Native Roots: Nature Events in West Central Indiana
On Saturday, June 8, at 8:00 am, join Friends of the Sands members for a “Breakfast with the Bison”. Mary Kay Emmrich and Denise Wessman will host our second annual “Breakfast with the Bison”. Bring your favorite breakfast foods or snacks to share with other bison enthusiasts and don’t forget your chair or picnic blanket. Mary Kay will have a spotting scope on-hand for some up-close looks at the bison. Afterwards, attend the volunteer workday at Kankakee Sands. Meet at the Bison Viewing Area. Contact Denise Wessman (ww1980@att.net) for more information.
Also on Saturday, June 8, starting at 9 am, join Tony Capizzo for a Summertime Volunteer Workday at Kankakee Sands. Help us remove the non-native, but sweet-smelling, sweet clover from our restoration plantings. We will either hand pull the plants or use machetes to chop the plants at ground level. There will be a short hike through the prairie to reach the work-site. We will provide protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses. Meet at the main office at 3294 N US 41, Morocco, IN 47963. Contact Tony Capizzo for more information and to RSVP, acapizzo@tnc.org. Workday: Saturday, June 8, 2019
On Saturday, June 15, at 7:30 am, Friends of the Sands invites you to join them for Birding on the Prairie. Join Barb Lucas for a morning of birding on the prairie during which we hope to hear the boom of American bitterns, the chirps of Henslow’s sparrows, and maybe the melodic gurgle of Bobolinks! Meet at The Nature Conservancy’s office (3294 N US 41, Morocco, IN) to carpool to the birding locations. Please RSVP for this event. Contact Barb (blucas1123@gmail.com) for more information or to RSVP.
Also on Saturday, June 15, at 9:00 am, join Friends of the Sands for a Springtime Adventure of Art of the Grace Teninga Discovery Trail. Join local artist, Marilyn Diller, and members of the Jasper County Art League for a morning of art on the prairie. This time of year, the Grace Teninga Trail is carpeted in a stunning display of lance-leaf coreopsis and spiderwort. Come by at 9:00 a.m. to watch local artists paint or draw this stunning scene. At 10:00 a.m. we’ll hike up the trail with Mary Kay Emmrich who will introduce us to the sights, sounds, and history of the area. At 11:00 a.m., Marilyn Diller will teach us to paint, draw, or sketch a flower what we visited on the hike. Children and families are especially welcome! Meet at the Grace Teninga Discovery Trail parking lot located on CR 600 N, a half mile east of the intersection of CR 600 N and 200 W, Lake Village, IN. Contact Marilyn (MarilynDiller@yahoo.com) for more information.
And on Saturday, June 22 from 8 am to noon, join us for a Birding Hike & Butterfly Walk at Kankakee Sands. Join Matthew Beatty of the Dunes-Calumet Audubon from 8 am to 10 am for a birding hike. Then join John Henry Drake for a butterfly hike from 10 am to noon. Join us for one or both hikes. Meet at the Kankakee Sands office at 3294 N US 41, Morocco, IN. Contact Alyssa Nyberg to RSVP or for more information at anyberg@tnc.org or 219-866-1706.
Submissions for JUL-SEPT issue need to reach Joan by June 20.
To receive Native Roots via email, contact Joan Mohr Samuels, Editor, at mohrsamuels@comcast.net.
Copies of Native Roots & Wednesdays in the Wild will be available at Lilly Nature Center, Wah-ba-shik-a Nature Center (except in the winter months when WNC is closed), Morton Center, the local LAF-WL libraries, Sunspot Market, and the Wild Bird Shoppe.
Feel free to pass on to anyone you think is interested.