Drought causes concern in Brown County - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

This weekend could bring a little beneficial rain to the Hoosier State, but is it too little too late? The impact of the heat and drought could linger well past summer.

Downtown Nashville is known for quaint shops and old-time charm. It's a tourist magnet in Brown County. For some visitors this hot summer, that's definitely the attraction.

"We're trying to keep cool.  We're on motorcycles doing the best we can.  Lots of sunscreen," said Barb Burroughs, a tourist visiting from Wisconsin.

Tourists like Burroughs are taking advantage of the air conditioning indoors, where the Visitors Bureau says numbers are actually up.  

"They might be spending more time inside going shopping or staying at their lodging or accommodation, going to the pool, than staying outside so much. But they're still here," said Jamie Newton, Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

But outside town at Brown County State Park, it's a different story.

"We've suffered a little bit with the hot weather. People haven't been coming out in the daytime to picnic and hike as much as they normally would, camping has been down a little," said property manager Doug Baird.

While heat is hurting attendance, drought is hurting the trees.

"It's stressing the trees, it's stressing all kinds of plants," Baird said.

Leaves turn yellow or brown, some falling off trees altogether, as part of the tree's defense mechanism. It's a survival instinct to get rid of everything it doesn't need to stay alive in order to conserve water.

Nashville natives Dana Steele and Bobby Fowler and their families are worried.

"I haven't seen it this dry either, and brown-looking.  It's pretty sad," Steele said.

"A lot of dry leaves and leaves leaving the trees and all the sap's dripping and it's going to be terrible this fall for all the tourists," said Fowler.

For tourists who flock here for the usual show of brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows. It's too soon to say what this fall will bring, but Baird says drought and infestation are hitting Indiana's state tree - the tulip poplar - the hardest. That's about 10 percent of the trees at the park.

"The trees are stressed from the aphids and from the drought. They're drying up and dying off early. A lot of the trees have lost half their leaves already this year and that's a lot for this early, that is extremely heavy," Baird said.

He hasn't lost hope during this drought that he says is the worst at the park since the Great Drought of 1988. 

"We just hope Mother Nature will allow a little rain to come along," he said.

Baird says four or five days of gentle soaking rain, followed by cooler temperatures and sunshine will help a great deal. He adds that he's never seen a fall in Brown County that wasn't beautiful in one way or another, including during the 1988 drought.

Predicting fall color can be extremely challenging, especially given the drought that's underway.

Jamie Newton with the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau says they'll have their Leaf Cam up and running once we get closer to fall. 

Brown County Leaf Cam

Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Brown County State Park