Author: Adam Thada

While I do plenty of traditional land stewardship activities on our property – like prescribed fire, habitat restoration, and invasive species control – I try to also make connections with the broader community. Sometimes that means taking the show on the road, and sometimes it means hosting.

Last month, we had the privilege of hosting a group of kids from the Plymouth Parks Department summer camp program. We set them lose on the flower-filled grounds of Moontree Studios.

I love working with kids (as long as chaperones are present!). The wonder and joy of exploring creation is still right at the surface and doesn’t take much (if any) coaxing.

Our first activity was giving them a blank sheet of paper on a clipboard and asking them to pretend they were pollinators in search of flowers. Did we have enough flowers on the landscape? Were their different shapes and colors? Pretend you’re a bee… now buzz off!

With such an open command, each child’s individuality came through. Some drew flowers in a single color, focusing on form. Others wanted more true-to-life shades. Some counted the flower species up exactly. Others just got distracted by a cool bug.

Next, we gave them a strip of duct tape that we put around their wrist as a bracelet, sticky side out. Find a flower petal or two, and make a pretty bracelet. They didn’t take much prodding.

As I was drifting from group to group, I would briefly engage with kids and look at the plants with them. I spotted a spittle bug (watch this great video!), and I showed them how this little creature makes a bubble-bath home to protect himself from predators.

The best part came 10 minutes later, when one boy found a spittle bug all on his own.

This and many other wonders were known to so many kids of the Boomer generation, who grew up in close contact with wild spaces. Many of these spaces are gone, along with the footpaths, kids bicycles, and play forts.

At its most basic, it doesn’t take a lot of complicated planning to connect kids to nature, it just takes our commitment and prioritization. With as much as we know about child development and natural communities, we should see their right to explore and connect on par with the need for education, nutrition, and healthcare.

Things have been busy! I don’t have much time to write, but I thought I’d upload a few photos of phase 2 of our solar energy installation. Enjoy!

I took some time off recently to attend a family gathering in Iowa, where a few generations ago my family first homesteaded on the prairie. We decided to stop a couple places on the way to take advantage of having everyone in the car for a road trip.

Our first stop was at Starved Rock State Park, just off of Interstate 80. It has some interesting geology that is unique for northern Illinois. There is a nice system of trails, though with the heavy traffic the park receives, it was a little worse for wear. We somehow managed 3-4 miles in mud and stairs without any ticks, medical emergencies, or emotional breakdowns.

Highlights included a water snake, a giant millipede, and lots of beautiful streams and canyons.

The next day we stopped for a long break at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, which we hadn’t seen since we started a family. The refuge is thousands of acres of habitat located in the heart of corn country, and is one of the largest tallgrass prairie restorations on the continent. They have an active “friends group” (non-profit) that participates in programming and fund-raising, and their prairie learning center is top notch. Suffice it to say, I was a little excited!

Neal Smith has 700 acres of it’s restoration fenced in for a few dozen bison and elk. Other than rounding them up annually for vaccinations, they leave them be. We didn’t get a close up, but we saw them on the hill.

We lodged that evening at an old farmhouse at Whiterock Conservancy, an organization I have been eyeing for a couple years.

Whiterock Conservancy is a 5,500 acre non-profit land trust that balances sustainable agriculture, natural resource protection and public recreation on the landscape… Whiterock Conservancy was formed ten years ago to manage one of the largest land gifts in the history of Iowa generously given by the Garst family. Today it stewards 5,500 acres along the scenic Middle Raccoon River Valley near Coon Rapids, IA. The gorgeous Whiterock landscape that attracts visitors from all over the state, region and nation is a mix of savannas, rolling pastures, native and restored prairies, wetlands, riverside bluffs, fishing ponds, crop ground, and unique historic, geologic, and archaeological sites.

I appreciated the simplicity and focus of their mission and the way they integrated the various aspects of the land community. Far from any metropolis or large natural area, it was a very unique place.

The Prairie Strips project of Iowa State is research that I’ve been following for several years, and I was very pleased stumble upon this demonstration site. “The STRIPS project is composed of a team of scientists, educators, farmers, and extension specialists working on the prairie strips farmland conservation practice. Our research shows that prairie strips are an affordable option for farmers and farm landowners seeking to garner multiple benefits. By converting 10% of a crop field to diverse, native perennials farmers and farmland owners can reduce the amount of soil leaving their fields by 90% and the amount of nitrogen leaving their fields through surface runoff by up to 85%. Prairie strips also provide potential habitat for wildlife, including pollinators and other beneficial insects “

This is where I’m supposed to write something snappy to sum it all up… but that’s enough commentary and photos. More later… Have a nice weekend!

