Nature preserve by Buchanan open and conservation events for September

A new nature preserve near Buchanan opened over the weekend, thanks to owners who donated the land, believing that the diverse habitat was worth conserving. But where and how do you notice biodiversity, beyond just seeing a verdant woods or field?

The coming weeks will offer chances to deepen your conservation know-how — that is, if you're not occupied watching monarch butterflies as they start their migration south to Mexico. Become a stream-testing citizen scientist. Learn about ecosystems and a river's revival, among other things.

September also brings pure fun. Help good causes by joining a stunt with hundreds of inflatables, cycling and sipping microbrews and eating pancakes in a park.

The new 45-acre Myron Perlman Nature Preserve includes farm fields, a wetland and a beech-maple forest that are rich in spring wildflowers and plant biodiversity. There’s even a cabin to see (no, not the log type), though it isn’t open to visitors.

Chikaming Open Lands owns and manages the preserve, working with the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, which holds a conservation easement on the land.

The land was donated by Julie Dorfman, Jerry Herst and Anne Krantz in December 2022 and is named after Krantz’s late husband.

From downtown Buchanan, go north on Main Street out of town, left on Miller Road for one mile and right on Wolkins Road and look for the preserve after a half mile on the left. There isn't a sign yet, but there's a Chikaming boundary marker just off of the road, marking a long, worn path along a farm field. Park along the farm path, and walk to the woods. For more information, visit www.chikamingopenlands.org.

∎ Archaeology day:Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty will host a range of hands-on events from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 2 to learn about archaeology. They include making a clay pot, dipping candles, looking for arrowhead replicas, checking out Native American and trapper artifacts, sampling staghorn sumac tea ($1) and potato stew made from wild edibles ($3), sipping peppermint tea ($1), throwing an atlatl and checking out displays on old farming practices.

∎ Archaeology in person: Families can delve into archaeology from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 2 near Syracuse, with lots of hands-on opportunities. Joe Zdziebko will dress as a 1750s French Marine, showing off and discussing his equipment, uniform, musket, furs, maps and such and talk about the origin of old sayings. Jeff Mesaros will show how to make tools. Jamie Clemons, director of the Syracuse/Wawasee Museum, will demonstrate the ancient hunting weapon known as an atlatl. These free programs will be outdoors at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation’s Ruddell Pavilion, 11586 N. Indiana 13. It’s the last of a three-day series of archaeology talks from Chautauqua-Wawasee and Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum. On Aug. 31, T.J. Honeycutt will discuss the treaty of Paradise Spring, originally known as the Treaty of Mississinewa. On Sept. 1, Lynn MacKaben Brown will discuss her novel, “Furs and Fevers,” based on the first permanent white resident of Kosciusko County, who was president of an international fur trade company. Both of those talks will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Syracuse Community Center, 1013 N. Long Drive.

∎ Fernwood hike: The Harbor Country Hikers will hike the nature-preserve trails of Fernwood Botanical Garden, 13988 Range Line Road in Niles, at 10 a.m. Sept. 2, led by Michelle McCoskey, Fernwood’s director of education, who will start with a brief presentation. The moderate hike will last about two hours. From Walton Road just east of Buchanan, go north on Range Line Road about 1.7 miles to Fernwood.

∎ Labor Day pancakes: The South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society will serve pancakes from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Sept. 4 at its wildlife sanctuary, 59395 Clover Road, Mishawaka, south of George Wilson Park. Bring your own eating utensils if you can. Donations accepted.

∎ Master naturalist: Aug. 31 is the deadline to register and pay for an Indiana Master Naturalist class that will meet 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays from Sept. 7 through Nov. 2, with local experts teaching at various St. Joseph County Parks about birds, insects, mammals, soil, plants and ecosystems. Cost is $175. Learn more at sjcparks.org.

