Recent Happenings
Staff retreat to Merry Lea
This year for the first time ever, the Goshen College faculty and staff retreat was at a new and exciting place: Merry Lea! Those who typically work out of Goshen College boarded busses and drove the 40 minutes to a place many had never been. After stepping off the bus they were greeted by the fresh scents, the shimmering waters and the waving prairies of Merry Lea.
The retreat was a day of rejuvenation. The day started with coffee, pastries and several presentations, and was followed by discussion groups under shading trees, crazy singing led by Paul Steury, K-12 Education Coordinator at Merry Lea, fresh foods from AVI, the campus food provider, yoga, yard games, tours of Merry Lea, and much more.
The theme chosen for the day and the following year was servant leadership with a focus on diversity.
At 4:00, when the retreat was finished, people returned to the busses with fresh vigor for the year ahead. Merry Lea proved to be just as inspiring, welcoming and rejuvenating as ever.
Hiking through the prairies of Merry Lea
On Tuesday August 9, a group of people met at Reith Village to explore the prairies of Merry Lea. The first part of the hike was led by Jennifer Schrock, Coordinator of Public Programs. It began in a pocket prairie, which is another term for a small section of prairie, and continued out through the forest and to an open scape atop a rolling hill. After learning about Indian grass, Rosinweed, New England Aster and many others of the vibrant swaying flowers and grasses, the group headed back to Oshtemo to regroup and drive to the next prairie.
Sometimes referred to as Sand-Dune Oak Savanna, the second prairie the group visited is located north of Lucky’s Landing. Bill Minter, the Director of Land Management Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Merry Lea met the group at the oak savanna and took them up a hill, pointing out the grasses and flowers unique to an oak savanna.
After two hours of prairie hiking the tour ended, but the sighting of the newly learned flowers and grasses has just begun for many.
Agroecology students up to elbows in pickles
Not
only are the agroecology students at Merry Lea learning how to manage and
grow fresh produce, bu they are also learning how to can, pickle and freeze
it. Tuesday morning, July 26, the students gathered in a kitchen with Roberta
Miller, administrator assistant and farm manager at Merry Lea, to cut and
ice the fresh cucumbers, getting them ready for pickling.
Several hours later, Roberta divided the students into groups: one group cut onions, one group prepared the vinegar bath and one group sanitized the jars. In no time, the kitchen was filled with a cloud of thick vinegar as the cucumbers bobbed in a boiling pot.
After dividing the pickles in jars and placing them in the canner, the students learned about freezing broccoli. They cut, blanched and bagged the freshly picked green heads of broccoli just in time to pull out the pickle jars from the boiling canning pot.
The final step for the pickles was to cool the jars and wait for the “pop” of the lid—the sound signaling the canning was a success.
Laura Meitzner Yoder: A new face of Merry Lea
Merry
Lea is welcoming Laura Suzanne Meitzner Yoder, Ph.D. to the wild and wonderful
ecosystems, energetic students and delightful dedicated staff. Yoder, who
most recently was living in Chaiang Mai, Thailand, will be teaching a course
in the Master’s program, as well as doing her own quarter time research
and preparing a class titled “Sustainability and Regeneration” for the sustainability
semester beginning next year.
Throughout her studies, Yoder’s experiences outside of the classroom were more formative and life shaping than her time spent in traditional classroom environments. “It is really affective in my learning and in the teaching that I’ve done since then,” said Yoder. She is also anticipating her role as a mentor, having deeply appreciated the mentoring, learning, community based environment she observed at Merry Lea. “It seems like the right kind of teaching environment that I enjoy,” said Yoder.
On July 5, 2011, Yoder met the nine new graduate students entering the 11-month Master of Arts in Environmental Education program. Hopefully she has adjusted to this time zone, for she has a lot ahead of her this year!
Three Farms, 32 inspired people
Thirty-two people of all ages traveled to three local farms on Thursday, June 23 for a Merry Lea public program. During the morning, the group visited Blue Heron farm and Clay Bottom CSA.At Blue Heron, Tom and Cas shared about their recent interest in free-range animal farming. They also invited the group inside their straw-bale house they are currently building at the farm.
The group then traveled to Clay Bottom CSA, owned by Rachel and Ben. Rachel took the group through a greenhouse with tomatoes climbing up ropes towards the ceiling. At Clay Bottom, the group learned about a small plot method of farming, saw a push-weeding tool, and learned about growing produce for the CSA members.
For lunch, the farm tour returned to Goshen College to eat in the college cafeteria and learn about the local food production that happens directly from the campus kitchen. Bob Rombach, the Resident Director of AVI Fresh at Goshen College, shared about the company’s devotion to incorporating local food. Several members of the group were excited to hear they could dine on campus any day of the week.
