The property long known as the Wesselman Par 3 golf course has a new name — Wesselman Woods West Meadow — and a strategy in place to reforest its 23 acres, a multi-phase process that will take an untold number of years to complete.
Wesselman Nature Society became stewards of the former city-owned golf course in 2023. A first step toward reforestation involves eradicating the property’s turf grass with three to four herbicide applications. That will happen this summer. After that, the nature society will sew native seeds. The meadow eventually will have grasses, sedges, and wildflowers indigenous to Indiana.
“Then in the spring of 2026, we’ll start seeing all of that grow,” says Amy Rhodes, executive director of the nature society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve and Howell Wetlands. “People are going to get excited, but this is where it’s going to take patience because we’re working with nature’s time.”
Mowing will be required in 2026 and 2027 to suppress weeds, Rhodes says, and the meadow could be in bloom by 2028. Trails will be mowed in, allowing nature lovers to walk out into the prairie. Trees, of course, will take far longer to grow. Plantings of oak and hickory will start this fall.
Wesselman will apply Glyphosate — an herbicide that kills broadleaf plants and grasses — to expunge the turf. The nature society says Glyphosate is EPA-accepted, widely used, and harmless to humans and animals when used properly.
Rhodes says Wesselman has partners in the project, such as the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, which provided a $29,450 grant. This grant requires a 25-percent match, which the nature society will raise through gifts and collaborations. The Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation also has contributed to the ecological restoration efforts. Others involved are Evansville Parks and Recreation, Ancient Roots Native Nursery LLC, Posey County Co-Op, Pheasants Forever Inc. and Quail Forever, and the University of Evansville ChangeLab.
“It’s a very exciting project,” says Rhodes, who joined Wesselman Nature Society as executive director in November 2024. “Any time we can return an urban area to habitat, that’s a win. And I think it’s going to promote tourism. People are going to want to come and see it. (There are) educational opportunities for people to learn about native plants.”
