Springtime Memories at the Indiana Dunes

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What comes to your mind when you think of the spring season? The blossoming and budding of dormant flowers and plants? Or the heightened smell of the earth after a light drizzle? It’s hard to not hear the symphony of bird songs and frog calls ringing in your ears. For me, spring season is time spent at the Indiana Dunes. It has always been the perfect place to explore and witness the awakening of the earth.

Springtime invokes much nostalgia of my childhood experiences with nature. I have very fond memories of spending my spring breaks in grade school exploring the Indiana Dunes with my family. In fact, it was these spring break trips that sparked my love and passion for the outdoors.

My parents would take my brothers and me to different parts of the park. We would hike up and run down the dunes of Mt. Baldy (before they were restricted). We would explore the trails and lake shore of West Beach and stop to picnic at the shelters. We would always have to make a pit stop to the nature center where we would visit the exhibits and watch the visitor education video in the theater where we got to learn more about the National Lakeshore (at that time). I have to chuckle thinking about how some of the classes that come to DLC watch and reference that same video.

young man in the woods, with his parents and brother

I credit experiences and memories like these to where I am at today and having the opportunity to serve the DLC's mission as a naturalist. This opportunity has not only allowed me to further enjoy working at a place I truly love and cherish, but has allowed me to provide similar and meaningful experiences to hundreds of youth that I have had the great pleasure of exploring, teaching, and playing with during my time here.

young man with his hand in the air, pretending to hold a group of students who are further away

Nate Bibat

Senior Naturalist