My Study Area
My Study Area: Indiana Dunes State Park
The study area I chose is the Indiana Dunes State Park. This park is a 2182 acre area right on Lake Michigan’s southern coast in Indiana (Indiana DNR, 2020). The Dunes is situated between two areas of the Indiana Dunes National Park.
I am interested in this area for a variety of reasons. First, the State park boasts two nature preserves, a button bush marsh, wooden wetlands, sand dunes, and an extensive amount of Lake Michigan coastline which leads to a wide variety of ecosystems (Indiana DNR, 2020). These ecosystems are unique to this area and are very intriguing to study.
The Dunes Prairie Nature Preserve is only 58 acres but has a huge variety of prairie and sand species, including the eastern prickly pear cactus. There are quite a few unique plant species, along with threatened or endangered ones that can only be found here in this state.
Secondly, the area is a major flyway for bird migrating during the spring and fall season and becomes an important breeding ground for other species such as the Wood Thrush (Audubon, n,d.).
Source: fernando Burgalin Sequeria
There are a wide-variety of warblers that migrate through the seasons including the Prairie Warbler (Audubon, n,d.). I find it interesting that this small area can support so many birds even if they are only staying for a short while.
Finally, the biggest reason I want to study this area is because I want to learn more about the park in my backyard. (Actually, I live 5 miles away but I feel like it is my extended back yard. I have lived here my whole life and find this park to be the most fascinating area with its wide variety of species.
I spent a summer exploring the back areas of the park when I worked as a resource management technician. (I pretty much removed invasive species in the nature preserves and helped plant native ones). I learned so much about the flora and fauna but I feel like I have so much more to learn.
References
Audubon. (n.d.). Important bird areas: Indiana Dunes State Park. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/indiana-dunes-state-park
Burgling Sequeria, f. (2022). Wood thrush [Photograph of a wood thrush]. Retrieved from https://ebird.org/species/woothr
Google Maps. (2022). Indiana Dunes State Park [Screenshot of map of Indiana Dunes State Park on Google Maps]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/search/indiana+dunes+state+park/@41.6549513,-87.0712744,16z
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). (2020, November). Indiana Dunes State Park Brochure. Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/files/dunes_trail.pdf
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). (2020, November). Indiana Dunes State Park Brochure [Screenshot of IDSP map]. Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/files/dunes_trail.pdf
Seitz, L. (2018, may 13). Prairie warbler identification [Photograph of an adult male prairie warbler]. All About Birds. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Prairie_Warbler/id#
U.S. Forest Service. (n.d.). Pitcher’s Thistle. Retrieved from https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cirsium_pitcheri.shtml
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