Indiana Woodland Cemetery

Off-topic

2007-11-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that smooth barked tree is Ironwood, aka American Hornbeam. Is it true that Ironwood is the only wood that doesn't float? I wanted to share a quote from Ecology today concerning populations of the living and dispersal of individuals; for the humor of all.

"The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot and takes root it doesn't need its brain any more so it eats it. It's rather like getting tenure."
Rodolfo Llinas, B. 1934. Bogata, Columbia

Nov. 25, 2007 Hike through Morgan Monroe State Park

2007-11-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do with the green cemetery idea, but here are some shots from today.
Ancient oak next to the road

Is this Ironwood? It's next to a stream.

I don't know what these berries were.

Fungi all over.

Moss.

Our hike

2007-11-12T05:37:00.001-08:00

fungi spotted near the put in

Judy, Roger, John, Andrea...the clearing...A walnut tree has been discovered...there is much rejoicing.

John explains something puportedly interesting...Chris listens, but for the most part he's ignored...later John wanders off and we have to go find him.

What kind of tree is this?

puffballs ... or earthballs...edible?...poison?...please cast your votes in "comments"

Radio edit

2006-12-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

Now that I am more familiar with the Blog, I will retract that previous statement made with such authority not so long ago. Really, I don't think that much of mi familia even cares/knows about the blog- - at this point...

Here is a picture from the beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
December 2007

Green Burial Council is creating US Certification for Eco-Burials

2006-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

According the the Nov. 06 issue of Health, the Green Burial Council is creating U. S. Certification for Eco-Burials. Billy Campbell sits on the Advisory Board of this group.

"That's where the new standards, developed in consultation with consumer advocates, land trusts, and landscape architects, come in. Sehee hopes to do for death-care what organic standards and Fair Trade certification have done for the supermarket. "We're making it easy for consumers to distinguish between environmentally and consumer-friendly providers and those who are not operating that way," he says. "That, to me, is the crux of this issue."
.........[these quotes are from an online environmental journal............
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/07/27/dicum/

"There's a cultural barrier to green burial in mainstream culture," says Kim Sorvig, a landscape architect at the University of New Mexico who serves as an advisor to the Green Burial Council. "We have a detachment or denial about people dying. You can go your entire life and never be confronted with the actual facts of death."

Sorvig says planning for conservation burial can change the way people view their own deaths, and thus their lives. "People are depriving themselves of important psychological or spiritual connections by playing along with the idea of death embedded in the conventional culture," says Sorvig. "This offers great potential for engaging people now and helping them connect with the cycle of birth and death as a part of human ecology -- it's a very meaningful use of the earth."

PS is anyone reading any of this? Do any of you care anymore? Or am I just sittin over here jerkin the gherkin?

NBER Report on Casket Sales Restrictions

2006-09-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey, I thought this was an interesting little report on one aspect of the Death Care industry, though it's a little technical and I'm not sure where (or if) it figures in at all with our thinking about a green cemetery. Behold, it's full text on the web...I found the abstract and introduction kind of interesting.
http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/12012.html

State Casket Sales Restrictions: A Pointless Undertaking?

National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
Working Paper 12012

Diving into the Indiana Code

2006-09-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Go to http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/
if you would like browse the Indiana code. I went ahead and photocopied the index of the Indiana Code Annotated for just the section "CEMETERIES AND DEAD BODIES". There are 8 full pages of index terms for this broad topic.

IC 6-1.1-6.8-8
Application for assessment as cemetery land
Sec. 8. (a) A person who wishes to have a parcel of land classified as cemetery land must file an application in duplicate with the director on the forms prescribed by the director. The application must include the following items:

(1) The plats referred to in section 6 of this chapter.
(2) The assessment required under section 7 of this chapter entered in ink by the county assessor.
(3) The signature of the owner, the registered land surveyor, and the county assessor.
(b) If an error or omission affecting the eligibility of the application is discovered by the director or county assessor, the director or county assessor shall promptly notify the applicant of the deficiency and allow the applicant to amend the application.
As added by P.L.177-2001, SEC.1.

IC 6-1.1-6.8-6
Surveys
Sec. 6. (a) A person who wishes to have a parcel of land classified as cemetery land must have it surveyed by a registered land surveyor. The surveyor shall make the survey by metes and bounds and locate the parcel with reference to some established corner. In addition, the surveyor shall identify the parcel by section, township, range, and county references. The surveyor shall prepare plats of the parcel in ink, and shall prepare the plats on the scale, and in the number, prescribed by the director.
(b) The registered land surveyor may use an aerial photograph in order to obtain a description of the parcel. However, the surveyor's description must be accurate and it must meet the requirements specified in subsection (a). If an aerial photograph is used, that fact shall be noted on the application referred to in section 8 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.177-2001, SEC.1.

IC 23-10-2-19
Conveyance for cemetery purposes; holding in trust
Sec. 19. Lands conveyed to the board of county commissioners, by deed duly recorded, for the purpose of a public or private cemetery, shall be held by such board forever in trust for such purpose.
(Formerly: Acts 1852, 1RS, c.101, s.19.)