May 26, 2017 had brought a “plague” of webworm larva to a beautiful plum tree outside of Lindenwood. I wrote about the saga a few weeks after it happened (part 1 and part 2), and the lesson in biodiversity that it offered us. The tree re-foliated nearly completely that summer.

I noticed that the worms were back in 2018. I remember taking a picture, but can’t find it at the moment.

Unsurprisingly, I saw on June 5th that they are back again for the 3rd year in a row (at least).

It looks like we are going to see how resilient this tree is! Until then, we wish a happy feast for all the fat baby bluebirds and red-headed woodpeckers.

We try to not only demonstrate renewable energy technology through our own operations (like solar panels and electric vehicles), but also to help encourage and facilitate its adoption throughout the community.

So it is with great excitement that we seeing a Northern Indiana Solarize program launch in Marshall, St. Joseph, and Elkhart counties. It is being led by the intrepid and tireless Leah Thill, Senior Environmental Planner for the Michiana Area Council of Governments.

If you are a home or small business owner interested in learning more, please join us in Culver on June 19th.

Perhaps our grand societal experiment in social media will eventually prove to be a huge waste of time, a determinant to our mental health and spiritual satisfaction, and the death blow to civic discourse and democracy, but occasionally it can be quite useful!

I have just enough Spanish fluency to be dangerous (read: to sound like a babbling 3-year-old), and I saw a Spanish-language posting on Facebook looking to recruit folks to plant some heritage/heirloom Mexican corn varieties, for the purpose of amplifying the seed stock.

Corn is an amazing plant. It is thought to have originated from a Mexican/Central American grass named teosinte. Maize (as it’s called outside of U.S., and maíz in Spanish) has been cultivated (domesticated) by humans over the last 9,000 years or so. Through annual cycles of trial and error, humans help create hundreds of varieties of this important grain, suitable for many purposes, soils, and climates. “Corn was ground and made into flour, cornmeal, tortillas, cornbread, hominy, grits, and polenta. They grew flint, dent, and flour corn varieties for these purposes and some of these are still available today” (Growing Heirloom Corn).

Indigenous Americans, at least in the Midwest, appeared to have practiced something like slash-and-burn corn cultivation, where nutrient-rich clearings grew corn for a few years. Without synthetic fertilizers, the fields had to be temporarily abandoned for a number of years or cycled to other crop. Because human populations were much lower than today, this extensive agriculture was not a threat to biodiversity at large In fact, this periodic disturbance, combined with fire and grazing animals, gave rise to a diversity of habitat types across the landscape and thus a diversity of organisms.

You can read more about heirloom corns here. Its history and diversity is not unlike other domesticated crops. When I lived in Bolivia I learned that the Andean people had over 500 varieties of potatoes in circulation.

With the continued trend of commercialization and simplification of our food system (and commercial ownership of the underlying genetics), we are losing the genetic diversity not just of wild species, but also of our cultivated varieties of food.

Thinking more holistically, each generation in the post-industrial West has also become more disconnected from food diversity and food production systems. So I thought a small foray into this project would be well worth the effort. A small bet, as we like to say.

I connected with a seed saver in the Michiana area who had several samples of various heirloom corns. He graciously offered to ship me two lots for seed amplification. We are growing these not for food (this year), but to increase the seed source and try to recruit new people to participate in maintaining this genetic diversity. Corn is a cultural as much as a genetic resource, and has to be maintained over time.

I planted the first block of ~200 seeds the other week. It is called Tabilla de Ocho and is from the Sinaloa region of Mexico. There are some pretty substantial differences in climate, soils, and day-length between here and there, so it’s a bit of a gamble. But you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?

Now, the cultural connection I will admit is a bit of a stretch. I don’t have indigenous or Mexican heritage myself. Eventually, I’d like to find a way to connect this project (if it turns into a project) to our neighbors of Mexican heritage. The most recent round of immigration into Marshall County includes Mexican families who came for agricultural work. Most of these jobs, I believe, are gone and have been replaced with factory and service work. I’m curious to see if there is interest.

I invited Sister Yolanda (a PHJC who is visiting from the Mexican community of Sisters) to join me to sembrar. As we planted, she told me about her experience planting and tending corn as a little girl.

Before long, we were done. We covered the seeds in a layer of thick compost.

A week later I caught another break in the weather to plant the 2nd set of corn, Bear Island Chippewa, which is an Ojibwe variety from the Great Lakes region. Without knowing much else, I expect that it will do better than the Sinaloan corn, being that it is adapted to this region. The seeds were a beautiful rainbow of colors.

These are open-pollinated varieties, meaning that if they happen to tassel (pollinate) at the same time, I could get cross-contaminated seed. But… taking an optimist’s viewpoint, I could just be creating a brand new variety of seed. (These aren’t the very last lots of these varieties, otherwise this would be a much more controlled environment).

