Indianapolis, In. — The seventh poster in the “Ecosystems of the Indiana Coastal Region” poster series, “Marsh” is now available for pickup after the poster was unveiled Nov. 7.
Posters in the series can be obtained at no charge at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center, DNR Michigan City Field Office, DNR Central Office in Indianapolis, and upon request from the DNR Customer Service Center at 317-232-4200.
Painted by Dunes-area artist Barb Labus, the series launched in 2005 with the inaugural “Overview” poster. “Lake Michigan,” “Dunes,” “Dune and Swale,” “Rivers,” and “Savanna” posters were released previously.
The posters “(are) not only beautiful pieces of art, but highly educational depictions of local ecosystems, wildlife, plant life, and natural processes, such as the hydrologic cycle featured in the ‘Marsh’ poster,” said Kathryn Vallis, Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP) outreach/education assistant.
The series is administered through LMCP with funding from DNR and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and in collaboration with the National Park Service, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, and The Nature Conservancy. The purpose of the poster series is to increase public awareness of the area’s wealth of biodiversity, abundant coastal resources, and critical natural processes.
New posters are released on a biennial basis. The series will include 10 installments when completed in 2024.
The unveiling of the “Marsh” poster took place at Patricia J. Smith Hall in Red Mill County Park and included remarks from DNR director Cameron Clark, LaPorte County Parks superintendent Jeremy Sobecki, Labus, and LMCP staff. The event concluded with a hike led by DNR regional ecologist Derek Nimetz, who highlighted Red Mill’s unique features, which include the park’s new floating wetland trail and the Little Calumet River Headwaters State Dedicated Nature Preserve.
The LMCP thanks site host Sobecki and Red Mill County Park.
