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Who Are We?
Who Are We?
The Friends of Clifty Falls State Park supports Clifty Falls State Park. We began meeting and getting organized and elected our first officers in 2021. We became an official non-profit "501(c)(3)" in September 2021.
We are operate for the benefit of Clifty Falls State Park and its patrons by:
helping conserve and enhance the natural resources and facilities of the Park;
helping educate the public about the Park and Park-related issues, and encourage park visitation;
assisting at natural and cultural interpretive activities such as hikes, crafts projects or by answering visitor questions - helping to connect visitors with park resources;
helping the Park staff reach goals through personal assistance and fund-raising;
and, importantly, benefiting the lives of our members through this unique service.
See the "Be A Friend" page for how to join or donate to the cause.
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Meetings
We meet the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Nature Center from 6-7 p.m. Special business meetings may be called for by the Board Chairperson as needed. E-mail with questions.
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Current Board Members
April 2026-April 2028
Celia Stearns, Secretary (1st year of first term)
Anthony Vest, At-large Board (1st year of 1st term)
Bill Kohler, At-large Board member (1st year of 1st term)
Ken Prince, Chairperson (1st year of 2nd term)
James Bruner, Vice-Chairperson (1st year of 2nd term)
2025-2027
Pat Cleveland, At-large Board member (2nd year of 1st term)
Jean Peddie, Treasurer (2nd year of 2nd term)
note: the by-laws specify that (1) the term of a Board member is two years and that two terms may be served and (2) the Board elects its officers
note: elections are held at March meeting, new Board members take office in April
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What Do We Do?
What Do We Do?
We work with the Park staff to identify significant projects for which we can make a difference, we show up to help in various ways, we apply for grants to improve the park, and raise funds to help support the Nature Center and other of our park-related activities.
We regularly participate in Park-sponsored events featuring the removal of invasive species. In addition, we began a routine program of Friends-led (and funded) invasive species control more generally for the Park, in summer 2023 along Trail 8 and is now expanding.
The Park Naturalist sponsors specific days for Park clean-ups, usually targeted at areas of need. We often help supervise and participate in such activities with high school students or other groups working service hours.
In the period 2023-2026, we have received over $40,000 in grant monies that were used to help control invasive species, improve the Nature Center and more (more below).
We've also spent over $2,000 of our own funding to buy supplies for the Nature Center and, more recently, a new large chainsaw and loppers for the Park staff. We also bought a smaller chain saw and equipment for our own invasive control work.
Upcoming or Planned Activities/Events
Upcoming or Planned Activities/Events
Upcoming Friends events and activities, photos of projects, and posts of past events can be found on our Facebook page. Follow us for news on upcoming events.
Up-coming Nature Center events can be found at the Park Website: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/clifty-falls-state-park/nature-center-and-events/
GRANTS RECEIVED
Water Bottle Refill Station (2026) - a $1,700 grant from the Indiana Parks Alliance will allow us to purchase water bottle refill station. Many hikers as about re-filling their water bottles. Park staff will install it.
Bird Room Audio Feed (2025) - a $1,800 grant from the Indiana Parks Alliance to purchase an audio system so that guests in the bird room of the Nature Center can hear the sounds of the birds and other wildlife outside.
Invasive Plant Removal (2024) - a $12,300 grant from the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County. The funds were used to hire a contractor (Eco Logic) to remove invasive plants at the the south entrance area.
Wireless Tour Guide System (2024) - a $1,200 grant from the Indiana Parks Alliance for a Wireless Tour Guide System for use by the interpretive naturalists on larger hikes. The most popular hikes often have 30 participants or more. The trails can be narrow, making it difficult to gather a large group together to share information. The wireless audio transmission system transmits the speaker's voice to receivers the participants carry.
Invasive Plant Removal (2023) - a $22,550 grant from the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County. The funds were used to hire a contractor (Eco Logic) to remove invasive plants in the area of the Nature Center and Clifty Inn.
Chimney Swift Tower (2023) - a $1,250 grant from the Indiana Audubon Society through the Mumford & Keller Grants and Scholarship Program to help construct a Chimney Swift Tower. The tower is located in the Poplar Grove area. The structure mimics an actual chimney, serving as roosting and nesting habitat for Chimney Swifts. The site has an interpretive sign (funded by the Friends) with educational information about Swifts and Swift conservation. For this project, the Friends of Clifty Falls partnered with Madison Consolidated High School students to build and install the Chimney Swift Tower. We did some landscaping around the base.
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