National Lakeshore - August 31, 2015

Today we went to The National Lakeshore with my Elementary Education Block III for Social Studies & Arts class. We met at the Paul h Douglas Center and it was a beautiful but humid day for a hike through Miller Wood Trail. There were many beautiful things to look at, nature is a wonderful thing. I learned that the Savanna Oak trees that are located here used to be hearty but they have been torn down for various reasons are are nearing extinction. There is an Oak Savanna Restoration Project under way that will restore 32 acres near trails 9 and 10 this summer. This site states "Black oak savanna is a disappearing ecosystem that is neatly lost from our planet. It is  estimated that less than 0.02% of high quality oak savanna remains in the Midwest, a region that used to have a great abundance of this ecosystem." If you would like to read more about the Oak Savanna Restoration Project here is a link: http://savedunes.org/learn-about-our-work/protecting-the-natural-resources-of-the-indiana-dunes/restoring-nature-in-indiana-dunes-parks/oak-savanna-restoration-project/

While on the trails I found it interesting to find things such as a fire hydrant in the middle of no where it seemed and we could see a train running along the Miller Woods and when we went to Beverly Shores Beach we could see the industrial mills in the distance. It makes me wonder if the industrial mill can even be good for the park. I love the national parks and I cannot wait until I get to take my students on field trips to the National Park if at all possible. I think at some point something is going to give and I do not think it will be humanity changing. I think the Earth will at some point stop giving us resources. We need to think of the future of the Earth and future generations so that they can enjoy the earth as we have for so many years. We need to make the children care about the wilderness now because if we don't it can all be gone.