Bryan Horsman Elected President
The RiverSCAPE Board has elected new leadership positions onto the Board. Bryan Horsman was elected President. Horsman first learned about RiverSCAPE in 2010 when he ran Cross Country and Track & Field at Indiana State University. The late John McNicholas was Horsman’s coach. During Horsman’s time at ISU, he participated in all the trash clean-ups in the Wabashiki Wetlands and used the trails three to five times a week to run.
Coach McNichols often talked about expanding the trails, allowing runners miles and miles of soft surface running. A few years after graduating from ISU, Horsman met former Board President Michael Shaw through a work project. “I noticed his enthusiasm for all the projects that riverSCAPE was working on and eventually asked the Board to elect him to the board,” said outgoing RiverSCAPE President Michael Shaw.
Since joining the RiverSCAPE Board, Horsman has never shied away from leadership roles. He spent his first year helping out where he needed to learn more about the organization. Over the last few years, he joined the Trails, Explore Wabashiki Day, Flowering at Fairbanks, and Moonlight on the Wabash committees. In 2022, he served as Vice President and chaired the Explore Wabashiki event.
Horsman’s early childhood was spent growing up in Colorado with an active family. “This is where I found my love for the outdoors. The Wabashiki allows many, if not all, of these outdoor activities I did as a child, whether it be hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, or just going for a walk or a run,” Horsman explained.
Horsman’s first experience with the Wabashiki was with the ISU cross-country team. After few days into the season, he completed his first run in the Wabashiki. “Little did I know the Wabashiki would become our main running route for the next five years,” Horsman recalled. During his time at ISU, and thousands of miles running on the trails, he experienced the early work of RiverSCAPE. The trails began to grow and expand, Dewey Point was formed, and volunteers removed thousands of pounds of trash from the Wabashiki. “As time passes, the Wabashiki keeps growing to serve our community and the wildlife. I am glad that through RiverSCAPE, I can help connect the Wabashiki to our community,” Horsman explained.
Looking toward the future, during his term as President, he will work with the Board on their strategic plan. The plan will help identify many projects RiverSCAPE will work on over the next few years. “I would like to continue the great success RiverSCAPE has had while trying to connect further with our community. Many people do not know they can become a member to help support our work. From there, they can join any of our committees and participate in our member meetings to help make a hands-on difference,” Horsman explained.