October 2015

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

—Margaret Mead

Volume 13, Issue 5

Eagle Creek Park Volunteer News

By Beth Frailey, Gardener—September 23 we officially welcomed Autumn!

The gardeners at Eagle Creek Park are surrounded by beautiful scenery while

cleaning flower beds and planning for next spring. The Ornithology Center has

a big educational project underway which is the creation of a permanent Bird

Migration Challenge game. Next spring, ECP volunteer gardeners will be cre-

ating natural plant barriers within the game. Our creative Kevin Carlsen, OC

Manager, and Cummins volunteers have already created an impressive educa-

tional project. Gardeners are excited to add natural barriers of plants.

In the Midwest, during the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox, there is a

period of several days when the moon rises soon after sunset. This annual phe-

nomenon gives gardeners extra hours of light to complete harvesting. Fall is a

beautiful time of year to enjoy the outdoors, but for many gardeners there are

also questions.

Here are several tips to review and improve your gardens for next year:

1. As long as plants are blooming, continue to remove faded flowers. Rake out

dead leaves. Daylilies and almost all other perennials can be divided in the

fall. Peonies must be divided in the fall. Exceptions are those slow to recover:

Butterfly weeds, asters, coreopsis and ferns which are better planted in spring.

2. After collecting seeds for next year, allow seed heads of dormant plants to re-

main as fresh food for the birds.

3. Native plants need no protection from the elements; however, they will need

protection from animals. Clear the ground beneath trees or shrubs to keep mice

from establishing a home there. If deer are particularly hungry, only wire cages

can be relied upon to protect plants.

4. Overwinter tender plants. Common tender plants include gladiolus, tuberous begonias, dahlias and

cannas. For these plants, LIFT (dig up after first frost), SHAKE (remove as mulch soil as possible),

SEPARATE (dry clumps then separate and clean; STORE (in cool, dry place).

5. Houseplants that have been enjoying the outdoors must be moved indoors before nighttime tempera-

tures reach 50 °F. Clean the pots and treat plants for bugs, slugs & weeds. The low humidity and low

light intensity will cause them to drop leaves. No worry! It’s the plant’s way of adjusting to the change.

6. Shallowly rooted perennials can be heaved out of the ground by freezing and thawing of the soil.

Mulches will keep them frozen and securely rooted in the soil.

Fall Tips—(Continued on page 3)

Volunteer

Opportunities

Bringing people

and nature

together!

Nature Guide

Run/walk events

Art shows—Celebration of Nature,

December 5-13

Gardening

Indoor maintenance

Outdoor maintenance

Rubbish Busters

Earth Discovery Center weekend

staffing

Historians

Bulletin boards

Team leaders

Coffee Talks—first Wednesdays

Project organizers

Newsletter production

Special events

Fall Tips from a Volunteer Gardener

Page 2 Eagle Creek Park Volunteer News

By Jenna Nawrocki, Naturalist— We are very happy to welcome our new sea-

sonal naturalist, Mallory Kirby! She comes to us from Holiday Park where she

interned and worked as a camp counselor. She graduated from IU Bloomington in

May 2015 and is excited to be working for Eagle Creek!

We are excited to announce the development of some new winter events! We will

be having Avian Art Workshops the weekends of December 5th and 12th, so go

visit the EDC’s Celebration of Nature Exhibit and then come to the OC to learn

how to paint, draw, and/or take wildlife photos. Registration and course descrip-

tions are online! One class is the (hopefully) soon-to-be-popular Coffee and Canvas

featuring bird-friendly shade-grown coffee and other hot seasonal beverages!

We will also be having some fun nighttime events in October and November in-

cluding Friday Night Hoots (October 16th and November 13th) and a Hallow’s Eve

Hike (October 30th). Bring a friend and explore the beautiful park in the dark!

A “Turkey Talk” is also scheduled for Saturday November 21st at 2 pm! And a “Learn Your Raptors”

for Wednesday December 16th at 5 pm!

From the Foundation By Sara Holtz, ECP Foundation—The Eagle Creek Park Foundation is planning a Garden Tour

fundraiser for next June, and needs your help! Several spectacular properties will be featured in the

Eagle Creek Park area, and perhaps even homes. It's our hope that this fundraiser will also be a great

time to meet your neighbors, plus scope out a variety of garden and backyard habitat ideas!

