The 2024 Indiana Master Naturalist Gathering: Fox Island

​Every year graduates of the Indiana Master Naturalist program gather to share, network, and attend education breakout sessions. Each year the Gathering is held at a different location in Indiana. The focus is on wildlife, plants, geology, rivers and watersheds, and local history.
 
In 2024 the Gathering was held in Northeast Indiana. The gathering day there were historical tours of downtown Fort Wayne. The walk focused on the canals, waterways, settlement, and Native Americans.
 
In the evening the Master naturalists met at Fox Island County Park. Jeff Ormiston, a retired naturalist for the county parks and a Master naturalist gave a presentation on the impact of the histoic derecho on the park. After the presentation there was a brief hike to view some of the damage and some of the regrowth. The hike was brief because it was raining, the wind was blowing, and it was almost as if Jeff had ordered the weather to help us appreciate the power of the storm he described.
 
All together the weekend highlighted several important locations. That included downtown Fort Wayne, Fox Island, LC Nature Park, and Eagle Marsh. 

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