Our lovely second hitch began with an exciting day planting with the NPS Restoration Team in the Great Marsh. This was our most productive day of the season with over 3800 plants installed. This was our first day working with the Bio Techs and we had fun meeting new people. One of the biggest surprises with working in the Great Marsh was not hearing continuous trains like our site in Cowles Bog. We were introduced to what silence is like in the Indiana front-country. We saw three sand hill cranes and a snake devouring an innocent frog. Working that day was fun because we learned firsthand what it would be like to work for the park service, and what it means to be part of the environmental movement that is still being shaped every day in our country.
Tuesday marked our first day where we would be in the office due thunder storms. All of us came up with our seasons goals with Adam with hopes of achieving them later in the season. After spending some time at Red Cup Cafe, we spent the rest of the day doing miscellaneous errands. One of these was a trip to the library to begin brain storming ideas for our upcoming mid-season project which is yet to be determined.
On Wednesday we rejoiced with the opportunity to get back into the field after being rained out. Planting continued and we worked hard to ensure that the native plants would triumph over the invasive cattail.
Then came Thursday, our last day before a three-day weekend. Business as usual at Indiana Dunes and our team planted for the first time in the rain. This marked an occasion for our team because we proved we could work in any weather condition mother-nature can throw at us (slight exaggeration). With our season lasting into early December this day would prove to be a training day for later days once the temperatures drop in October and November. Our afternoon was spent looking further into our mid-season project which is proving to be something that will test the strength of our all-star team. INDU out!