Ticket proceeds will benefit the Eagle Creek Park Foundation in an effort to support future park pro-

jects! You don't necessarily need to be a Foundation member to be on the committee. If you're interested

in helping us plan this event, please email Victoria Fine at victoriafine@finepromotions.com.

Also keep in mind, you can secure your Foundation membership and gate pass starting the week of

Thanksgiving through our website – EagleCreekPark.org! You can get your end-of-the-year tax deduc-

tion, plus it makes a great stocking stuffer! A minimum of just $85 makes you eligible for our “gift” –

the annual Foundation gate pass, which is the same pass available at the park gates; however, the

Foundation pass exclusively keeps a portion of monies in the park in order to help us support future

projects that otherwise don’t receive funding.

Ornithology Center News

August Volunteer Picnic: Volunteers were hon-

ored for their many volunteer hours. From left to right are: Carole Cole; Liz Uhls; John Thieme; Senior Park Manager Brittany Davis Swinford; Volunteer Coordina-tor Furkan Keskin Amonett; Ned Lewis; Russ Himes; and Donna McCarty.

Tree Dedication

October 17, 11 am

Due to damage from the Em-erald Ash Borer and the loss of 12 ash trees in Eagle Creek Park, Sages Garden Club decided to place a northern red oak tree near the park’s southern entrance off 56

th Street. By working in cooperation

with the office staff and greens department of Eagle Creek Park, several club members planted, staked, mulched, and fenced the tree on September 19, in preparation for the tree dedication ceremony to be held October 17 at 11 a.m. The public is cordially invited to at-tend. With additional funds donated by Eagle Creek Park and monies

generated from the garden club’s silent auction plant sale in April

2015, a commemorative plaque, educational materials, and a recep-

tion following the dedication ceremony will be provided as part of

Our molting but still-

adorable screech owl

Eagle Creek Park Volunteer News Page 3

7. As freezing weather covers the state, consider setting out fresh water daily for the animals. Each fall

Monarch butterflies begin a two thousand mile migration to central Mexico. With a cruising speed of

12 mph, monarchs take advantage of wind and weather. Reaching Texas and the Gulf Coast, they will

meet up with other Monarchs and fly to a specific hillside in Mexico. There they wait with two million

other monarchs for spring and the return journey to your garden.

Enjoy this bountiful season with its gorgeous color surrounding us at Eagle Creek Park!

Fall Tips—(Continued from page 1)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

4 Meet a Raptor

3 1:30 Nature

Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

4 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

5 6 7 8:30 Coffee

9:30 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

8 9

4 Meet a Raptor

10 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

11 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

12 13 14

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

15 16

4 Meet a Raptor

6:30 Friday

Night Hoots ($8)

17 11 Tree

dedication

1:30 Nature Disc

2 Feathered Fun

18 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

19 20 21

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

22 23

4 Meet a Raptor

24 10 Creepy

Critters Chat ($1)

1:30 Nature Dis-

covery

2 Feathered Fun

25 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

26 27 28

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

29 30

4 Meet a Raptor

7 Hallow’s Eve

Hike ($5)

31 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

October 2015

Page 4 Eagle Creek Park Volunteer News

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

2 3

ELECTION DAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

4 8:30 Coffee

9:30 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

5 6

10 Homeschool

Jamboree

4 Meet a Raptor

7 1:30 Nature

Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

8 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

9 10 11

HOLIDAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

12 13

4 Meet a Raptor

5 Friday Night

Hoots ($8)

14 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

15 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

16 17 18

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

19 20

4 Meet a Raptor

21

1:30 Nature Dis-

covery

2 Feathered Fun

“Turkey Talk”

22 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

23 24 25

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

26

HOLIDAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

27 HOLIDAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

28 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

29 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

30

November 2015

Coffee Talk, EDC

Wednesday, November 4, 8:30 am

Colletta Kosiba, “Wild Turkeys”: Especially early in

the morning, you may spot flocks of wild turkeys out foraging in clear-ings, field edges, and roadsides. In spring and summer, listen for gob-bling males; the calls are loud, distinctive, and carry great distances. Did you know turkeys fly high into their treetop roosts at the end of the day? Turkeys are shy, smart and interesting native birds.