IC 23-10-2-21
Donor of private burying ground; exclusive right of admitting
Sec. 21. The donor of a private burying ground, his heirs and assigns forever, shall have the exclusive right of admitting corpses for interment, and shall direct where the same shall be buried; and may grant any right of burial in such ground as shall not interfere with the graves already there or the rights of persons who have buried their dead in such ground.
(Formerly: Acts 1852, 1RS, c.101, s.21.)

Indiana Law

2006-09-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.in.gov/pla/bandc/funeral/

This is from http://www.funerals.org/( the web site for the funeral consumers alliance)
"Indiana —The statutes in Indiana are in conflict and begging for a law suit here, too. In the business statutes, it dictates that a disposition permit may be given only to a funeral director, the passage of which was surely influenced by the industry. None of the health statutes, however, have such restrictions and refer to the "person in charge," defined as next-of-kin. Families that wish to care for their own dead may be able to find a local mortician who will cooperate in getting permits. Otherwise, be prepared for a court challenge to get your rights."
This is the web site for the Indiana cemetery board.

Kimberley sent the above block and copy this morning from www.funerals.org. I think we need to look into the details of Indiana law and start asking some questions.

Discussion snippet from Mother Earth News Forum on web

2006-09-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

loves2spin
USA1 Posts
Posted - 2003 May 31 : 7:47:23 PM
I read in Mother Earth News that Indiana is one of the states where it is nearly impossible to have a natural burial. My husband and I are in our 50's and would like to begin planning for our demise. What, at this point, are our options? Thank you for your help.
Loves2spin
LisaCarlson
USA18 Posts

Posted - 2003 Jun 11 : 8:41:46 PM
Burial in IN must be in an "established" cemetery. Check with the state Funeral and Cemetery Board to see how willing they will be to letting you set up an alternative cemetery.Alas, even if you succeed with that, you'll have to hire a funeral director to file the death certificate and other paperwork when someone dies.Lisa

Reminders, discussion, title change

2006-09-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is a reminder to "accept" editing privileges so you can contribute posts to the log. So far, I think Jim's the only one that has, so check your e-mails from last week and see if there's some sort of auto response e-mail msg about the blog and reply. Granted, I used Bill's old e-mail, so I'll correct that today. This is a photo of Hymenocallis cornaria, or Spider Lily, courtesy of Bill.
I was talking to one of the mathematicians last week about natural burials. I brought it up with him because we had discussed it in the past and he happens to know a woman in Bloomington interested in this topic. He recently spoke with her, then relayed this sentiment in an e-mail to me, verbatim:
"I talked to Joelene. She says that present law makes it difficult to
create a "green" burial ground (or any other kind) on your property.
Basically, the state requires that you put a certain amount of cash in trust, to assure that if, for instance, it is decided to develop the property later, the expense of removal can be covered.

I'll tell you more in person.

C."

Bill has now informed me that it will cost $100,000 to have the property considered a cemetery, 9/14/06.
Also, I happened to speak with Linas on the phone Saturday - he recounted their fall backpacking trip and their lengthy hike to a remote "Noel" lake. I mentioned the green space cemetery to him; he suggested that South Central Indiana Green Space is a long title that tells very little. I agreed, and changed it to Indiana Woodland Cemetery.
Please start experimenting with this web page, if you have trouble adding to it, call. As an exercise, change the title to something else.
Bob

Percent Change in US Population, 2000-2004

2006-09-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

The US grew by roughly 4% from 2000-2004, despite the fact that some 10.3 million US citizens died for that same time period. What about in our area surrounding Indiana?
[http://www.census.gov/population/pop-profile/dynamic/PopDistribution.pdf]

In general, these midwestern states grew very little in the past few years. How many elderly folks are around, how many passed away recently, and how many are likely to read about Natural Burials and warm up to that idea?
States with the highest growth rates included Nevada (16%), Arizona (12%), Texas, Florida, and other western states.
There are between 50 and 60 million US citizens over the age of 55. In Indiana, as of July 1, 2006, the population of Indiana was 6.2 million, Ohio: 11 million, Illinois: 12 million, Kentucky: 4 million.
Indiana elderly, by age group, according to the 2000 Census data: (% of population)
Ohio data:
In Ohio alone, now that it's 2006, there's a sizable number of people over the age of 75.

Mission Statement

2006-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

The mission of South Central Indiana Green Space is to offer a sensible and financially sound alternative to modern treatment of the deceased; it is to offer an earth friendly resting place in a way that maximizes involvement by family and loved ones, and minimizes impact on the environment.

Why are we here?

2006-09-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

These woods are owned by the Noel Family Trust, and they're located roughly six miles east of downtown Bloomington, and approximately .5 miles from Indiana State Forest. The plan is to make this green space a cemetery, in perpetuity, for the benefit of a current, increasingly earth conscious generation, and for future generations. In addition, this site serves as a sort of beacon or signpost for like-minded individuals in the tri-state area seeking a natural resting space, in a tranquil, rural setting. We expect to be able to offer space to clients by the spring of 2009.