Indiana Dunes Wetland Restoration Team 2 2012

Whew! It has been quite a summer for the Indiana Dunes Team 2. During our last week of work, we were able to do something different every day which was amazing.

On Monday storms rolled in so we resorted to planted Scirpus acutus for the day in The Great Marsh; it was a cool day with incredible clouds circling over head and refreshing to feel splashes of rain every now and then. Tuesday proved to be a cloudy day in the morning which was perfect for our project, which was to chainsaw for the day! We made huge progress along the Cowles Bog trail in opening up a viewshed of the fen and reached an end point when we were halted by a wall of 10ft tall Phragmites!

I would have to say though, that Wednesday was my favorite day because it was the first and last time both of the Indiana Dunes teams were able to work together; all 10 of us worked in the Remnant Sedge Meadow near the Cowles Bog trail. Both teams performed hand wicking for the day which is an alternative to using the backpack sprayers when using herbicide, especially when working around sensitive species.

Finally to wrap up the week, the team worked in the herbarium on Thursday with our NPS friend, Molly Hacker, who was a huge help and made the process easy and fun. Then we spent the afternoon filling out paperwork and cleaning the apartment and truck.

It was a great week for the team and a perfect way to wrap up the summer by spending one last day working on each project we had begun just three short months ago. It is a bittersweet goodbye for the Indiana Dunes Team 2; each member is excited to head home to see family and friends, but will sincerely miss the friendships made over these three months. It was an amazing summer and an incredible
experience for the team, to be apart of something and do their part to make a difference in the restoration effort of The Great Marsh and, overall, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

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Monday, July 23 2012
Today Mike S. from the Idaho office began his site visit starting with team 1. We began our day with the planting of S. validus, C. stricta, and Iris. Near the time that we finished planting, our NPS contact came to visit and showed our project leader where he would like us to begin spraying herbicide. We were quickly coming to realize exactly how hot it was going to be that day; the morning had been pleasant and cool as it had rained early in the morning. While our leader continued to explore the depths of The Great Marsh with our NPS contact, we returned to the station to gather our equipment for herbicide and refill our water cooler. Upon returning to the work site, we broke for lunch. Our desperate attempts to avoid roasting in the sun soon became an attempt to not roast in the shade of the truck. After lunch we hiked the trail along an area bordering our section and a section known as ‘Little Venice.’ This trail took us deep into the marsh where an ATV had delivered 20 jugs of herbicide for us. One member went with the NPS folk to spray cattail with the aid of the ATV and a ladder. We filled our packs under the shade of a willow tree and began the trek out to the beginning of the area needing spraying. By this time the heat index was well over 100 degrees and the tall cattail and brush blocked the breeze and trapped the heat. We began taking very frequent water breaks, but despite our efforts we quickly felt the heat’s wrath. We began spraying cattail. Our leader joined us a little bit later and when the team needed to refill the packs we attempted to trek back to the willow tree. Three members went first in an attempt to find the jugs, I followed shortly by myself. I soon lost my way in an attempt to find the Little Venice trail- I must have crossed right across it and not have noticed because it is a new footpath trail and in my heat-weary state, didn’t notice it. I turned around and attempted to find my way back to where we had begun spraying, hoping to find our trail. Failing at this too, I attempted to find the Little Venice trail again, this time I found the others, also lost. Within a few minutes of finding them, we found our herbicide jugs and most importantly our water cooler. We took a much needed rest to cool down and get our sense of direction back. We flagged and GPS marked the willow tree hoping that it will help lead us ‘home’ in the future. Once we refilled our packs, we followed the trail we had made out to the area needing spraying to rejoin our leader. This trek was especially hot. As we proceeded, it soon became evident that the heat was going to get the best of us, but soon it was time for the day to end. Never have we been so grateful to cram in to the cab of our now very stinky truck, to blast the AC. We ended our day with a cool and refreshing trip into the AC at the grocery store for team food.

