter repairs and painting, parking lot and crosswalk restriping, maintenance to wood fired maple syrup evaporator and reverse osmosis system, trash can repair and replacement, new park directional signs, and picnic area grill repairs and installation.
The Friends of Southeastway Park is committed to maintaining and upgrading the educational and recreational experience of our park's visitors, through advocacy, fundraising, and volunteerism. Our efforts in the Park are funded by donations from groups and individuals who appreciate the beauty and recreational serenity that Southeastway Park offers to all visitors. In this era of tightening budgets, your financial support to help us in our mission is more important now than ever.
Please consider a donation to the Friends group. As a 501(c)(3) organization all donations to the Friends group are fully tax deductible. You may send a check payable to Friends of Southeastway Park to PO Box 222, New Palestine, IN 46163. Donations with credit card or payment services like Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay or Google can be made through our donation application with Givebutter, an organization for nonprofits. This secure payment site can be found at https://givebutter.com/friends-of-southeastway-park. Our group also welcomes project volunteers or folks interested in joining our Board of Directors. To find out more, please visit our page, Friends of Southeastway Park, send us an email at [email protected], or write to us at the address above.
