The IMN program, putting it all together

Today we had our second to last field experience in the Indiana Master Naturalist program. Like most classes, the last class was about “putting it all together.” We learned about context and history. We learned about intersectionality: culture, politics, and worldviews. We were integrative using our skills to identify wildflowers, birds, animals and to understand geological events. In other words, we hiked downtown Fort Wayne. Our instructor was Angie Quinn.
 
Angie is currently the executive director of Michigan Legacy Art Park in Northwest Michigan. However, her knowledge of Fort Wayne history is extensive. She has an M.A. in Anthropology for Indiana University. She was the Executive Director of ARCH for 15 years. For five years she served as development director of Fort Wayne Trails, INC. She served on the board of both the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society and Bicycle Indiana. Today we benefited from that experience.
 
We began our hike in Lawton Park. First, we were introduced in eBirds and we listened to bird calls. We then spotted birds.

As we hiked, we learned about the Miami, the Potawatomi, and the Delaware. We learned about the interactions of the French, the English, and the American colonists during the mid to late 1700s. We learned that while the French viewed the area as marked by three rivers the indigenous peoples viewed this as an area of two rivers.
 
We viewed the area as micro environments with different plants, animals, and birds. We walked past the 1930s water filtration plant that takes water from the St. Joseph River and makes it drinkable for the citizens of Fort Wayne. We also saw the statue of the unknown Frenchman who gave the three rivers their current names.
 
As we walked we paid attention to elevation. This explained why forts were built in certain areas. It reflected the impact of ancient geological events. It also explained transportation routes. Part of that transportation included the rivers. However, electrical power also meant trolley cars and continental trains that supplied  coal. We walked past the sites of electrical power creation, and hubs of transportation.
 
We walked past reclamation of land such as an extensive rain garden and new trails. 

We learned about people who impacted the area. This included Chief Little Turtle whose memorial we visited. It also included Anthony Wayne who eventually claimed the area for the young United States. We learned about William Wells, who was raised by the Miami, became close friends with Little Turtle, and became a spy of the United States. Most of our walk was on the original land that made up the 320-acre land and farm that was granted to Wells by the United States Congress. This substantial gift was in appreciation for his military service, his interpretive service, and his service as an appointed Indian Agent. .
 
We learned how to put a talk together. That included how to keep hikers safe on the trail (from traffic) and how to adapt to a changing field trip.  The field experience was a perfect way of being reminded that naturalists deal with animals and plants, with cultures and peoples, with history, and with the physical environment. It was a perfect way to launch us into being master naturalists.