Little River Wetlands Project hosts a monthly community forum that focuses on the environment. The forum, Breakfast on the Marsh is usually held at the Indiana Wesleyan University Fort Wayne building by the boundary of Eagle Marsh. One August 08, 2024, the presenter was Assistant Director for the DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Vincent Burkle. He spoke on the current status of the Spotted Lanternfly in Indiana.
 
The Spotted Lanternfly is a fairly recent invasive species. It is a true bug, with sucking mouth parts that can devastate plant life. It is originally from Southeast Asia and was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014.   In the last eight years it has spread to New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.
 
The invasive insect appears to be spreading by inadvertently being transported via trains. Its favorite food source is another invasive species, the Tree of Heaven. The Tree of Heaven is often found along railway lines.  
 
If the Spotted Lanternfly only consumed Tree of Heaven it would be a solution, not a problem. However, that is not the case. This mobile, prolific insect also eats 70 different trees and shrubs.
This includes Black Walnut, maples, roses, sumac, birch, cucumber, and grape.
 
The presentation focused on identification throughout the insect’s lifespan, finding populations and discovering the spread of the Lanternfly. It focused on finding, killing, and reporting the invasive insect. Finding, containing, and eradication is critically important. This is an invasive that can cause a great deal of destruction.  

​On June 29, 2024 Ricky Kemery was a guest speaker at Resurrection Lutheran Church. The hosts were the church group, The Garden Keepers. The topic was Sensible Sustainability.
 
Ricky was a Purdue University Horticulture Extension Educator for 23 years. He is a Master Gardner. He has written numerous newspaper articles on gardening as well as speaking on television and radio, He is also an author of Sensible Sustainability: A Lighthearted Approach to Develop Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens.
 
Ricky has a way of engaging his audience, so they are not simply attentive ears but rather, active participants. He is funny, engaging, and provides history, theory, and hands on practicality.
 
His presentation covered local geology, pests and invasives, and permaculture, food forests, lasagna gardening, and raised bed gardening. When the talk concluded he joined a large circle and with cake and coffee the discussion carried on. The enthusiasm was earned, Ricky Kemery is recognized as the Gardner’s Gardner.

​From August 14-18, 2023, The Parliament of the World's Religions convened in Chicago. There were 8,254 participants from 95 countries representing 210 religious traditions. Eugene Gussenhoven and I were credentialed members of the Press Corps. We interviewed presenters, agency representatives, and faith leaders who worked to counter climate change.
 
I spoke with Indigenous leaders. I interviewed faith leaders responding to climate change. I attended religious services and cultural events. However, before the opening of the Parliament and after the Parliament, I immersed myself in place. Place is important in healing a hurting planet, in focusing ritual, and in anchoring oneself. That place, for me, was downtown Chicago. It was a place of unceded land of the Council of the Three Fires, a confederacy of Indigenous Nations. It was a city founded by a Haitian immigrant Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. It was the site of the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 during the Columbian Exposition.
 
The Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, Navy Pier, The Windy, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Chicago Riverwalk all speak to the importance of place. The Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and the water of life speak to the importance of healthy ecosystems. After the Parliament my continued journey became a reminder that the rebirth of ecosystems and of the spirit are possible. This is the introductory video that will be followed by several videos connecting faith, climate change, Indigenous Peoples, and the 2023 Parliament of the World's Religions. This first video speaks of my love for this place, Chicago.