After 7 days, the first planting of Tabilla de Ocho had already sprouted. And the first weed seedling emerges between the rows, so I had to take care of those too.

Sitting back and enjoying the (small) fruits of my labor for a brief second, my thoughts of course turned to the rest of the growing season… I had just committed myself (and a couple other co-workers) to regular weeding, emergency watering, and fertilization (corn is a very nitrogen-hungry crop). That’s all if the raccoons and deer don’t destroy everything in a single night’s raid.

I suppose that’s kind of the point. Corn is a human invention, a species that has been domesticated to suit our purposes. It requires our intervention, discernment, attention, and resources.

But considering that we (Westerners) have plowed, drained, and chemically treated 99% of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem in pursuit of this grain… perhaps it is in the fact the corn that has domesticated us!

Head over to the Indiana Native Plant Society’s website to get an update on this important piece of legislation that was recently signed by Governor Holcomb.

Particularly useful is Ellen Jacquart’s simple slideshow that elucidates these changes. See also the coverage by IndyStar.

What does this mean?

(c) Except as provided in subsection (d), with respect to any species identified in subsection (a) a person must not: (1) Sell, offer or grow for sale, gift, barter, exchange, or distribute a species [as of Apr 2020];(2) Transport or transfer a species [as of Apr 2020]; or (3) Introduce a species [as of Apr 2019)].

Generally, this is good news! Certain species can cause real economic, agricultural, and biological damage (go back up and click on the slideshow to get Jacquart’s great explainer).

Looking at the list, I see some familiar faces from my journeys around the 1,100 acres that comprised The Center at Donaldson.

Tree of Heaven is a fast-growing and stinky tree, a profilic seed producer. If you cut it down, it gets pretty “angry” and resprouts with a vengence. Fortunately, it’s not a major problem here (yet).

Garlic Mustard is familiar to our woods, and widespread. We recently had a garlic mustard pulling party, and our new Moontree co-worker Liz made some yummy pesto out of it!

Black Alder is a wetland tree that lines much of Lake Galbraith. Fortunately, it’s rather contained as it is. It is relatively easy to distinguish this from our native Speckled Alder, which we also have on the property.

Don’t get me started on Mugwort… it’s everywhere, and has established a big presence at Moontree soon after the Moontree prairie was planted. It forms solid stands that excludes pretty much everything else.

Last June we were treated by the presence of Dodder on a patch of Mugwort. Dodder is a native parasitic species that is orange, stringy, and rootless. It has no chlorophyll and can’t photosynthesize. It didn’t really make a dent in the Mugwort, but we let it do it’s thing!

Asian Bittersweet is what you typically find in beautiful fall wreaths. Beautiful, but incredibly invasive and destructive. Make sure you opt for the native variety, and if you can’t tell the difference, please don’t buy or plant it! We have it in several places.

Poison Hemlock is common in our ditches. Beautiful feathery green leaves and a large white umbel for a flower. But it spreads rapidly and cause very severe reactions when the oils come into contact with your skin.

Autumn Olive and Bush Honeysuckle species are exotic shrubs that are prolific seeders and pretty much ubiquitous. We try to keep mature plants from going to seed. The used of prescribed fire can also help keep these at bay, to some degree. Unfortunately, we still have a couple Bush Honeysuckle plants that were installed in the landscaping.

Well, you get the picture. There are several more species on the list that I’ve found on the property. Currently, I just don’t have the time or staff to address them all, so I’ve developed a sort of triage system, where certain species are tackled first, and certain populations given priority based on the landscape context.

One very unfortunate omission from the list of 44 was Bradford pear. It’s a very common non-native flowering tree that landscapers use. But the fruits are spread near and far by birds and are very fertile. They aren’t even good for landscaping, and are often brought down by heavy winds. Even the DNR is vocal in the press about refraining from planting these and replacing standing trees.

Fortunately, there are many native species available that are beautiful, pest-tolerant, and well-adapted to our soils and climate. With a little research and effort, one can find a variety of bloom times and colors available as well. This little bit of intention goes a long way towards the first principle of ecological management, medicine, and probably religion as well: “First, do no harm.”

I’ll end with one last photo of a special native herbaceous species, one found in high quality Indiana forests throughout the state. No one has an official record of this plant occurring in Marshall County. I took this photo in Tippecanoe County recently, and it was the first time I saw the species.

I won’t tell you where, exactly, as poachers would likely steal it and sell part of the plant for a good sum of money. Poaching is posing a major threat to this species in some areas. Do you know what it is?

The registration page on Moontree Studio’s website is now available for the 2019 Indiana Academy of Science Bioblitz. Beetle safaris, s’mores, and camping, oh my!