Tuesday- July 24
Today was our day for Mike and Ted’s visit with us. When we arrived at the station we loaded buckets of forbes, since they prefer the area closer to road. We did this because of an impending storm that was yielding 70mph winds in nearby Chicago, IL. No sooner than we had finished loading the plants, the winds really began to pick up and it soon began to lighting, thunder, and pour down rain. We sought shelter in the greenhouses and began transplanting plants into the trays of 38 cells that will eventually be planted. When the storm ended, we returned to The Great Marsh for another day of planting. Keeping close to the roadside, we planted our forbes (which hopefully with the rain will help them thrive). We efficiently planted all that we had brought with us so part of the team returned to the station to refill our plants while a few remained to finish a few buckets of plants. It was quickly becoming hotter and sunnier, we all feared that we would soon have a repeat of Monday and began stressing more water breaks. The day proceeded well and uneventfully.

Wednesday- July 25
This morning was cool and cloudy as it had rained in the morning which had delayed our start to the field. Today we planted Scirpus acutus in a new area where we were ankle to past our knees in standing swamp water. This change in scenery was greatly appreciated and we enjoyed the uniqueness of the marsh. Following our planting we began to spray herbicide in our normal section. This day quickly became very hot. We took ample water breaks, but still the heat was very oppressive. We ended our day with a swim in Lake Michigan to cool down before going home.

Thursday- July 26
This morning we planted Scirpus validus and a few Carex species. The afternoon yields a new adventure for us. We finally got to chainsaw! Mike and our project leader reviewed our chainsaw training and we began to clear brush to make visible the fen (a type of wetland) from the Cowle’s Bog Trail. We worked in teams, one with our leader and one with Mike. We alternated chain sawing and swamping (pulling the cut brush out and putting it in piles). We all enjoyed this work day very much because of its change of pace.

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Day One: Monday July 16’Th, with a sweltering heat the team planted The Great Marsh during the morning. The marsh is in need of rain, and badly. As it becomes later in the day, the temperature continues to rise. As it came time to have lunch the day’s plans change. After lunch the team goes to a local café to have drinks and work on office things.
Day Two: Tuesday July 17’Th, The temperatures are forecasted to be over a hundred degrees. Today’s plan is to collect seeds from Miller Beach located near Gary, IN. The drive to the park was interesting to say the least. Once down a gated dirt road the team departs the truck. Thank goodness we are near the coastline. The heat is intense, enough that the team drank the entire water cooler (A first this summer). The seed picking went well and it was an activity enjoyed by all. It was saddening to see how dry this area had become. It was very easy to see where the water should have been and was not because of the drought.
Day Three: Wednesday July 18’Th, During the morning the team arrived at the bog, almost as soon as we arrive you could notice dark storm clouds headed our way. Soon we hear the crackle of thunder in the distance. The team moves to the truck for shelter during the storm. After a while of waiting we decide to wait it out at the train station. A while after that we head to the green houses to be productive when the storm seems it won’t let up. We begin transplanting plants into larger flats. After lunch the storm has passed and we head back to the bog to finish the planting that was started that morning.
Day Four: Thursday July 19’th, The drive to work takes a while as the storm from the night before left the town in a power outage. At the park station the team is invited by NPS personnel to help carry wooden pallets out into the Cowle’s Bog to construct a pathway along the marsh. The pallet walkway will maintain the health of the vegetative mat surface as people carry equipment out to the marsh to do work. Once completed with our task we head to the greenhouses to work on transplanting. After lunch the team begins planting in the marsh. The wetlands finally got the rain that was needed to nurture life into the plants that had been parched for so long. To complete the day we head back to the park’s base, wash off tools, and go over a few things. It is the end of the work week and spirits are high.

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Hi my name is Wakana Hashimoto. I come from Tokyo, Japan. I am a
sophomore student of International Christian University. I am
interested in interpersonal communication especially between different countries people. It is very exciting things that getting to know and experience the different culture. I thought this is a good chance to know about that. Therefore, I choose to participate in this program.

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This week we worked in the same area of the Great Marsh as the
previous week, on the other side of the pathway created by Team 1. We
had previously sprayed herbicide in this area and could already see
the results of the dying cattails! This week was categorized as a
planting week with temperatures around the mid 90’s. We worked with
Carex stricta, Scirpus validus, Sweet flag, and Carex aquatalis,
planting on top of the dead cattails and in the marshy areas. In
total, we planted 6,266 plants in three days! On the fourth day, we
posted up at Red Cup Café and began creating our PowerPoint
presentation for the new interns arriving on July 1st. Also, we became
familiar with the new data spread sheets and logged our service hours.

