Winter Wonderland at Wolf Lake in Hammond didn’t get much snow, but the 15th annual celebration sponsored by the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative included tours and discussions.
The Winter Wonderland at Wolf Lake didn’t include cross-country skiing, but that didn’t stop visitors to the Environmental Education Center from enjoying other activities at the 15th annual celebration sponsored by the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative.
“I was looking forward to trying the skiing, but they did say weather permitting,” said visitor Mary Harrison of Valparaiso, as she waited for the opening ceremony to begin. “No problem, the Center’s building tour, outdoor walk and other things on the schedule made it worthwhile to come out.”
After a greeting from AWLI executive director Michael Boos and the announcement of this year’s poster contest winners, the building tour was on.
Environmental Education Center manager Racine Kovach took the day’s guests through the many areas that reflected recycling at every turn.
Before leaving the main room of the opening ceremony, Kovach detailed the origin of the carpet, which was made from recycled plastic.
The paneling in the room was made of excess wood trees and the tables that the visitors were sitting at were composed of wood donated by a guitar maker. The quality and esthetics of the material did not meet with his standards, so it was re-purposed into the very thick, unique shaped tables.
The kitchen area boasted a sink and countertops made from recycled plastic materials.
On the way to the indoor trout stream, which has a program of its own, Kovach made a stop in front of a large (artificial) tree – hollowed out with a slide for children.
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This education area included dirt or mulch (placed around the tree) fashioned out of recycled rubber.
“Our Center is a great field-trip destination,” Kovach told the audience as they entered a large room containing hundreds of recyclable materials – such as cardboard boxes, cans and colorful ribbons, among others. “Many teachers come here for materials for specific projects.”
This year’s Winterland was a dual-location event. The morning session took place on the Indiana side of the lake at the Environmental Education Center and the afternoon session was held on the Illinois side of Wolf Lake at William Powers State Fish & Wildlife Area, 126th Place and Avenue O, in the Hegewisch section of Chicago.
Both had similar agendas.
One of the visitors to the recent Wonderland event was Hammond resident Caryn Corriere, an environmental educator for the Bollingbrook (Ill.) Park District, her visit was doubly rewarding.
A Hammond native, she had moved out of the area for many years, relocating back this past year. “The Environmental Center was not here when I lived in Hammond, so I wanted to attend today to see what its all about,” she said, as she participated in the building tour. “I’m impressed – this place is just awesome.”
The morning session also included a display of Native American artifacts by archaeologist Les Marszalek, and a discussion of amphibians and reptiles of the Calumet Region by Alan Resetar of the Field Museum before wrapping up with a presentation on mudpuppy research by Alicia Beattie, a research associate at Shedd Aquarium.
Her topic, “Chasing Mudpuppies at Wolf Lake,” outlined the multi-year research project that started in 2014 by Dr. Phil Willink, senior research biologist at Shedd Aquarium.
A mudpuppy is a not a fish – it is a large salamander and long-time resident of Wolf Lake. Featuring colorful gills, it grows to 11 to 18 inches long and always remains in the water, being most active in cold weather, Beattie told the audience.
The Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative (AWLI) is a bi-state not-for profit organization and land trust. It seeks to promote bi-state cooperation for the protection and enhancement of the Wolf Lake Watershed.
For more information, call 219-933-7149 or 312-1220-0120.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Poster contest winners announced
First-place finishers in the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative poster contest were Della Wittorp and Rachel Gallup, both of Discovery Charter School of Porter, and Kayla Green of Emerson High School, Gary. Della is in second grade and Rachel is in fourth. Kayla is a junior.
Criteria for the posters were that they were to reflect the many things that Wolf Lake has to offer. Entries ranged from ice-skaters to sailing boats, with much in between.
Placing second in their respective age groups were Greta Herr, second grade, and Enzo Costanza, sixth grade, both of Discovery Charter School. Finishing third were Drew Hill, a first grader who is a member of Cub Scout Pack 518 of Griffith, and Liljana Lynn Barron, a sixth-grader of Girl Scout Troop 10287 of Highland.
Receiving honorable mention designations were fourth-graders Logan Bierman and Andrijana Barron of Girl Scout Troop 10287 and Cayden Ivy, a first-grader and member of Cub Scout Pack 518.
Judges were Racine Kovach of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District and Mary Kuzniar of Chicago.