The last stop on the tour was Creekside Farm to see Dean and Vera’s produce farm. Dean and Vera guided the group through their gardens and across a quaint creek running through the farm. After a refreshing glass of mint tea and fresh berries, the goup headed home, now holding a greater understanding of the beauty of local farms.
See a slideshow at the Goshen Farmer's Market website for more information. Even better, go visit the farmer's market. It's open on Saturday from 8 a.m to 1 p.m. and Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Large Enrollment doesn't B
ug Merry Lea
During the 2011 May-term at Goshen College, Marry Lea was packed full of 31 eager learners from two different biology courses. With only one vacant bed at Reith Village, this was the largest group of students so far to live at Merry Lea.
Students tromped the grounds at Merry Lea, collecting bugs and insects in their white nets for an entomology course taught by David Miller, associate professor of biology at Goshen College. The students taking Field Experience in Environmental Education, taught by Paul Steury, K-12 Education Coordinator at Merry Lea, worked to develop educational programs for visiting school groups.
Tori Yoder, recent GC graduate, greatly enjoyed her last class at Goshen College. "This entomology class opened my eyes to the way in which insect life supports human life,” she said. “Walking through the forest, I began to notice the green flash of the tiger beetle, the fluttering of the swallowtail butterfly, and the scuttling beetles underfoot. These insects are not here to creep us out, but to pollinate flowers, to eat pest insects, and to fascinate us with their intricate lives."
Currently, Tori Yoder is working with three other GC students in Kenya. They are helping Ryan Sensenig, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of Environmental Science Program at Merry Lea, continue his grassland research data collection.
In photo: Nate Klink presents his collection to local school children.
Masters Program Graduates Five
On
Sunday, April 25, the Masters of Art in Environmental Education Program at
Merry Lea, successfully graduated five students.
Now, the five graduates are anticipating an exciting new start, after completing
the rigorous 11-month program.
Leah Schroeder, from Goshen, IN, is currently working with the outreach program at the Goshen Public Library. She is planning to reintegrate into the Goshen public school system and is workingon coordinating a gardening program for the school system.
Jabin Burnworth, from North Manchester, IN, is spending the summer working with the National Park Service at the Indiana Dunes. There, he is researching and writing a high school science curriculum with data collected by the National Park Service. He then plans to teach in the Manchester, IN school system.
Rachel Weaver-Funk, from Gallup, NM, is regrouping in Albuquerque, NM. She plans on focusing on environmental education, and is currently looking for employment.
Tanya Suderman, from Winnipeg, is working in Winnipeg, MB. She is teaching and coordinating an educational program at a camp.
Kati Regaldo, from Chicago, IL, is living in Chicago, IL. She is working with an NGO, Faith in Place, at is implementing a curriculum she developed herself.
Ostergren said he is realizing the unique nature of the master’s program at Merry Lea. “The students enter with different skills and areas of knowledge,” said Ostergren, “and while they learn the same materials, they grow in different directions, and develop different goals.”
The master’s program begins again in July, and nine new students are expected to participate.
Agroecology Summer Intensive off to a running start
The
2011 Agroecology Summer Intensive program began on morning of June 6. The
six students participating in the program will spend the next nine weeks immersed
in demanding, hands-on coursework as they take classes on soil science, sustainable
living, agriculture, and farm management. They are under the tutelage of Dale
Hess, professor of agroecology at Merry Lea.
In the forty-eight hours since the program began, the students have hit the ground running. So far, they've planted gardens, tended greenhouse plants and taken a tour of neighboring Metzger Dairy for a firsthand look into the workings of large-scale industrial farming.
Their thoughts on the process so far? “It's hot,” said Dale Hess. Ross Weaver added, “We smell like manure.”
Keep an eye on the Merry Lea latest headlines for more words of wisdom from our agroecology students and faculty, or see the program site for class descriptions.
In photo: (behind sign) Jake Snyder, (from left to right) summer intern Patrick Maxwell, Chris Tidmarsh, Jon Templin, Kaeli Evans, David Graber and Ross Weaver.
Goshen College Launches Institute for Ecological Regeneration
Goshen College announced the launch of three new institutes
March 24, one of which is the Institute for Ecological regeneration, housed
at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. This new entity,
along with the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism and the Institute
for Latino Educational Achievement focus on the college's distinctive strengths
as they relate to Christian faith. 
Anita Stalter, Goshen College's academic dean, describes the institutes as a place of study, reflection, analysis and education. "The focus of each institute will be achieved by conducting and collaborating on research, delivering academic programming, and sharing what is learned with others," she said.
At left: Anita Stalter, academic dean, Luke Gascho, executive director of Merry Lea, John Roth, director of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism; Rebecca Hernandez, Director for the Institute for Latino Educational Achievement and Jim Brenneman, President of Goshen College. Read more
Sustainability Semester in Residence Debuts Fall 2011
Undergrads now have the opportunity to
study limnology, sustainability, watershed policy, faith and environmental
ethics in a semester-long package at Merry Lea.
