Dunes

Wilderness Inquiry Canomobile partners with the National Park Service to give kids a chance to see get outside and experience the outdoors like the voyageurs and paddle a 24 ft canoe. We need help getting the kids off and on the boats. If you help you can come for a paddle too! We are going to be at three different locations: Marquette Lagoons Monday Sept 28, Tues Sept 29, Wed. Oct 14 8:00am to 3:00pm Hammond-Wolf Lake Mon Sept 28- Fri Oct 2, Mon Oct 5-Wed Oct 7 7:45-2:30 Hobart-Deep River Thurs Oct 8-Fri Oct 9, Mon Oct 12-Fri Oct 16 9:15-2:30pm Sign up to volunteer at https://www.volunteer.gov/results.cfm?states=INWilderness Inquiry Canomobile 2015

The Dunes Blowout is going to be one of the biggest events this year and we want to tell you all about it! Head over to Fire & Water at noon on Friday, June 17 and learn who will be performing at this amazing event. This will be a celebration of the 2016 Indiana Bicentennial, National Park Service Centennial and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 50th Anniversary Celebration. The festival will interpret Indiana dunes ecology and history through art and celebrate the partnership between the arts and ecology. Mark Coleman, the artist of our beautiful poster, will be on hand to sign printed copies, which will be for sale and will help raise funds for the event. This is also a great time to check out the new Fire & Water at Washington Park beach. Free samples of gelato will be given out! We invite all media and general public to attend, as this will be a great time to learn about the event and what it will be about.

Come enjoy live music and a view that can't be beat! Bring your appetites too! Will Miller & The Jazz Gang, featuring Smooth on Guitar will be playing.

Come enjoy live music and a view that can't be beat! Bring your appetites too! Vincent L. Abrams will be playing.

*Must preregister to attend. While Mount Baldy remains closed to unrestricted public access, you can join a ranger for a special guided hike along a trail on the western edge of the dune that has been found to be free of holes. You must make a reservation for this program that is being held on Friday afternoons from 5:00 - 6:30 pm during the summer. Please check the dates to see which Friday Afternoons we are holding this program at this time slot. This program will begin at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center and you will follow the ranger to Mount Baldy no exceptions. You also must make a reservation by calling 219-395-1882 and you must speak to a ranger to make the reservation. The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is located at 1215 N. State Road 49 just south of the intersection of 49 and U.S. 20 in Porter, Indiana. For more information about this program or other activities at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, contact the information desk at 219-395-1882 or check the park's website at www.nps.gov/indu.

Join us for an educational bus tour of several of our nature preserves across three counties on Saturday, October 22, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The bus will depart promptly at 8:00 a.m. from the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, located at 1215 N. State Road 49, Porter, Indiana. Riders will see Dune & Swale habitat, and the Hobart Marsh area in Lake County, the Meadowbrook Reforestation project in Porter County, and Ambler Flatwoods in LaPorte County, among others. Riders will depart the bus for short hikes at select locations. Staff, board members and guest speakers will provide insights on land conservation and the ecology, geology, and history of Northwest Indiana. Lunch will be provided. The cost to attend the tour is $35 per person, or $60 per couple. Reservations are required and may be made by calling (219) 242-8558. Reservations must be made no later than Monday, October 17, 2016. Seating is limited, so early reservations are advised. The bus is restroom equipped.

Shirley Heinze Land Trust is looking for volunteers to help construct a new boardwalk addition at Gordon and Faith Greiner nature preserve in Hobart. We are working to improve this site with additional trails, boardwalks, informational signs, and a new parking area. The preserve features a diverse landscape of restored prairie, wetlands, and sand savanna. There is a large boardwalk that allows visitors to cross the forested wetland between the prairie and woodland areas. Unusually high water levels have prevented visitors from reaching the boardwalk from the prairie. We would like to extend this boardwalk to prevent the need for wading through water to enjoy the site. The workday will include moving lumber out to the site and installing support boards and decking to extend the existing boardwalk. The conditions will likely be muddy ground and/or standing water (rubber boots recommended). Volunteers may use power tools such as drills and saws to help construct the new boardwalk. Staff will have all the necessary tools and equipment on hand, including extra gloves, safety goggles, and drinking water. Directions to site: From Ridge Rd. (East 37th Ave) in Hobart, travel south on Liverpool Road about .80 miles. The entrance is located on the west side of Liverpool Road. Please RSVP to our Stewardship Director, Eric Bird at [email protected] or by calling (219) 242-8558. We hope you can come out and lend a hand!

