04/24/2026
Please join us in welcoming Lisa Milton, FOWR’s newest President of our Board of Director’s. Lisa currently serves as the Director of Natural Resources for Newfields and previously worked as the Assistant Operations and Property Manager for White River State Park. Lisa resides in Ravenswood near the White River and is passionate about making the river a safe space for human recreation and protecting habitat for native plants and wildlife through community education, civic action, and sustainable management. Lisa also serves on the Tactical Advisory Board for Frank’s Paddlesports Livery and works with a number of other conservation groups on initiatives involving invasive species removal, native plant establishment, water conservation, and waste management.
Here are some words from Lisa, explaining her leadership vision for FOWR:
“The White River is a critical resource for the city of Indianapolis. As our primary drinking water source and an important wildlife corridor, it is critical to work together to protect and preserve it. As Indianapolis continues to grow and develop, water protection is increasingly important for native plants, animals, and residents.
In my term as president, I plan to increase the streambank restoration and education efforts of the organization while continuing to work with partners to remove litter and dumped material from the river. I believe litter removal is always critical, but invasive plant removal is becoming continually more important as these species spread rapidly over time. The longer a problematic species is established, the more difficult it is to remove. Native species are critical to the health and conservation of birds and other wildlife, which use the river as a migration corridor and native habitat. If we don’t make a true effort to improve the diversity of plants within these critical wildlife spaces now, we will see the impacts of habitat degradation over time.”
Lisa was recently quoted in an Indy Star article about how Newfields uses prescribed burns to fight ecosystem threats. Check out the full article here:
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2026/04/08/newfields-invasive-ecosystem-threats-prescribed-fire/89490171007/