This experience will take an interdisciplinary approach to learning and provide a strong emphasis on community living. Students will face real world, messy problems and learn how to approach them. Lisa Zinn, pictured at left demonstrating tree coring, will direct the new semester and teach the limnology course. Limnology is the study of inland waters.
Applications are now being accepted for the fall from juniors and seniors in search of an in depth look at the Elkhart River watershed. See our SUST semester web pages for more information.
Sugar Bush Reunites Teachers who Visited as Children
March
2011 wasn't the first time Chelsea Ripke and Karen Hoeppner attended Merry
Lea's sugaring program at the Yoder Sugar Bush, Huntington, Ind.
Today, Ripke (left) and Karen Hoeppner (center) are colleagues at Woodburn Lutheran School, Woodburn, Ind. but a generation ago, they came to the sugaring program as teacher and student. Hoeppner was Ripke's second grade teacher.
Continuing enthusiasm for Merry Lea's sugar bush program shows on the face of current Woodburn third grader Helena Emenhiser. Children learn how to identify a maple tree suitable for tapping, collect sap buckets, try out a crosscut saw and visit the evaporator where sap is boiled down. The day ends with pancakes and fresh maple syrup.
Over 1,600 people visited the Yoder Sugar Bush in 2011. Other atypical visitors included high school exchange students from France and Germany who had never tasted fresh maple syrup before. read more in the Spring 2011 Merry Leaflet.
Broomball Season Underway at Merry Lea
Wintery temperatures gave Kesling Wetland a thick,
sleek coat of ice, drawing over 20 people to a lively game of broomball Saturday
January 15.
Broomball is similar to ice hockey, but a little less dangerous.
Players wear shoes, wield brooms and bat around a rubber ball. Environmental
educator Lisa Zinn, who hails from upstate New York, introduced this northern
game to Merry Lea staff and their families. Since her arrival in 2003, it
has become an annual tradition.
Grad cohort 2010-2011 passes half way point
Merry Lea’s 2010-2011
cohort in the graduate program in environmental education has passed the half-way
point of their studies. In January, the group is taking a course in leadership
with Luke Gascho. Each student is asked to imagine him or herself the director
of a nature center. A series of assignments require students to describe their
nature centers, craft mission statements, hire staff, write job descriptions
and take on other leadership roles. They also study other nature centers around
the country.
In mid-February, the grads help staff the Yoder Sugar Bush as
part of their practicum requirement. In the spring, they’ll study land management
with Bill Minter and race to finish their individual projects. Above, the
2010-2011 graduate cohort pauses on a fall outing. Back row, left to right:
Sami Henry, Tanya Suderman, Rachel Weaver-Funk. Front row, left to right:
Leah Schroeder, Jabin Burnworth and Kati Regaldo.
Sensenig Posts from Kenya
If
this photo doesn’t look like Merry Lea, it’s because it was shot in Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania. Ryan Sensenig, Merry Lea’s Lindsey Fellow and director
of the environmental science program at Goshen College, is spending spring
semester leading one of Goshen College’s Study-Service Trimesters (SST). To
read more about this adventure, see Goshen College’s on location blog for
Tanzania.
Sensenig spent parts of his childhood in East Africa and did his
doctoral research in Kenya, so he is returning to familiar territory. He writes:
“Our children, Isaac and Mara, were both born in Kenya and this is their first
return to Africa since their adoption. It has been very rewarding to see them
process the new sights and sounds, practice Swahili, and make friends in our
community.”
After the SST students depart, Sensenig will continue research in Kenya.
Learning Center Receives New Addition
Thumps, bumps and the drone of power tools provided a backdrop to environmental education this summer and fall as Zehr Construction added 1,600 square feet to the Learning Center. The new wing extends to the north from the back of the building. The additional space will accommodate the growing graduate program. Last year’s graduate cohort barely fit in the conference room that served as their classroom. The new wing includes a full size classroom, a smaller classroom, four office spaces and additional storage. It will be adequate for up to 15 graduate students.
Blight-resistant Chestnuts Bear Nuts
During the fall of 2010, a research plot on the west side of Merry Lea’s property bore an unusual and long-awaited crop: blight-resistant chestnuts. The nuts contain genes that are 15/16th American chestnut. The remaining genes come from the Chinese chestnut, a similar species that is resistant to the fungal blight that swept across eastern North America in the early twentieth century.
The deadly blight was accidentally introduced from northern China and was first noted in 1904 in New York City. By the early 1950s, it had killed an estimated three billion trees and virtually exterminated the American chestnut.