Celebrate autumn with an Apples Festival at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's historic Chellberg Farm on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Fun is the theme of the weekend interleaved with the celebration of the all American Apple. This new event is part of the national lakeshore's year-long, 50th Anniversary celebration. Admission and parking are free. Enjoy lots of fall seasonal activities such as tractor-pulled hayrides, a Kid's Corner with games and crafts, and even apple-chucking. Local musicians will provide continuous entertainment and the Northwest Indiana Storytellers will be spinning tales. Then help make cider using an apple press, learn how to cook apples for applesauce and apple butter, ferment apples into vinegar, make apple pomanders and discover dozens of other uses for apples. Free tasting of most of these products will be available. Or, purchase lunch or a snack from one of seven food vendors and make a day of it. Have you ever wondered why there are so many apple trees in Indiana? We can thank Indiana native, "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman for their abundance. During this festival, visitors can watch the classic Disney short on Johnny Appleseed and then help with the planting of 16 apple trees as we reestablish an orchard at Chellberg Farm. The farm even has resident chickens now thanks to festival partners Dunes Learning Center and the Friends of Indiana Dunes. For information on this event or other anniversary programs being offered this year at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882.

*Pre-registration required - Parents and toddlers are invited to participate in this monthly nature exploration program. Nature Tots, aged 2-5, will enjoy ranger-led story time, crafts and outdoor play. Parents will enjoy meeting other parents and learning fun ideas for bringing nature into their child’s life. This program is free, but pre-registration is required by calling 219-395-1821.

Please join us on Monday, October 17, at 7 pm. as The Calumet Artists Residency presents the Frode Gjerstad, Jon Rune Strøm and Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio in an evening of improvised music. The concert will take place in an intimate setting in Gary, Indiana. Due to the nature of the location, space is limited and reservations are required. To make a reservation or for further details, please RSVP to: [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyinsJbajPk

Paddlers can play a key role in detecting and preventing both aquatic and terrestrial species invasions in the Lake Michigan Coastal area of Northwest Indiana. Come to the Sunset Paddle a little earlier than usual 5:00 – 5:30 pm. – to find out species we should be concerned about in Miller, how you can report them, and why they should be reported. You’ll also learn how to use the easy-to-use smartphone application for mapping and reporting invasive species offered by the Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN). A smartphone is not required, however, as the data can also be entered into www.eddmaps.org/Indiana. To maximize your participation, you may want to create a profile for yourself on www.eddmaps.org/Indianaand download the free GLEDN application. This program will be led by Susan MiHalo, Conservation Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy and Chair of the Indiana Coastal Cooperative Weed Management Area. to reserve a kayak please contact Zully JF Alvarado

Celebrate our region’s most precious natural resource – the Great Lakes with a concert by singer and song writer Lee Murdock. Broadly acknowledged as, “the premier interpreter of songs and tales about the Great Lakes,” Lee Murdock’s work is an anthem to the people who live, work, and play along the freshwater highways of North America. Join us for this FREE concert on Saturday, October 8th, at 7:00 p.m.in the auditorium of the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center. Murdock has been performing folk music for more than three decades before enthusiastic audiences throughout the Great Lakes region. Commenting on his music, Murdock said, “I’m interested in trying to find the life in these songs; in making music that’s exciting to people today. I am looking for the songs and the interesting stories, not only for the people who already enjoy folk music, but for those who think they don’t like folk music.” This concert is part of the year-long celebration of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s 50th Anniversary and the Centennial of the National Park Service. The concert is presented free to the public thanks to the support of park partner, the Friends of Indiana Dunes, Inc. Lee Murdock's website: leemurdock.com The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is located at 1215 North State Road 49 in Porter, Indiana. The exhibit is free. For information on this exhibit or programs being offered at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call the center’s information desk at 219-395-1882 or check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/indu.

Join a ranger for a leisurely fall colors hike through Miller Woods. Learn the mystery of why some tree leaves turn red while other leaves turn yellow. Enjoy, too, the colorful trail palette made by fall wildflowers like asters and goldenrods while we look for migrating birds. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882 or check the park’s website atwww.nps.gov/indu. #nps #nps100 #indu50 #findyourpark #indu #indiana #fallevents #hiking

