Together, we have devised a plan to build 7 bomas around two of Richmond’s prized parks.
W H A T I S A
BŌMA? A bōma is a structure built with the surrounding natural materials provided in a given ecosystem (trees, sticks, limbs, leaves, dirt, rocks, etc.). The term comes from Africa, where bomas are still frequently used.
BŌMA? A bōma is a structure built with the surrounding natural materials provided in a given ecosystem (trees, sticks, limbs, leaves, dirt, rocks, etc.). The term comes from Africa, where bomas are still frequently used.
Springwood Park
Trailhead: Springwood Park,
Waterfall Rd
Milddlefork Reservoir Park
Trailhead: Next to RC Field
1750 Sylvan Nook Dr.
HOW it’s done
The majority of the bomas will be built using invasive Eurasian Bush Honeysuckle, which is a rampant invasive in these parts of Indiana.
Honeysuckle can be systematically broken down into usable shapes and sizes for creating inviting natural structures. The bomas we create will be located at the entrances of the trails. They can be found throughout the two selected Richmond parks.
7 Projects, 7 Bomas
Projection: 1 Y E A R
Each of the 7 projects will take, roughly, a month and a half to complete - lasting at least 12 months long, in total. The beginning of each project will start by harvesting honeysuckle. Richmond Parks & Recreation and Boma Woodlands have surveyed the properties for honeysuckle.
…It is abundant.
Trees that can be dug up by the roots, will be dug up. However, larger tress will be cut at the base and treated with herbicide. This is the best treatment to ward off its strong growth potential - helping to open up the forest for more indigenous plants and animals to thrive.
Bomas are an aesthetic solution that also provide habitats for many woodland animals and insects. The beauty of the natural elements, orchestrated elegantly, will be a sight to see and will most likely attract tourists. The bomas are a welcoming feature and a treat, which leads patrons to the real majesty, that is, the natural Indiana forests.
Processing
& Refining
The next step of each project consists of processing and refining the honeysuckle into usable structural materials. This means strategically breaking down the tress into usable components that can be stacked and shaped to fit specific needs.
Because honeysuckle is so invasive, parks do not have the proper resources or structures in place to make boma culture a norm for managing invasive species …yet. We hope to set an example by creating beautiful landscapes with what is usually considered unsightly, overgrown, tossed aside shrubbery scraps of honeysuckle and other random overgrown brush and debris. By processing the materials into more manageable pieces and strategically organizing them, we can create magical spaces that both people and woodland creatures can enjoy.
( B E F O R E )
( A F T E R )
( A F T E R )
Features likes these are great for sparking curiosity among both adults and children.
PERKS:
Reduces stress and fatigue in those who adventure.
Sparks curiosity and imagination among all ages.
Gets people outdoors and moving.
Wayne County
Is as an Affected Area.
Honeysuckle was planted in the United States as a novel plant back in the early to mid 1800’s. Eurasian Bush Honeysuckle was used for a variety of reasons: it’s lateral root system was useful for irrigation and it also makes for a pretty shrub tree. However, sometimes it takes over the forest landscape and completely changes the ecosystem for all living things, particularly native inhabitants.
Honeysuckle Flowers
It can disrupt the natural materials available to the indigenous animals and plants - causing then to die off of find new homes elsewhere.
Each of the parks has been explored and the 7 projects were scouted out over the course of a couple weeks. Find out more on projects 1-4 here.
Springwood Park
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Project one will begin in Springwood Park near the entrance of Chapel Drive Trail. There is an abundance of honeysuckle to be harvested all along the trail. This boma will be a cone shape that invites guests to funnel in.
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Project two will be located at the Cardinal Trail, Beechwood Ridge Trail connection. The boma will start about 15-20ft from the Cardinal Trail path opening. This boma will be noodle shaped, as it follows the contours of the path.
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Project 3 is located halfway through the Chapel Drive Trail, right behind the chapel. This boma will be a crown piece, as it will be in the backdrop of the chapel. It will be a shell form - opening up to the chapel and funneling back towards the rest of the Chapel Drive Trail.
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Project 4 is located about 50ft from Project 3, in the same meadow opening as the chapel. This path, however, opens up to a different trail - the Ephemeral Forest Trail. This boma will be less obvious than the shell shape of Project 3. Instead, it will be closer to waist and shoulder hight and will be accented along the trail as it ventures deeper into the forest (from the chapel meadow).
The locations were hand picked by Laura Karnes, Brandon Panensky & Thomas Hill, of Richmond Parks. Find out more on projects 5-7 here.
Middlefork Reservoir
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Project 5 will be an entrance/exit tunnel that opens like a cornucopia at both ends at the tunnel. The boma’s location is near the parking lot at the Lucky Stars Trail head.
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Project 6 is located about 1/3 of the way around the Lucky Stars Trail loop, where the trail opens up into a huge meadow.
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Project 7 will be located on the counter part of the meadow, where the trail weaves back into the woodlands.
Boma Woodlands and Richmond Parks have worked diligently on these projects. We have volunteered our time, knowledge, and resources to help get these projects moving forward. Those we've engaged with see the vision and have been a great support behind our objectives. With your help we hope to create some cool features to be cherished by both the woodland visitors and it's inhabitance. We'll be setting an example for Indiana and the Midwest, in regards to caring for our native lands.
These beautiful ecological artworks will attract people from all over the region. They have a magical ability for sparking curiosity for our natural resources. Children love to explore the structures and think of the possibilities, and the parents often have nostalgia for the building-forts-days. This will be a true gift to nature and nature lovers all over this region.