Fox Island and the 2022 Derecho: Part One

The Indiana Master Naturalist program trains volunteers to become generalist-educators and citizen scientists for nature-focused parks and environmental groups. Each state has its own program reflecting the different histories and geographies of the states. However, within each state each region also has their own specific training programs. This reflects the geography, the biodiversity, and the resources available in each area. For Living Green on a Blue Planet, we will be following the Allen County Indiana Master Naturalist program. 

The AIMN program is a five-month program. It meets weekly and sometimes twice a week. It consists of lectures, readings, field trips, hands-on experiences, and tests. The first night of class focused on the mechanics of the course as well as two important topics. Natalie Haley, the manager of Fox Island County Park spoke on the impact the 2022 derecho had on the future of the park. Russ Voorhees educated the students on ticks, identification, diseases, and tick protection. Both were serious conversations. To stress the seriousness the class was held at the nature center of Fox Island. The park has been closed since June 2022 and is not planned to reopen until 2024. However, it was deemed important for the future Master Naturalist to have a sense of the power of the derecho and the application of their courses. This would include forest succession, invasive plants and animals, changing landscape, and interpretation for future visitors.  

Since the video recorded lectures will be shown on ACCESS Fort Wayne television, Channel 1 first the sessions will be reduced to two one half hour episodes. The first two episodes will focus on what a derecho is. Fox Island County Park before and after the derecho and future plans.  

Beyond week one future topics will include interpretation from a Miamai perspective and a Civil War perspective, forest ecology, amphibians and reptiles, and mammals. The settings for the lectures will include Matea County Park and Purdue University Fort Wayne Environmental Resources Center. Speakers will include naturalists, educations, professors, and researchers. Below is episode one of Fox Island and the 2022 derecho.