IWLA-PCC NEWSLETTER
PCC Founded 1958 * November, 2017
Izaak Walton League of America - Porter County Chapter
Thomas Library of Chesterton, IN
in 2nd floor meeting room
Email: executivedirectoriwlapcc@gmail.com
Website: NWIconservation.org
Phone: 219-241-7431
Facebook: facebook.com/PCCIWLA
“From the Dunes in the north, to the Kankakee River in the south”
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President - Gary Brown grbrown57@hotmail.com, 219-464-8882
Vice President - Jim Sweeney jp55biod@att.net, 219-322- 7239
Treasurer/Membership - Liz McCloskey tmconservation@csinet.net, 219-326-0700 Secretary - Susan Swarner susan.swarner@gmail.com, 219-201-5498
Chapter Directors: Don Frame df.nature@outlook.com, 219-331-6136,
Bill Iltzsche biltzsche@hotmail.com 219-464-9850 and
Herb & Charlotte Read candhread@comcast.net, 219-548-1926
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
2017 has been a monumental year for PCC with the development of showcase properties.
-The Boy Scouts, Troop 929, had 3 Eagle candidates complete major parking, platform, and boardwalk construction at Carol Cook Wetland Overlook.
-The Frame Family Farm Conservation Area had 3 grants totaling $19,000 to reroute stream runoff back to center wetland natural state.
Looking forward; planning meetings will commence through the winter to continue Spring Education Family Nature Nights for a 7th year! Also, the National Izaak Walton Clean Water Challenge has just begun and we’ll plan to play a lead role in it.
At this time, I ask that you consider making a donation directly to our chapter. With your generosity, we could start to fulfill the dream of bringing school and youth groups to the ‘IWLA-PCC Wetland Education Institute’; part of our NEW Climate Change Initiative.
And I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make so many big strides for our chapter this year. Thank you! Also, I look forward to working alongside you all to make future goals realities.
Gary Brown, President
FRAME STEWARDSHIP
Thank you to Gary Brown, Bill Iltzsche, Liz McCloskey, John Beckman and Gene Clifford for their work in planting 29 trees at Frame One in early October. These trees will provide shade, climbing and forage for the Nature Playground and the other trees near CoLine Rd will provide cover to wildlife. Also, the recent heavy rains have filled the new frog ponds at Frame.
EXTENDED FUNDRAISER
OFFER EXTENDED through the month of November; PCC will get 25% of the admission price to “Mission: Escape” of Chesterton, IN. This is an Escape Room service that opened in Duneland this summer. Tell your friends that PCC sent ‘cha. Solve the mystery of the Candy Store or Funeral Parlor. 219-983-1577 for reservation.
FAMILY NATURE NIGHT AT BAILLY
On October 17, PCC held it’s first Family Nature Night of the new school season. It was very successful; serving 305 visitors! Thank you to Bonnie & Susan Swarner for coordinating and all our volunteers and partners for such a great night! Special thanks to the Lake Michigan Coastal Program and IWLA National Endowment for their support of PCC’s youth conservation education programming.
VICTORY
CLEAN WATER CHALLENGE
PCC member Jim Sweeney and national IWLA Clean Water Fellow Scott Maxham introduced 750 local kids to the IWLA Clean Water Challenge in October. Nicole Messacar of the LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District organized two weeks on the Kankakee River with the Canoemobile project of Wilderness Inquiry called Kankakee River Days.
While 1/3 of the kids were canoeing on the Kankakee, the rest were visiting educational stations that included the IWLA booth on stream monitoring and macroinvertebrates. They also visited with naturalists with the Lake County Parks Department, the Pottawotomie Department of Natural Resources, Water Safety with Kayak Kenneth, and learned about wildlife and hunting with Tom “Coyote” Larson.
The Challenge is a national IWLA effort to get 100,000 more stream segments monitored by volunteers in the next 5 years. On October 19th, and 20th, Samantha Briggs of the IWLA staff came to NW Indiana for a training on the Challenge. Six IWLA chapters were part of the training. Stay tuned for more information on our efforts in NW Indiana.
My thanks to PCC members Gene Clifford, Bill Iltzsche, Mary Burke, Desi Robertson-Thompson, and Tom Larson for their help. Big thanks to Nicole Messacar and Ethel Turkowski of LaPorte County S&W for making it a great event and John Decker of the Glen Park Chapter and Brent Stacks and the Diana Chapter IWLA.