“Turkey

Talk”

Saturday,

November 28,

2 pm

Ornithology

Center

Eagle Creek Park Volunteer News Page 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

3 4

4 Meet a Raptor

6 Art Show Re-

ception

5 ART SHOW

10 Art class ($20)

1:30 Nature Disc

2 Art class ($5)

2 Feathered Fun

6 ART SHOW

9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

7 ART SHOW 8 ART SHOW 9 ART SHOW

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

10ART SHOW 11ART SHOW

4 Meet a Raptor

12ART SHOW

10 Art class ($10)

1:30 Nature Disc

2 Art class ($20)

2 Feathered Fun

13ART SHOW

9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

14 15 16 9 Garden-

ers 4 Meet a

Raptor

5 Learn Your

Raptors ($5)

17 18

4 Meet a Raptor

19 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

20 8 Bird

Count 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

21 22 23

9 Gardeners

4 Meet a Raptor

24 HOLIDAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

25

HOLIDAY

EDC & OC

CLOSED

26 1:30 Na-

ture Discovery

2 Feathered Fun

27 9 Birdwalk

1:30 Feeding

Time

2 Feathered Fun

28 29 30 9 Gardeners 4 Meet a Raptor

31

December 2015

Celebration of Nature Art Exhibit

December 5-13, EDC

Sponsored by the Eagle Creek Park Foundation. Includes all media (painting,

photography, sculpture, prints, carving, etc.). Each artist may submit up to

three entries; subject matter must emphasize the natural world, with no domes-

Avian Art Workshops

At the OC

Basic Wildlife Photography

—December 5, 2-4 ($5)

Coffee and Canvas ($20)

—December 5, 10-12

—December 12, 2-4

Backyard Sketchbook ($10)

—December 12, 10-12

Eagle Creek

October 1—Janet Eigenbrod

October 2—Wendy Kindig

October 4—Manjit Trehan

October 5—Jeannie Walker

October 6—Glenn Weesies

October 10—Betty Legeay

October 13—Marilyn Gruenhagen

October 16—Julie Moll

October 17—Elaina Robins,

Goron Schmidt

October 18—Steve Scalf

October 19—Ted Letherer

October 22—John Mullennax

October 24—Tom Tillawi

October 26—Becky Crawford

October 27—Mike Miller

October 28—Pat Pope

November 1—Furkan Keskin

Amonett

November 6—Nancy Tatum

November 7—Mary Ann Bradley

November 10—Jim Baumgartner

November 11—Mike Saunders

Happy Birthday to:

November 16—John Gucwa

November 19—Leonard Alexander

November 23—Joe Moore

November 27—Doug Sherow

November 28—Janice Fetter-Salmon

November 29—Sharon Patterson

December 3—Natalie Nicholls

December 6—Colleen Reed

December 7—Sharon Isaac

December 9—Joe Wood

December 10—Julie Soupley

December 11—Lillian Grosz,

Linda Nichols

December 12—Daniel Sacks,

Sherry Witherbee

December 13—Pat Saunders

December 19—Denise Harris

December 20—Kathy Contos

December 22—Cecil Witherbee

December 25—Suzanne Blakeman

December 27—Don Pieper

December 29—Stephanie Sharp

MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to educate and inspire our community to

actively participate with our natural environment.

5901 Delong Rd.

Earth Discovery Center Phone: 317-327-7148 Ornithology Center Phone: 317-327-BIRD (2473) EDC Hours: Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun 1-5

Eagle Creek Park Staff Brittany Davis Swinford, Senior Manager

Dawn Van Deman, Manager, EDC

Kevin Carlsen, Manager, OC

Shilah Larison, Mgr, Beach/Boat Ramp/Gates

Joe Schmid, Manager, Trails

Jennifer Boyce, Naturalist

Jake Brinkman, Naturalist

Anne Cecere, Naturalist

Leah Frenzel, Naturalist

Maggie Jaicomo, Naturalist

Mallory Kirby, Naturalist

Jenna Nawrocki, Naturalist

ECP Shop at the EDC

Volunteers get 20% off!

View Newsletter online

at:http://www.eaglecreekdiscovery.org

/home/volunteers/newsletter

Deadline for Next Issue: Jan 2

Natalie Nicholls, Newsletter Editor