A Farewell From the Educator Class of 2024-2025

As the school year comes to an end and we welcome the summer season, educators from the fellowship class of 2024-2025 took a moment to reflect on their favorite memories from the past year! 

Cleo - My favorite memory from this past year has to be when we went to watch the Sandhill Cranes at Jasper Pulaski. Seeing that many beautiful, enormous birds land was a really special and unique experience and I am grateful to have shared that moment with all of my wonderful coworkers! It was such an unforgettable experience. 

Lauren - One of my favorite memories from this past year was exploring the Eastern Deciduous Forest with students, especially when we dove into the world of observation! We had a blast investigating logs and fallen trees—there’s so much to discover if you look closely. From the vibrant colors to the unique textures of decomposing fungi, mosses, and lichen, every log felt like a hidden treasure. Plus, using our senses to examine these tiny ecosystems made the experience even more exciting!

Alissa - I’ve always been a big fan of our night hikes! A lot of our students are hesitant to go for hikes in the woods in the daytime, so a night hike is a big ask. But, as the night goes on and we play games and learn more about the forest at night, kids become more confident! It’s an opportunity for them to support their classmates by pointing out stray roots and offer encouragement. Sometime after the kids have seen a lifesaver mint glow in the dark or have played a version of marco polo about bat echolocation, their nervousness morphs into curiosity. Kids are able to explore a different night time through their senses. They see constellations that they may not be able to see in the city. They are able to experience the noises, but also the quiet of night time. One of my favorite night hike stories was of a student who started by saying that it was “like a haunted house” and he didn’t think he would be able to do it. The next day, he kept asking when we’d be able to go on a night hike again! 

Alex “Burdy” - Three years of outdoor education, recreation, and conservation is a lot to unpack for someone as sentimental as I am… but I’ll try! I think the thing(s) I’ve liked most about my time at the Dunes Learning Center has been the connections: with friends, students, nature, and the greater INDU area and its communities! I’m truly honored to have been trusted with leading so many for their voyage to our park, and getting to meet so many amazing cool-young people has been a great experience. Everyday is a new adventure for me, my coworkers, and our students, and getting to share in that journey with such wonderful people in a place as grand as INDU is the best part of my job! I hope that the connections I’ve made and been a part of will linger for many years to come, even if the only thing people remember of me is that I’m “the bird guy”. And who knows? Maybe that small connection will be enough to “inspire lasting curiosity and stewardship with nature”? Not just for myself, but for all the people I’ve met on the trail. Much is uncertain in life, but I feel hopeful looking at the work I’ve done here! So thank you everybody, and thank you DLC! Let’s continue to connect : )

Kate - I have always had a soft spot for camp when it comes to DLC. As always, I love meeting new campers and seeing old campers come back (and for some of them, having known them now for four summers was pretty special). One of my favorite memories from this past summer was during teen camp. They could not go in the water because of the lake conditions, so some of them really poured themselves into digging elaborate holes in the beach. It was cool to see how they organized themselves and made the most of the situation, but also it was really cool to see how a kid that I met my first year in Dunes Discovery camp had grown and found his place in Dunes Adventure camp. 

Lisa - When hiking with students from Chicago on Cowles Bog, we encountered a deer with antlers calmly grazing on his mid-morning snack. The awestruck students stood quietly for five minutes as the deer stared back. For many of them, it was their first time seeing a deer up close, and the moment left them in awe for the rest of the day. This experience was one of many that allowed kids to see the wonders of the outdoors. I will never forget the countless opportunities I had, alongside other educators, to inspire kids to explore their own backyards, parks, and our national parks. 

Alex - My favorite memories from my second year at DLC are seeing when students realize that they have a national park in their backyard. I was hiking with a group at Miller Woods on the west end of the park, and I had one student that I asked if they had ever been to the Indiana Dunes National Park. The student said “no”, but they are definitely coming back. Moments like this help remind me how everyday that as educators coming to work and working with kids, we can make an impact. 

Sierra - My favorite memories at DLC will always be when we find a critter on the Cowles Bog trail! Frogs and salamanders are always fun to see, and the students love trying to find them. Blue Spotted Salamanders are a favorite of mine since a lot of students have never seen a salamander before. It’s always great to see the excitement and curiosity that comes with finding something new. It also gives me as an educator opportunities to bring up topics like ecology, human impacts on the environment, threatened and endangered species, invasive species, and more. I’ve even found a Blanding’s Turtle on the trail two summers ago and it was the highlight of the day for the students in my group. Each time we discover another critter it helps to further connect kids with nature, but it also helps me connect to my younger self and inspires me to keep teaching people about the nature around them.

Ixchel - Reflecting on the past year, it’s hard to pick just one memory since there have been many beautiful memories. If I had to pick one it would be witnessing the student’s creativity and curiosity during DuneVersity. Specifically, my trail group had the opportunity to do an investigation on the water pH of different ecosystems. It was amazing to see how the students were engaged and passionate about this investigation. I was so committed to helping their research that I walked into the wetland to obtain a sample of water to test the pH. I likely won’t walk into a wetland again so that I don’t disturb the ecosystem but everyone was so passionate that I knew I had to do it for my students. I am looking forward to my second year as an environmental educator because I get to witness students be explorers and scientists!

Lily - Growing up in the South I was used to seeing the migratory birds fly over on their way to Florida. But by the time they reached my neck of the woods the large flocks had dispersed; the most wild birds I had seen near me was the group of 50 geese that call the local park home during the winter months. After moving to the Dunes and experiencing my first northern fall, I was amazed at how many birds I was seeing! More Canada Geese than I’d ever seen at home and so many Sandhill Cranes! There were several times I almost cried because of how moved I was seeing the sheer force of the migrations. I loved watching these birds fly down for the winter, and now seeing them come back up for the warmer months. I’m gonna miss seeing and hearing them when I’m hiking!

DUNES LEARNING CENTER Environmental educator class OF 2024-2025