Category Archives: Parks and Recreation

Conservation, Environmental Education, Lakes, Parks and Recreation, Recreation, Wildlife

Share the Trails: National Trail Day hosted by ACRES

AcresLogoACRES Land Trust invites the public to launch summer with a fun, engaging hike celebrating the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day. On Saturday, June 4, 10 am – noon, ACRES hosts a guided hike through Wing Haven nature preserve near Angola, Ind., while hundreds of thousands of individuals converge at parks, forests, and trails all across the country.

Wing Haven, a 254.8-acre nature preserve, features glacially carved kettle-hole lakes, bordered by a wetland fen system. In secluded areas, Sandhill cranes have established nests. Rolling meadows and surrounding uplands covered in an oak, hickory and red maple forest offer visitors a scenic hike through land that is protected forever by the local land trust’s members.

Lily Pads on Wing Haven's Little Gentian Lake, photo courtesy ACRES Land Trust

Hundred-year-old log buildings on the preserve serve as the caretaker residence and occasional event space for the nonprofit. The building are also reminders of the preserve’s former owners who donated the land to ACRES for preservation.

HelenSwensonACRESWingHavenWing Haven was once home to Helen Swenson and her husband Ben, who ran Wing Haven Resort, “a sanctuary for birds” from 1948-1972. Prior to running the resort, the Swensons were innkeepers at Pokagon State Park’s Potawatomi Inn. Helen was a graphic design artist, who studied at the Chicago Art Institute, a naturalist and an avid birder. The Swensons had the log buildings moved to the land for use as their home and as an art studio for Helen.

ACRES welcomes visitors to experience the great outdoors with neighbors, friends and family:

Share the Trails – National Trails Day

Saturday, June 4, 10 am – noon

Wing Haven, 180 W. 400 N., Angola, IN 46703
The hike will launch near the studio. Presented by ACRES volunteer Jill Noyes.

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Now in its 24th consecutive year, National Trails Day provides fun opportunities for the public to have a summer adventure of their own on nearby trails.  Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience.

Together with its members, ACRES preserves 5,924 acres of significant natural area in northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio and southern Michigan forever. Explore more than 70 miles of trails for hiking, photography, birding, wellness, family and school visits, and adventure. Connect with ACRES Land Trust at 260-637-2273, acreslandtrust.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ACRES.LT.

Parks and Recreation, Recreation, Wildlife

2016 Conservation Camp

The 2016 Conservation Camp, hosted by the Fort Wayne Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, is now open for registration until May 30th.

The camp is held at the Izzak Walton League facility and is geared towards children ages 6 – 15. The camp runs from June 20 – 24 during the afternoon with an optional family overnight event that Friday. There is also a Counselor-in-training program for teenagers age 16 – 17.

This day camp focuses on discovery and exploration of the natural world, with hands-on, outdoor learning. Activities include nature programs/speakers, archery, fishing, hiking, conservation projects, and outdoor living skills. Spaces are limited, though!

Fees are $78 for member’s children and grandchildren, and $88 for non-members. Contact Jackie Dispenza for scholarship forms.

For registration, please see the Camp registration brochure linked here: camp registration brochure 2016.

You may e-mail the completed application or snail-mail it to:
Jackie Dispenza,
12621 Leo Rd.,
Ft. Wayne, IN  46845.

If you have any questions, call Jackie at 260 449-3244 or Heather Hoover at 260 418-1407.

Conservation, Ecology, Habitat Management, Parks and Recreation, Protected Species, Wildlife

Leopard and Cricket Frogs Thrive in Local Wetland

The creation of Eagle Marsh has allowed populations of both leopard frogs and cricket frogs to thrive. Both these species have been subjected  to habitat loss and exposure to agricultural chemicals, which has dwindled their populations. The northern leopard frog is a species of concern, while the cricket frog has experienced population loss across the Midwest.

Amphibians as a whole are threatened across the globe, facing habitat loss due to wetland drainages, pollutants in their aquatic environment, and disease. Salamander chytrid is the most pressing of fungal diseases for American salamanders, prompting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service preventing the import or inter-state transport of 201 different species of salamander, including native species for the first time ever. This rule hopes to prevent the introduction of salamander chytrid into American populations.

But conditions of Fort Wayne have given a hope for a local population boost for all amphibians. Eagle Marsh provides a protected habitat where amphibians can survive and reproduce in a stable wetland. Read the full news article here: http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Restoring-wetlands-has-helped-some-local-amphibian-populations

If you are interested in helping monitor these local frog populations, FrogWatch USA is holding volunteer training sessions at the Fort Wayne Zoo.  See this link for more information: http://kidszoo.org/event/frogwatch-usa-free-opportunity/2016-02-20/