We need you! Shirley Heinze Land Trust is looking for volunteers to help us construct a new boardwalk addition and also collect seeds from the prairie at our Gordon & Faith Greiner Nature Preserve in Hobart. We are working to improve this site with additional trails, boardwalks, informational signs, and a new parking area. Seeds collected will be used in upcoming restoration projects. The site features a diverse landscape of restored prairie, wetlands, and sand savanna. There is a large boardwalk that allows visitors to cross the forested wetland between the prairie and woodland areas. Unusually high water levels have prevented visitors from reaching the boardwalk from the prairie. We would like to extend this boardwalk to prevent trail closures and habitat disturbance. Seed collection is a fun activity for all ages and is a good opportunity to learn about some of the native plants found in tallgrass prairies. Shirley Heinze Land Trust has several large restoration projects coming up that will require large amounts of native seed. Volunteers play a critical part in helping us harvest this seed - otherwise, purchasing seed can be very expensive. Collecting seeds from existing preserves also helps to ensure that the seeds used for restoration projects are from local genotypes and will be well suited to the habitat where they are planted. The workday will also include moving lumber out to the site and installing support boards and decking to extend the existing boardwalk. The conditions will likely be muddy ground and/or standing water (rubber boots recommended). Volunteers may use power tools such as drills and saws to help construct the new boardwalk. Staff will have all the necessary tools and equipment on hand, including extra gloves, safety goggles, and drinking water. We depend on volunteers to help us keep trails open, restore important habitat, and continue to protect these special places for the region's health and enjoyment. You are an essential part of our mission! Directions to site: From Ridge Rd. (East 37th Ave) in Hobart, travel south on Liverpool Road about .80 miles. The entrance is located on the west side of Liverpool Road. Please RSVP to our Stewardship Director, Eric Bird at [email protected] or by calling (219) 242-8558. We hope you can come out and lend a hand!

You’re invited to come to “Arts & Nature in the Calumet Region & Nationwide,” an event at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore that celebrates the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s 50th Anniversary and National Park Service’s Centennial. We convene at the Paul Douglas Center for Environmental Education on November 12th. This event includes: Soundwalk on the Miller Trail—Enjoy unique listening experiences at the Douglas Center and along the Miller Woods trail, and consider how soundscapes experienced here relate to wildlife conservation and our appreciation of northwest Indiana’s natural splendor. Stay afterwards, as we talk about the soundscapes experienced in Miller Woods. (11 a.m.-noon) Arts Making Activities Inspired by Nature, including leaf poem collage-making, mixed media artworks, and other activities. (ongoing, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) Poetry Readings and Performances by youth and adults, including high school and college students from the Calumet Region, including Gary and Chicago. (1-3 p.m.) “Arts & Nature in the Calumet Region & Nationwide” is presented by the Borderbend Arts Collective, in partnership with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and other park partners. The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education is located in the western portion of the national lakeshore at 100 North Lake Street, about one mile north of U.S. Highway 12 in the Miller section of Gary. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1821 or check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/indu. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 413 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 15 miles of the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and 15,000 acres of beach, woods, marshes, and prairie in the northwest corner of Indiana. More than 2 million visitors come to this national park each year. Check our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IndianaDunesNL.

*Free but reservation required by calling 219-395-1882. Join a ranger this fall or winter for a two-hour tour of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in one of the park's 16-passenger buses. This is a great way to see the park’s fall colors and winter landscapes without having to do a lot of walking. The tours meet at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, which is located at 1215 North State Road 49, about one mile north of Interstate 94, in Porter, Indiana. After a brief introduction, participants will board a bus for a two-hour tour, during which the ranger will share interesting facts about the national park and surrounding area. Upcoming tour dates and start times are November 13, 2016, 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, December 18, 2016, 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, and January 22, 2017, at 1:00 pm. *The tours are free, but reservations are required. Call 219-395-1882 to make reservations and to find out more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Also, please check out the park’s website at www.nps.gov/indu.

Tune up your vocal chords and join in with the Save the Tunes Council as they perform traditional music associated with the summer season at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center. The Save the Tunes Council is a group of local musicians devoted to preserving and passing on folk songs in the traditional way, using a variety of musical instruments including guitar, autoharp, dulcimer, banjo, harmonica, bagpipe, penny whistle, hurdy gurdy, and other obscure instruments. Meet at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center located at 1215 N. State Road 49 just south of the intersection of 49 and U.S. 20 in Porter, Indiana. For more information about this program or other activities at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, contact the information desk at 219-395-1882 or check the park's website at www.nps.gov/indu.

Join staff and fellow volunteers on Saturday, November 19, 2016, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Dunes Learning Center for a morning of stewardship. We will continue to transform the old tennis courts into programming space for the Dunes Learning Center’s new raised garden beds. Activities will include cutting brush, removing soil, fixing gates, clearing trails, and more. Meet at the gravel parking lot across the street from the historic Camp Good Fellow Lodge. Dunes Learning Center is located in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore at 700 Howe Road in Porter, Indiana between U.S. Highways 12 and 20 on the grounds of the historic Camp Good Fellow. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, call 219-395-1882 or check out the park’s website at www.nps.gov/indu.

You say you have your shopping done? Great, join us for our traditional Christmas Eve stroll through the dune forests. We’ll explore the winter life and beauty of the dunes on this 1 hour walk starting at the Nature Center, culminating with a warm fire and hot cocoa at the nature center! Come out and start a new family tradition with us!