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Susan M. Brackney

A beekeeper since 2003, Susan M. Brackney is a freelance writer and the author of four nonfiction titles, including Plan Bee: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Hardest-Working Creatures on the Planet. Brackney specializes in organic gardening, beekeeping, green living, and nature. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Boys’ Life Magazine, Organic Gardening, Hobby Farms, and Indianapolis Monthly Magazine, among others. When she's not writing, Brackney tends her small greenhouse and gardens. “I'm gradually eliminating my lawn. It's good for bees, but, also, I'm lazy! Mowing's just always seemed Sisyphean to me,” she says.

Posts by this contributor 12 results

A bill passed by the Indiana House in February aimed to limit a local government’s authority, but not the state’s, over the right to harvest resources, such as timber, on personal property. The bill died in a Senate committee, but balancing personal property rights with the rights of others who might be affected is an ongoing battle. | Limestone Post

Property Rights, Public Good, Campaign Contributions: Will Bill to Limit Local Government Be Revived?

Susan M. Brackney

A bill introduced in the Indiana House this year would have limited local governments’ ability to regulate such things as logging on private property, even if, for example, the logging threatened to damage Lake Monroe. But it isn’t just about private property vs. public good, writes Susan M. Brackney. Special interest groups and campaign finance play a role, too. Click here to read the full story.

May 15, 2018

They’re a centuries-old assault on our environment, but eradicating invasive plants, such as the Callery pear tree (pictured here along the streets of Columbus, Indiana) requires more than pulling them out by the roots — especially since big box stores still sell them and red tape in the governor’s office still allows those sales. | Photo by Larry Brackney

Invasive Plants Are Still For Sale in Indiana, How You Can Help

Susan M. Brackney

They’re a centuries-old assault on our environment, but eradicating invasive plants requires more than pulling them out by the roots — especially since big box stores still sell them and red tape in the governor’s office still allows those sales. Writer Susan M. Brackney explains this weedy predicament, and how people can help. Click here to read the full story.

April 17, 2018

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Some Hoosier farmers raise millions of animals that spend much of their lives in confinement — their sole existence in these “Confined Feeding Operations” is to get plump enough for market. But some of these animals, such as the pig pictured here, are rescued and find their way to Uplands PEAK, a farm animal sanctuary. | Photo by Alexianna Mundy, Paulina M Photography

Sanctuary Moving, Growing, Giving Farm Animals Freedom

Susan M. Brackney

Some Hoosier farmers raise millions of animals that spend much of their lives in confinement — their sole existence in these “Confined Feeding Operations” is to get plump enough for market. But some of these animals are rescued and find their way to Uplands PEAK, a farm animal sanctuary. Writer Susan M. Brackney writes more about the refuge. Click here to read the full story.

March 15, 2018

The Lake Monroe watershed — the land and creeks that drain into the lake — includes parts of five counties. Friends of Lake Monroe are safeguarding the lake — along with our drinking water and the plants, fish, and wildlife — from the effects of runoff and logging. | Photo by Lynae Sowinski

Logging, Runoff in 5 Counties Threaten Health of Lake Monroe

Susan M. Brackney

The Lake Monroe watershed — the land and creeks that drain into the lake — includes parts of five counties. Writer Susan M. Brackney looks at a group of “friends” who are safeguarding the lake — along with our drinking water and the plants, fish, and wildlife of Lake Monroe — from the effects of runoff and logging. Click here to read the full story.

October 31, 2017

Through the ONE Community Initiative, the Bloomington Volunteer Network and six local nonprofits — such as Fairview Elementary School, pictured here — are trying to change the “us and them” feeling in the community. | Photo by Miles Reiter

Changing the ‘Us and Them’ Feeling in Bloomington Is ‘Imperative’

Susan M. Brackney, Miles Reiter

Through the ONE Community Initiative, the Bloomington Volunteer Network and six local nonprofits are trying to change the “us and them” feeling in the community. Susan M. Brackney spoke with the Volunteer Network’s Lucy Schaich about this shift in volunteering. Focusing on this initiative and these organizations, Schaich says, “is imperative for our community.” Click here to read the full story.

November 14, 2016

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Dismayed by the conspicuous absence of nurse-midwives in local hospitals, the newly formed Bloomington Consumers for Birth Choices (BCBC) recently petitioned IU Health Bloomington Hospital to provide local families with “a network of fully supported certified nurse-midwives.” The hospital has been “actively addressing this need,” but first, it must recruit enough obstetricians to support a midwifery program. | Photo courtesy of bies, Creative Commons

IU Health Addressing Push to Provide Nurse-Midwives

Susan M. Brackney, Andrew Grodner

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) help with pre- and postnatal care, but none are available at nearby hospitals. Since a local group petitioned IU Health Bloomington to provide a network of CNMs, the hospital has been “actively addressing this need.” First, it must recruit enough obstetricians to support a midwifery program. Click here to read the full story.

May 20, 2016

The Eastern box turtle is one of many Indiana species on the state's "special concern" list. | Creative Commons, Branlon

150 Species in Indiana Now Listed As Endangered or ‘Special Concern’

Susan M. Brackney

What would happen if the hellbender goes? More than 150 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mollusks that call Indiana home are now listed as “endangered” or “special concern” in the state. Susan M. Brackney shows who decides which animals make the cut — and how. Click here to read the full story.

March 11, 2016

Many Monroe County residents commute to work by bike, no matter the weather. On this day in 2014, a bike commuter heads into town from the south side of Bloomington in negative-degree weather. | Limestone Post

Even in Dead of Winter, Bike Commuters Fend Off Nasty Weather and Drivers

Susan M. Brackney

Hundreds of Monroe County residents hop on their bicycles and commute to work every day, year-round. In Susan M. Brackney’s story, they share tips on how to be safe and comfortable when dealing with snow, ice, subfreezing temps, and hostile drivers who don’t want to share the road. Click here to read the full story.

February 15, 2016

Sponsorship

Getting Fresher Greens This Winter — Indoor Gardening Is Easier and Cheaper Than Ever

Susan M. Brackney

Nothing beats just-picked veggies, and the cold, short days of winter need not stop you from having them. Susan M. Brackney shows how greens, sprouts, microshoots, and vegetables can be grown cheaply and easily indoors. One reason, she explains, is that lighting has become more efficient. T-what?! Click here to read the full story.

December 11, 2015

Ethical stewardship among diggers and careful monitoring by conservation officers have kept Indiana’s ginseng population relatively healthy. | Photo by Dan J. Pittillo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Public Affairs

Diggers, Dealers, and Appalachian Outlaws: Unearthing Indiana’s Ginseng Trade

Susan M. Brackney

Susan M. Brackney explores the often misunderstood world of hunting wild ginseng and how ethical stewardship among the diggers and careful monitoring by conservation officers have kept Indiana’s ginseng population relatively healthy — despite the portrayal of supposed ginseng diggers on reality TV making it look adventurous and lucrative. Click here to read the full story.

November 13, 2015

Honeybees swarm their hive at Bloomington Community Orchard. | Limestone Post

Bee-Town Gets Busy: The State of All Things Bee and How You Can Help

Susan M. Brackney

While the honeybee population in Monroe County is thriving, studies show Indiana's colony loss is worse than the national average. Bloomington beekeeper Susan M. Brackney addresses the complicated and troubling issue, and she offers advice on helping not only honeybees but also bumblebees, butterflies, and other native pollinators. Click here to read the full story.