Photos provided by Kimberly Kintz, IUN
The Little Calumet River Prairie and Wetlands Project, IU Northwest
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At IU Northwest, there is an ongoing project at the edge of the campus that promises multiple benefits to the region. The Little Calumet River Prairie and Wetlands Project, spearheaded by Spencer Cortwright of IUN’s Department of Biology, is creating a prairie and wetland complex on 10 acres of land along the Little Calumet River, extending from Broadway Street to Harrison Avenue. One of the project’s goals is to have 250 reproducing plant species. To date, there are 140 native plant species present; initially there were only ten. Cortwright’s project, which has received funding from Indianapolis Power and Light Company, NiSource Inc., and the National Fish and Wildlife Service, is the center piece of a larger endeavor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to facilitate re-vegetation and wetland enhancement work.
Cortwright noted that the entire area of his Little Calumet River project is accessible to the public—the northern edge is at an IUN parking lot and half of the area is bordered by an exercise trail. Three classes from one public elementary school and IUN students have been actively involved in preparing the land. The elementary schoolchildren helped clear weedy vegetation and rake in seeds over approximately one-half acre of the project area. The IUN students have performed research projects on site and also assisted with site preparation.
Cortwright said site preparation will be the focus for 2004, including herbicide application to kill off non-native species, burning the site and seeding two-thirds of the area. He sees the work as ongoing and plans to expand the project to 55 acres of nearby wetlands.
Cortwright is optimistic about long-term benefits. “The project could have a direct impact on the economic redevelopment of the area. While it may not have been the case in the 1950s, today companies find natural areas appealing if they are located near sites of relocation. While Gary has long been seen as a rustbelt city, it and neighboring cities are surrounded by some of the finest nature preserves anywhere,” he said. “The educational value is tremendous as well. In addition to the students who come to work at the site, the local citizenry will develop new-found pride in the neighborhood.”
In the heart of the Gary campus, an ambitious collaboration between sculptor Neil Goodman and landscape architect Cynthia Owen-Bergland will pay tribute to the environment as well as the industrial influences of the region. Located in the courtyard of Savannah Center, the sculpture garden will extend to the grass knoll adjacent to the north end of Hawthorn Hall. When completed, it will be one of the largest public art projects in the region.
Sculptor and area native Goodman has been greatly influenced “by the industrial rustbelt topography of northwest Indiana and the uniquely sculptural shapes of many of the mills, bridges, barges and cranes indigenous to the area.” His large-scale bronze sculptures will evoke the industrial heritage and aesthetic of the region, even as they are complemented by the native species of vegetation as planned by Owen-Bergland. “The garden will represent the ecological heritage of northwest Indiana. Tall grasses six feet high in planters will reflect the region’s place on the eastern edge of the tall grass prairie,” she explained. “A fountain with boulders is a reference to the retreat of a glacier to Lake Michigan, which left boulders in its wake. The backdrop representing native prairie will complement the industrial vision of Neil’s sculptures.”
For an overview of the “Shadows and Echoes” project:
http://www.iun.edu/~garden/shadowsechos.shtml
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