∎ Watershed stewards needed: If you’d like to test and check on the health of local waterways and contribute to citizen science, no experience or chemistry degree is required. You just need to sign up for a free Hoosier Riverwatch basic training workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at St. Patrick's County Park, 50651 Laurel Road, South Bend. You’ll learn to collect water samples and test them for chemical, biological, and physical data that will go into a state database. You must be 18 or older. Bring a bag lunch and either waterproof shoes or boots so you can go into a creek. Register by Sept. 1 at the park at 574-654-3155.

∎ Little Calumet summit and paddle: A summit on Sept. 15 will assess conservation efforts along the East Branch of the Little Calumet River and what the vision is for the next 10 years, followed by lunch and a group paddle. It will meet at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Pavilion on Lake Michigan, 100 Riverwalk Drive in Portage, Ind. It will start with presentations from 10 a.m. to noon CDT by partners with the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Save the Dunes, the Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Federal Partnership. After lunch, the paddle on the river will run from 1 to 3 p.m. CDT. Register for this free event at EastBranchSummitandPaddle.eventbrite.com. Since 2013, more than 1,900 acres along the river have been preserved, 500 acres have been restored, 5.5 miles of hiking trails have been built, more than 12 miles of river have been made publicly accessible to paddling, three new boat launches have been installed (two more are planned) and new river access has been added to Lake Michigan.

Sept. 27, 2017:Little Calumet reopens to paddling after three decades

∎ Potawatomi pancakes and fishing derby: Potawatomi Wildlife Park near Bourbon will host both a pancake breakfast and a fishing derby for all ages on the morning of Sept. 9. The fundraising breakfast will run from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Cost is a free-will donation. Apart from that, the fishing derby will open with registration between 7:30 and 11 a.m.; fishing can go on from 8 a.m. to noon, with awards at 12:15 p.m. for ages 0-9, 10-16 and 17 and older. It’s free to enter. Bring a fishing pole, bait and lawn chair. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be available; donations accepted. Learn more at potawatomiwildlifepark.com/events.

∎ Beer:30 bike ride: A 30-mile bike tour Sept. 9 will depart from Watermark Brewing Company in Stevensville with stops at breweries where beer samples will be available. Check-in will start at 9 a.m., and cyclists can depart between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Registration includes coffee and doughnuts, a Beer:30 water bottle, beer tasting mug, beer samples and post-ride party at Watermark with live entertainment. Food can be purchased at some of the stops and at Watermark. Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Cycle-Re-Cycle program for Benton Harbor youths. Cost is $45 until Sept. 7 and $55 at the event. Sign up in a link in this column online.

∎ World record for inflatables: The family of Anje Anglin, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2022, invites the public to bring an inflatable raft and a life vest Sept. 9 to Winona Lake in an attempt to set the world record for the longest chain of floating inflatables. The current record apparently is 0.62 miles. The family is shooting for a one-mile chain, or about 900 people on inflatables, which may take two to three hours to arrange. Launches will begin at 10 a.m. at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, where no alcohol is permitted. Register via a link in this column online. It’s free to participate, but donations are being taken to help Anje, who is in her 60s, with her medical expenses. A fund-raising party will follow from 7 to 10 p.m. that evening at Tippy Creek Winery with comedians and live music; cost is $30-$20.

∎ Camino class: Hikers and bikers who are age 50 and older and who are interested in a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain can sign up for a class with the Forever Learning Institute in South Bend. Learn about the how, when, where and why of this historic journey. The class will run from 9 to 10:20 a.m. Mondays for 10 weeks starting Sept. 11 at the Little Flower Parish Center, 54191 N. Ironwood Road. Cost is $55. To register, Look for the class under “Religion/Philosophy” at https://fli.coursestorm.com.

∎ Lake View closes: The Indiana Dunes National Park will close the Lake View picnic facility on Lake Michigan in Beverly Shores immediately after Labor Day and won’t reopen it until Memorial Day weekend in 2024. The park will be building an accessible concrete ramp, benches and other improvements. Restroom facilities at the nearby Dunbar Beach will remain open through the winter.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or [email protected].