Today caring members of the Munster community gathered to help beautify a public park and celebrate Mother Earth on Earth Day. Although it was a chilly and cloudy day, that did not stop the Earth Day festivities at Heritage Park. The day featured fun activities for all ages, giveaways, booths with information, performances, featured speakers, and an official Weed Wrangle to help rid Heritage Park of invasive species.
The day kicked off with the Weed Wrangle, which is a nationally recognized effort to remove invasive species from public parks. These clean-ups in Indiana are put on by the State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM). Mandi Glanz, Regional Specialist for Northwest Indiana SICIM explained what a Weed Wrangle is all about.
“Weed Wrangles are on public lands such as the park we are here at today,” said Glanz. “We have volunteers come out and we target invasive plants. An invasive plant is something that is non-native and causes harm. So today, we are targeting garlic mustard.”
Heritage Park is on the corner of Ridge Road and Columbia Avenue in Munster, near the high school. The park is beloved by community members for its beauty and historical significance, but this is the first time in a long time the park is getting some major help.
“I’ve been on a committee and focus group for this since 2004,” said Diane Kitchell, member of the Munster Civic Foundation and chair for the Weed Wrangle. “Heritage Park holds a special place in my heart.”
The community rallying to help one of its most historic parks is already a great reason to host this event, but there is another major reason why so many people volunteered to clean the park: monarch butterflies. Towards the end of last year, the Town of Munster officially gained Monarch USA status and became a Monarch Waystation. Mark Heintz, Director of Parks and Recreation for Munster Parks, explained.
“A Monarch Waystation is basically a rest stop for butterflies on their travels from Mexico into the Northern United States, and even Canada,” said Heintz. “Munster is in the flight pattern for the monarch butterfly, so supporting that is something everyone seems to be interested in. I’ve never met anyone who doesn't like butterflies, so I think it’s an exciting thing and a lot of people are behind it.”
Heintz went on to show his gratitude to all of the wonderful community members that volunteered on a Saturday morning to help clean up the park.
“I’m excited because this is something that we as a town don’t have the labor force to be able to do,” said Heintz.
“It is exciting to see a grassroots effort of people who care for the environment and want to see the native species of plants survive here at historical Heritage Park.”
Earth Day at Heritage Park had a clear goal of ridding the park of harmful plant life and helping butterflies, but it also served as a great way to get the community together to appreciate everything the Town of Munster has to offer. Chuck Gardiner, President of the Munster Town Council and President of Munster Civic Foundation, explained.
“The Civic Foundation is trying to create a community of vibrant and involved citizens,” said Gardiner. “This was a great activity to get residents involved while highlighting some of the natural beauty the town has to offer. I think residents are looking for things to be involved in with the town. This celebration of Earth Day is just a nice way to bring everybody together and people are excited to meet their neighbors and share common interests.”
To learn more about the newly formed Lake County section of SICIM, referred to as a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) please email Mandi Glanz at mandi@sicim.info.
To learn more about Munster Parks and Recreation, and all of the upcoming events and volunteer opportunities they have, please check out their website.
To learn more about the Munster Civic Foundation click here.
