Nature

Join birding expert Ken Brock on Saturday mornings in November at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. Brock, author of "The Birds of Indiana Dunes" will be located at the Portage Lakefront pavilion in search of migratory waterfowl and other birds. If it is not a good day for birding along the lakefront, the program will be moved to another location and a ranger will notify you upon arrival at Portage Lakefront. This program is being offered every Saturday morning for the month of November.

Please join us! Our meetings are free and open to the public.  Our speaker for this meeting is Master Gardener Dolly Foster.  Her topic is "Renewing the Garden". Learn more about our club, join or sigh up to volunteer on our website: millergardenclub.org Check out the beautiful spring bulbs planted by our club in the Aquatorium courtyard garden.

Come on out to Mama Pearl’s BBQ, located at 411 East 5^th Avenue in Gary, Indiana, on May 3rd from 6 - 8pm for Green Drinks Gary and learn about the ongoing effort, led by the Calumet Heritage Partnership and The Field Museum, to create a Calumet National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas shine a light on local heritage that is nationally important. In doing so they can attract tourism, new economic opportunities, and increase civic engagement. They are grass-roots initiatives that receive federal support, but need the support of locals to become a reality. Come learn more, and how you can get involved.   *From 6-6:30pm we encourage attendees to network with one another, order food, and get settled in. The guest speaker's presentation will begin at 6:30pm. Mama Pearl's does not serve alcohol however attendees are welcome to bring their own (byob).*   Presenter(s): Mario Longoni is an Urban Anthropology Manager in the Keller Science Action Center at The Field Museum. His work in the Calumet Region dates back to 2002 when he contributed to the Journey Through Calumet project (http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/calumet/), highlighting the Region's cultural assets. Subsequently he produced the Grab This Fish Tale comic book (https://www.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/FishTale_web_0.pdf) to advise Calumet anglers on smart fish consumption. Like these previous projects, the Calumet National Heritage Area initiative aims to improve local quality of life by building on the existing strengths and resources of local communities and the wider region.   For additional information on this and future events please visit Green Drinks Gary’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/GreenDrinksGary, join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682928161975070/, check out our website at http://www.greendrinks.org/IN/Gary, or send an email to [email protected].   See you May 3rd! Until then…STAY CALM and THINK GREEN.   Green Drinks Gary takes place every first Tuesday of the month. It is open to the public, free to attend and all ages are welcome!   Green Drinks Gary is organized and managed by Rachel Veronesi, Cathy Martin and Cassandra Cannon.

Don't miss Little Daddy and Carla Denise Stinson Friday August 26 @ 7!

*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.

Tune up your vocal chords and join in with the Save the Tunes Council as they perform traditional music associated with the summer season. Gather up on Friday from 7:30 pm –9:00 pm 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.

Call for Location (219) 395-1882 Join a ranger and help out against the attack of invasive plant species in the park. Come prepared to work in the soil. Gloves and equipment will be provided. For more information please visit https://greatlakes.org/event/2016-september-adopt-a-beach/ If you'd to help out again or are unable to attend this scheduled cleanup event, you can join us on Saturday, September 24, 2016, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Bailly Homestead / Chellberg Farm, where we will be celebrating National Public Lands Day with several volunteer projects that need your help.

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

*Final program scheduled for this event in 2016!* Join the creative Chellberg Farm cooks and learn how to preserve the “vegetable garden’s bounty” for future use. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the Events Calendar at the park websitewww.nps.gov/indu or contact the park's information desk at 219-395-1882. You can also visit: https://www.nps.gov/indu/learn/historyculture/chellberg.htm for more info about the farm itself.

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!

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.

Make birdseed wreaths and birdseed ornaments! Fun for children and adults $15 for adults (wreath) $10 for children (ornament)   Join us at the Aquatorium on Nov. 19, 2016 from 10am-1pm. Adults will decorate 2 birdseed wreaths and take one home with them.  Children will decorate 2 birdseed ornaments and take one home with them. No prior experience needed! Complimentary light refreshments will be available.