For more information, call Jim Sweeney at 219-322-7239.
BUGS AS INDICATORS OF WATER QUALITY
Article by PCC member, Gene Clifford
Benthic macroinvertebrates are organisms that spend some, if not all, of their life cycle
on or near the bottom of a body of water.
They are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, even though they have no
backbone. They make up the majority of the organisms in the aquatic food chain. Their
presence indicates the health of that particular body of water, be it a ditch, creek, stream, river, pond, or lake.
Aquatic insects are fascinating creatures and are very important to lakes, rivers, and
streams. They do everything from filtering particles out of the water, to eating algae and
on to being food for fish and other aquatic animals. Some aquatic insects live in the water for their whole life, while others live in the water for only part of their life, usually in the beginning, when they are in the larval stage before they hatch and become flying insects.
These “bugs”, as we most commonly call them, include: crayfish, midges, aquatic
worms, snails, freshwater mussels, stoneflies, and many, many other life forms. Their
presence or even their absence, indicates the quality of the water in which they abide.
Identifying these “critters”, will provide any fisherman valuable information and overall
understanding of the ecosystem, which will lead to better fishing for them. They can then identify the presence of pollutants in the water, besides telling the angler what kind of forage is available in that particular body of water, by examining the contents of the
fish’s stomach.
By observing any visible changes in the number or kinds of species available, you can get
a fairly good picture of the overall health of the body of water you are fishing in, as well
as the severity of any pollution present.
Some of these “bugs” are more tolerant to pollution than are others. Aquatic worms and
midges can stand a lot of pollution, and if you find only these present, that should tell you that there is some form of pollution or human intervention. Whereas, if you are lucky to find fresh water mussels, then you’ll know that the water is very clean, as the mussel is very intolerant to pollution.
When a body of water becomes polluted you’ll find that those “bugs” that are intolerant
to pollution, will decrease, while those that can live in that “crap” will grow in number.
You can find these macroinvertebrates in riffles, under rocks, and in submerged debris,
such as logs or branches, in the stream bed.
Always remember, benthic invertebrates are the prime indicators of aquatic health.
They come and go as the pollution does.
AMAZON SMILE DURING HOLIDAYS
Shop for everyone on your gift list this holiday at smile.amazon.com/ch/35-6044039 and Amazon donates to Izaak Walton League of America Porter County Chapter.
A LITTLE ASSISTANCE PLEASE...
EXERCISE YOUR PRIORITIES!
Getting exercise while volunteering is cheaper than a heath club and you'll get your fill of fresh air too. What's your passion? Butterflies...Frogs...Bees...Birds...PCC has lots of acreage open for projects. Start a group. Pick a site. Invite a friend!
REQUEST FOR ADDRESSES
We need to keep member email addresses updated. Please send a quick email to Annette Hansen at executivedirectoriwlapcc@gmail.com to confirm your most current email address. Also, if your phone number or home/biz address has changed, please notate that as well.
LOOKING FOR BIOS
We’d love to include the biographies of our directors, officers and members as part of our new website. Please contact Annette Hansen to share a nice photo of yourself and your conservation story.
SEEKING PHOTOS
You may have taken photos at PCC properties that would be interesting to our website viewers. Please share them with Annette Hansen for use in NWIconservation.org
GETTING READY FOR WINTER
2018 Farm Schedule coming soon! Plantings/Invasive Removal/Storage/Security.
Please consider volunteering your time to help with some of these projects:
November Work Days: (call Don)
Thursday 11-9 @Frame- Firebreaks & Trails
TBA-Seeding: (2)new ponds-cover crop oats, rye grass, wildflowers
TBA Logging: drop trees in Frog Pond, circle with cuts.
TBA Security: Access gates/ heavy wire/ posts/ cameras/ signage
IMPORTANT PCC UPCOMING EVENTS
11/7 Family Nature Night
6-7:30pm Washington Township Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------
11/18 PCC Monthly Meeting
1-3pm Thomas Library 2nd floor mtg room
---------------------------------------------------------------
12/16 PCC Monthly Meeting
Location TBA
---------------------------------------------------------------
3/15 Family Nature Night
Yost Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------
3/20 Family Nature Night
Brummitt Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------
4/5 Family Nature Night
Northview Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------
4/12 Family Nature Night
Flint Lake Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------
5/3 Family Nature Night
Discovery Charter School
---------------------------------------------------------------
5/10 Family Nature Night
6-7:30pm Liberty Elementary School
---------------------------------------------------------------