Bob Bronson’s Legacy: Making the World a Better Place

By Dale Brier, IDNR Division of State Parks

Bob Bronson always knew he wanted to work in a recreation field. He grew up in Wahoo, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1978 with a BS in Outdoor Recreation. He then worked many different jobs with the US Forest Service, spending most of his time out West. He worked in Wyoming, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, mostly doing seasonal trail work, carpentry, and firefighting. It was in his free-spirited nomadic days that he met his future wife Mary in Wyoming. Since she was from Indiana, it made sense for them to come back here to settle down and raise a family that would end up being three children.

many grant programs. Bob’s core value to make the world a better place has always been obvious, whether he was fixing a trail, funding a trail project, or helping to improve a local park, it was the motivation that kept him going. As an avid cyclist he worked tirelessly to get people out of cars and onto bikes to not only help the environment, but to also make people healthier. His 25 years as the grants manager leave behind impressive numbers: 350 projects, $71 million in granted funds, 240 miles of new trail, and 5700 acres of protected land under seven DNR directors.

Started as a Grant Coordinator in June of 1990.

Promoted to Grants Manager in February of 1997.

Retired on August 31, 2022

Since becoming the manager, a lot of projects have been overseen by him.

• Total projects: 350

• Total acres acquired/protected: 5,700

• Total trail miles built: 240

• Total funds distributed: $71,096,955

BREAKDOWN BY PROJECTS

After the relocation to Indiana, Bob started with the Indiana DNR Division of Outdoor Recreation in June of 1990 as a grant coordinator. In 1997 he was promoted to the Grants Manager position where he would spend the next 25 years overseeing

If you ask Bob about some memorable projects, he quickly goes to the Panhandle Pathway and the Nickle Plate trails. The Panhandle project was a perfect alignment of multiple grant programs coming together at the right time to nearly triple the original project from 6 miles to 18. Being able to combine Transportation Enhancement (TE) funds with State Trails funds, Recreational Trails Program (RTP), and federal stimulus money brought it all together. A similar thing happened with the Nickel Plate trail where they built 20 miles of trail in a single project. His other joy is helping not-for-profit groups succeed

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WABASH: 36 Projects $5,667,138.50

493.2 acres acquired/ protected

HOMETOWN: 27 Projects $4,206,402.30

734.98 acres acquired/ protected

LWCF: 114 Projects $23,621,986.26

3,269 acres acquired/ protected

RTP: 143 Projects $19,561,802.93

148.53 miles of trail 1,199 acres acquired/ protected (Redbird is over 800 of this)

STATE TRAILS: 29 Projects $18,039,625 90 miles of trail