Because of a lack of snow, visitors to the 16th annual Winter Wonderland at Wolf Lake Festival weren’t able to strap on cross-country skis or ice skates. Still, the event at the Environmental Education Center kept everyone busy with a full schedule of exhibits, displays and lectures.
The recent fest, sponsored by the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative, was held on the Indiana side of the lake in the morning and the Illinois side of the lake in the afternoon.
“The morning’s activities began with a tour of the EEC,” center coordinator Racine Kovach said.
Representing the Lake County Solid Waste Management District, Kovach identified all the materials found in the EEC building as re-purposed.
“The carpet is made from plastic and the tables are designed from re-claimed wood that was going to be thrown away by a violin manufacturer,” she said. “The 8-foot-long plastic table by our entrance door was made from 400 pounds of plastic water bottle caps, and the mulch around our treehouse is made from shredded tires.”
Also on the tour was the 50-foot-long Rainbow Trout Stream, an educational tool for children.
“We have 5,000 gallons of fresh water in here,” Kovach said. “These fish are intolerant of pollution, so the water needs to be kept clean and at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Les Marszalek, of Chicago Area Indian Archaeological Services & Networking, displayed various artifacts and discussed their value.
“The earliest form of recycling was stone and rock,” he told the crowd as he held up old Indian artifacts that were used as tools, decorations and forms of money. “Think about people that came before you — they all had a story to tell. These (items) were part of their lives and their history — and it’s our history also.”
Calumet College interns Ania De Francisco and Erwin Krackow were on hand to direct visitors and set up displays. The college students have differing experiences about recycling.
More Top Picks Best Vibrating Sensory Toys For Kids
De Francisco is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and there, recycling is looked upon as a serious matter.
“Plastic, cans, paper — we do it all,” she said. “At our house, we even separate leftover fruits and vegetables and use this for mulch”.
In Colombia, Kracow’s country of origin, the recycling trend hasn’t caught on yet.
“They are trying to start this, but their mindset is not the same as those in the U.S.,” he said. “I think it’s because of a lack of education and knowledge about the issue. They don’t see the positive effects of recycling.”
The afternoon session was held on the Illinois side of Wolf Lake at the William Powers State Fish Wildlife Area at 126th Place and Avenue O in Chicago.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.