Fox Island County Park and the Derecho Drumming

​A Conversation with Eva Webb
Question:   What is your specific title and job at Fox Island?​
Answer:    I am the Environmental Educator.   

Question: How long have you been at Fox Island? I started working at Fox Island almost a year ago.    
Question:   Tell us about your background that prepares you for this job. 
Answer:       I was an Interpretative Naturalist at Salamonie Lake (also known as the Upper Wabash Interpretive Services) for 6 years. My undergraduate degree was in Elementary Education. I left my job at Salamonie so I could get my master’s degree in environmental education through Goshen College’s Merry Lea Environmental Center 11-month intensive program.    
Question:   What is it like working in the shadow of the historic derecho? 
Answer:       I have been hearing a lot of stories and memories and want to be a good listener to the varied feelings that people have, especially as they can now return. So far, I have had a good experience and hope that continues as I work to build relationships and trust with the public.   
Question:   What are you most excited about in terms of your job? 
Answer:       I am excited to interact with people and to share my love for the natural world.  I want to provide creative experiences for people to get reacquainted with the park.    
Question:   Please share some of your favorite Fox Island experiences. 
Answer:       I have really enjoyed getting to know the park while it was still closed and was grateful for the gift of hiking each day. I have also loved getting to know different people who love the park and invest a lot of time in it. I really enjoyed helping with Nature Camp. Most recently, I was thrilled to bring this drumming experience as a way to share the story of the derecho and process the change with those who attended.    
Question:   Do you have plans to collaborate with other nature focused agencies? 
Answer:       Yes. I am in the beginning stages of collaborating with a poetry group from Fort Wayne and I also hope to offer more drum circles at Fox Island.    
Question:   If someone was interested in volunteering at Fox Island, what would they need to do or who would they contact? 
Answer:       Go to allencountyparks.org and you will find a volunteer application to fill out and submit. Once your application has been reviewed, we will know how often you want to volunteer and what types of work would be most suited for you. We welcome volunteers and would love to work with you. 

 

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Residents of Northeast Indiana know Fox Island County Park. Many have fond memories of hiking, day camps, and swimming at Bowman Lake with their children. I remember taking my children to the park 30 years ago. It was a magical place. It had ancient dunes, old, old trees, wetlands, prairie, and so much wildlife. It was a place to swim on hot days, a place to wonder in awe during a fall, and an oasis for cross country skiing in the winter.   

Many of our Allen County Indiana Master Naturalist classes were held in the nature center. Our cohort group hiked the park identifying trees, wildflowers, and amphibians. My last visit to this place of wonder was May 2022.  

On June 13, 2022, at a little after 10 pm, the park was hit by an historic derecho storm. Straight winds nearing 100 mph hit this ancient preserve. In fifteen minutes over 3000 trees were downed. Paths were impassible. Fox Island looked like it had lost a great battle.   

The park would remain closed to the public for two years. During that time Natalie Inskeep, the park executive director would work with the Allen County County Park Department, the DNR, and many other entities to try to save the park. Thanks to her work volunteers were mobilized. They planted over 7000 trees and thousands of acorns. The removed fields of invasive plants.  They mourned what was and worked for what could be.  

In 2023 Eva Webb was hired as the park’s Environmental Educator. She trained volunteers to be trail guides in anticipation of the eventual opening of the park. Bowman Lake was opened, some of the trails were opened, while others still required work. It will take a generation for the planted trees to fill in the skyline. Yet, the park is greening, animals are calling the park home, and forest progression is evident. One June 17, 2024, Fox Island was officially opened to the public.  

Eva Webb wanted to mark this historic occasion. She wanted the public to have an opportunity to acknowledge their loss and celebrate the park’s future. Eva worked with the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s Taiko Drums. She wrote a program of loss and rebirth.  She incorporated the Taiko Drumming. The public was invited to participate in the narrative and then participate in a drum circle after the ceremony. On June 22, 2024, Eva Webb and the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s Taiko Drums presented Derecho Drumming. This video capture some of that historic event.