This has long been a dream of ours… and we are so excited to invite the public to learn about the world around them through the lens of science and exploration.

And how’s this for synchronicity… See the link below about the latest report on the state of ecosystems and biodiversity. It’s time!

This came out 2 weeks ago and I just realized I had forgotten to put it up on the blog. Enjoy this press release!

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For Immediate Release- Phase Two of Solar Panel Installation to Begin at The Center at Donaldson

DONALDSON, IN – The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ are proud to announce phase two of a renewable energy effort with two additional solar panel installations at The Center at Donaldson.

“The Center at Donaldson has a long history of making choices beneficial to our planet – from our geothermal heating/cooling, to hybrid and electric cars, to LED lighting throughout our campus. So, this extension of our solar project is another step in a healthy-planet direction following guidance in Laudato Sí from Pope Francis,” said Sister Judith Diltz, PHJC, Provincial of the American Province of The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.

A 515 kilowatt (DC) ground-mounted installation at Ancilla College will supply 75% of the electricity needs for the Residence Halls and college classrooms. An additional 41 kilowatts will be installed on the roof of Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center, covering about 33% of the building’s demand. Altogether, installing these 1,500 solar panels is like removing 60 homes from the electrical grid.

This renewable energy installation follows The Center at Donaldson’s journey into using electric vehicles to reduce air pollution and save on transportation costs. A plug-in hybrid that runs on both gasoline and electricity is used for longer journeys, while a fully electric car is used regularly for local and regional trips. The solar panels produce enough energy annually to power over two million miles of vehicle travel.

The Center at Donaldson continues their work with the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (aire-nc.org) on this project. Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) specializes in working with non-profits to effectively own and operate renewable energy systems.

Steve Owens, Co-Founder & Executive Director of AIRE said,“Not only are Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ taking responsibility for their own carbon emissions and demonstrating that such actions are practical and economically sound, they’re leading by example. There’s a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, which embodies what is so wonderful about Poor Handmaids’ ongoing renewable energy initiatives: ‘preach always; sometimes use words.’ This story is still unfolding and there’ll be more innovation we’re certain, and we hope others will take note and learn from these inspiring Sisters.”

Green Alternatives of Kokomo, Indiana will be installing the panels over the summer, with the system commissioned and powered on by fall.

Lots happened leading up to Earth Day 2019 and extended into a whole week+ of programming!

A group from the community petitioned the Marshall County Commissioners to adopt a resolution in support of Earth Week, encouraging our residents to attend and participate in community initiatives.

We also visited Jefferson Elementary school and did an Earth Day presentation for some 3rd graders.

We capped the presentation with a wildflower “seed bomb” project, rolling in milkweed & other seeds into some clay, then using Earth Day to get outside and throw the little seed-bombs out into the wild! It was a blast.

We capped the community events with the 2nd annual Earth Hug Boogie festival. You can see more on it’s Facebook page.

Last but certainly not least, a team of us organized a week of lunchtime Earth Week programing, this year around the issue of food. The text below is from a summary e-mail that was sent out after the event, and includes links to photos and video. Enjoy!

Thank you to all who were able to come out to our 2019 Earth Week programming in Cana Hall. This year’s theme was FOOD. We wanted to make all the resources & videos available to those who were unable to attend, and for those off-site.

A big round of applause for the organizing committee & all the many co-workers & Sisters at TCAD who assisted in making this possible.

RESOURCES:

Hunger and Poverty Snapshot for Indiana (Bread for the World)

Boosts and Blocks of Building Wealth (Fair Economy)

50 foods for healthier people & a healthier planet (WWF & Korr; NPR coverage; also, recent big news on a nationwide roll-out of Impossible Burgers)

VIDEOS:

Food & Social Justice (52 min), featuring:

*Arleen Peterson, Director of Operations, Sojourner Truth House; Board Member, Northwest Indiana Food Council

*Angela Rupchock-Schafer, Director of Development and Communications, Marshall County Community Foundation; Board Member, Bread for the World; Chair, Marshall County Food Council

*Laura Dwire, HEAL Program Manager, St. Joseph Community Health Foundation

Future of Food (44 min), featuring:

*Danielle LaFleur, Community Outreach Coordinator, St. Joseph Health System; Member, Marshall County Food Council

*Christine Stinson, Administrator, Marshall County Health Department.

*Chris Kline, Senior Instructor and Sustainability Director at Culver Academies; Member, Marshall County Food Council

Food Production & Farming (46 min), featuring:

*Sam Erwin, Owner/Operator of Indiana Berry and Plant Company

*Tim McLochlin, Director of Agriculture, Ancilla College

*Robert (Bob) Yoder, Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Purdue University

Photos can be found at The Center at Donaldson Facebook page.

Until next year… “Love the Earth, Eat Local!”