For almost ten years, Bill Minter, Merry Lea’s director of land management, has been cooperating with the American Chestnut Foundation and Purdue University’s Hardwood Tree Improvement Center in an attempt to produce resistant trees. This fall’s nut crop will be planted in a seed orchard on public land in northern Indiana, along with seeds from Purdue University. Prior to public release of these blight-resistant chestnuts, some seedlings will be planted at Merry Lea on their blight-infected site of origin. Further evaluation will be done on this experimental planting to confirm how well the blight resistant trait is exhibited among all of these individuals with the same ancestry. More details
Goodrich Marks 30 Years at Merry Lea
Kerry Goodrich,
Merry Lea’s property supervisor, has a longer relationship with Merry Lea than
any other employee, past or present. Staff celebrated his 30-year anniversary
as an employee this fall.
Actually, Goodrich’s history with the land goes back generations. His grandparents lived in the farmhouse near what is now the Glacial Retreat Center. He remembers how he and his brother would hop on their bikes and head over to their grandparents’ home for the weekend. There, on what is now Merry Lea land, they would play in the granary and swing on grapevines in the woods. Goodrich shot his first rabbit and saw his first deer there. The opportunity to work outside has kept Goodrich here, even when opportunities with higher pay beckoned. Seeing a bobcat, a badger, fox cubs and a Massasauga rattler all rank high on his list of highlights from thirty years at Merry Lea.
November Geology Hike Receives Rave Reviews
A day-long geology field trip with Merry Lea’s director-emeritus, Larry Yoder concluded the 2010 public program season. A dozen participants experienced Merry Lea's esker and a driving tour that concluded at the Cedar Creek Tunnel Valley and the headquarters of the ACRES Land Trust.
Participants were especially grateful for the road-by-road guidebook that Yoder prepared for the event. Detailed notes enabled attenders to return at a later time for a closer look or bring a school class to some of the features. A number of the geology buffs were teachers. Above, Dr. Larry Yoder, center, prepares the group to visit the Yoder Farm's gravel pit. Yoder will lead another geology program next fall—on hydrology.
Enchanted animals speak new language
Twenty-five volunteers delighted guests at Merry
Lea’s
first ever Hispanic Enchanted Forest, October 16, 2011, in Goshen College’s Witmer
Woods.
K-12 coordinator Paul Steury planned the event, with invaluable help from Maria Sanchez Schirch, an assistant professor of Spanish at Goshen College. Meanwhile, on October 23 and 24 at Merry Lea, the animals spoke English as usual. Above, staff member Jane Litwiller guides a group of preschoolers as they interview bullfrog Jabin Burnworth, a current graduate student. Goshen College librarian Lisa Guedea Carreno was the Hispanic bullfrog.
Merry Lea Takes on Climate Change
Merry Lea's 2010 Autumn Hope Conference brought about 40 hopeful people together September 17 to 19 to learn more about the consequences of higher carbon dioxide levels and ways to mitigate climate change with the help of healthy land, our best ally. As with all of Merry Lea's Autumn Hope conferences, Earth As Ally: Facing Climate Change Together was a blend of outdoor hands-on experiences, theological reflection, discussion and networking. To read summaries of each of the weekend’s events click here. To see bibliographies recommended by presenters, click here. To see a climate change timeline, click here. Four hikes throughout the event encouraged participants to see, hear and experience. The article below takes a close-up look at one of them. What cues a tree to begin dropping its leaves in preparation for winter? How does a plant “decide” that it is time for its buds to burst in the spring? These are the kinds of questions Environmental Educator Lisa Zinn asked participants during her phenology hike September 18. According to Zinn, leaf dropping is determined by length
of daylight while bud-out has more to do with temperature. Details like
this have taken on new significance as the climate warms and scientists
begin to worry about how changes will affect individual species.
|
| Above, Environmental Educator Lisa Zinn explains the science of dendrochronology and prepares to core a tree during her phenology hike, September 18. Below, Zinn shows Lindsay Gangloff, a Goshen College student, the resulting tree core revealing annual growth rings. |
Above, phenology hikers also learned about the Goldenrod Challenge, a citizen science project that encourages teams to compete to photograph as many species as possible on goldenrod. Buckeye butterflies were one of the insects sighted. Buckeye photo by Glen Glibert. Below, a table group discusses approaches to climate change. The mix of wisdom includes that of a graduate student in environmental education, a pastor, an undergrad studying ecology, an educator and an administrator. |
| The hikers above could choose up to four outdoor activities during the Earth as Ally conference. Below, Bill Minter, Merry Lea's director of land management, explains how prairies sequester carbon. |
Meals
together outdoors were an important time for discussion. Above, a biologyprofessor,
an Indian Tree Steward, an environmental educator and several ecology
students exchange ideas. Below, Janeen Bertsche Johnson, who spoke Sunday
morning on a passage from Isaiah 42, shares an idea with Lindsay Gangloff,
a Goshen College student. |
