After several months of planning, teacher training and waiting, Calumet Is My Backyard (CIMBY) has launched in Northwest Indiana, thanks to a grant from the NiSource Charitable Foundation.
CIMBY students participate in three study trip experiences during each school year. They restore native habitats, study ecology through hands-on stewardship activities, and explore their natural surroundings. These activities are enhanced by CIMBY leadership events convening students from participating Calumet region high schools, as well as summer internship opportunities. Teachers benefit from professional development opportunities where they learn to effectively deliver the place-based CIMBY curriculum, which fosters an understanding of natural history and environmental issues in Calumet communities.
“CIMBY helps to build leadership skills and provides students with the tools needed to develop a community and environment-focused outlook on life,” said Geof Benson, Executive Director of Dunes Learning Center. “We knew we had to bring the program to Northwest Indiana to build on the success of our existing programs.”
Approximately 150 high school students from 3 northwest Indiana communities will participate in the program during the 2014/15 school year. The first session took place at Forsythe Park on Wolf Lake.
"It is amazing how many of these kids have never been to this park or seen Wolf Lake," said Joni Oros, the AP Environmental Science teacher at George Rogers Clark High School. Wolf Lake is located approximately 2500 feet from Clark.
Dunes Learning Center's CIMBY educator, Susan Swarner guided Clark students through a plant monitoring activity that will track quantity and diversity of plants at the site. "Once we know what plants are here, we can make a stewardship plan for the site," she tells the students. Nearby, 11th grader Norma Gomez collected native Little Bluestem seeds that will be planted next year.
"Not only does this initiative reinforce the unique resources our region has to offer, but it provides a highly engaging and memorable educational opportunity for our youth," said NIPSCO chief operating officer, Mike Finissi. "We're proud to be a partner in the program's success."
When asked what he hoped to learn from the program, Senior Jonathan Rios answered, "I want to learn more about nature—especially the amazing nature in our area—and how to protect it."
Calumet Is My Backyard is delivered in partnership with The Field Museum and is just one of several hands-on learning programs offered by Dunes Learning Center. For more information visit their website at www.DunesLearningCenter.org.