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Hey all,

It’s Eric. I’m working with the SCA, on the Indiana Dunes Wetland Restoration Team Two 2012. I’m studying Marine Affairs and Geology at the University of Rhode Island. I’ve always been an eco minded individual. Through grade school volunteering time for community service via the Boy Scouts, where I earned the rank of Eagle Scout, along with many other various clubs. More recently I have worked with clubs and organizations at my college. Last summer I attended the field camp program out of SUNY Buffalo. We camped/traveled through various desert regions of the US forming maps displaying sub-surface layers of the terrain. For the second half of the summer I volunteered at the URI Agronomy, which is a research based farm where all produce is donated to food pantries. With the SCA I am headed towards my overall interest of Environmental Science.

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I’m attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst, pursuing a
degree in Natural Resource Conservation with a concentration in
wildlife. After travelling to New Zealand in the summer of 2011 to
participate in multiple conservation projects, it opened my eyes and I
realized just how much I want to travel and see the world. It is my
goal to go around the world and make a difference wherever I am able,
while trying to see as much of the world as I possibly can. I want to
experience everything and gain the knowledge to help educate the
public on ways to make a difference.

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When I was eleven years old, I hadn’t really put much thought into how directly my actions affected the environment. This life-changing connection was spurred by my first adventure to the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, and it was made glaringly obvious. For a week, the crew and I were without access to common amenities, such as running water and electricity. With the disconnect between people and the environment absent, I was forced to think about where my water came from and what I actually needed.

As I got older, I wanted to better communicate environmental issues to people. I thought if they just knew that their own wellbeing was so directly dependent on the health of the entire land community, we wouldn’t consume so much or treat the planet and the rest of the world with such disregard. Graduating from a college seemed like a good starting point to gain at least some degree of credibility, if I wanted to address sensitive environmental and social problems.

In my search for a job as I was coming to the end of my senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, I found myself stuck. I finished my college education, but the hiring outlook was bleak. I didn’t have enough experience or the “right” kind of education for many jobs. Ultimately, my background in environmental studies and sociology left me feeling the weight of the world’s problems without much direction in the way of combating them.

In the summer of 2011, I was a part of my first SCA crew that conducted campsite inventories in the backcountry of various wilderness areas in the Pacific Northwest. The SCA allowed me to further my education outside of the classroom and do work that I felt to be meaningful. I got hands on experience that not only allowed me to hike for four months, but it also gave me the chance to think about the places I wanted to protect, which has led me back to the often underappreciated Midwest. I am excited to work with my native plants corps team at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for my first Project Leader experience!
When I was eleven years old, I hadn’t really put much thought into how directly my actions affected the environment. This life-changing connection was spurred by my first adventure to the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, and it was made glaringly obvious. For a week, the crew and I were without access to common amenities, such as running water and electricity. With the disconnect between people and the environment absent, I was forced to think about where my water came from and what I actually needed.
As I got older, I wanted to better communicate environmental issues to people. I thought if they just knew that their own wellbeing was so directly dependent on the health of the entire land community, we wouldn’t consume so much or treat the planet and the rest of the world with such disregard. Graduating from a college seemed like a good starting point to gain at least some degree of credibility, if I wanted to address sensitive environmental and social problems.
In my search for a job as I was coming to the end of my senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, I found myself stuck. I finished my college education, but the hiring outlook was bleak. I didn’t have enough experience or the “right” kind of education for many jobs. Ultimately, my background in environmental studies and sociology left me feeling the weight of the world’s problems without much direction in the way of combating them.
In the summer of 2011, I was a part of my first SCA crew that conducted campsite inventories in the backcountry of various wilderness areas in the Pacific Northwest. The SCA allowed me to further my education outside of the classroom and do work that I felt to be meaningful. I got hands on experience that not only allowed me to hike for four months, but it also gave me the chance to think about the places I wanted to protect, which has led me back to the often underappreciated Midwest. I am excited to work with my native plants corps team at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for my first Project Leader experience!

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