What is the Fox Island Alliance?

The Fox Island Alliance, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are:

• To help preserve the natural features of Fox Island County Park
• To assist in its orderly development as a nature preserve
• To raise funds to facilitate its development
• To promote Fox Island's use as an educational center
• To coordinate volunteer efforts

Upcoming Events:

***Become An Indiana Master Naturalist! 2010

Download the application form here: Become An Indiana Master Naturalist! 2010

Interested and intrigued by nature and the environment? Want to learn more and share this information with others? The Indiana Master Naturalist Program is an educational/volunteer program developed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Purdue Extension to provide citizens with hands-on opportunities to learn about our Hoosier natural features and resources. The purpose of the program is to:

• Bring together natural resource specialists with adult learners to foster an understanding of Indiana's plants, water, soils, and wildlife, and promote volunteer service in local communities.
• Provide an educational opportunity for course participants (18 years and older) to establish a short or long-term partnership with an agency or local organization involved in natural resource management by volunteering as a part of the course.

In Allen County Indiana, this program is sponsored by Fox Island Alliance and Purdue Extension Service.

Program Information: The sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9:30 pm and on Saturday mornings from 8:30am to 12:30pm and either at Fox Island County Park or the Allen County Extension Office. The sessions begin on March 16 and end on May 11. The Final Exam is Saturday, May 15. Participants must attend the orientation meeting on Tuesday evening, February 16 at 6 p.m. Participants must attend at least 8 of the 9 class sessions, complete a final exam, and complete 33 volunteer hours to obtain Indiana Master Naturalist Certification and a pin. Graduation Day is Tuesday, October 26, 2010. Class size is limited to 30 applicants. Space is reserved on a first-come first-served basis; and space will be reserved only when the $80.00 registration fee is paid. Advance registration is due by Monday, February 1. A second Indiana Master Naturalist class is being formed for Spring 2006. It will be co-sponsored by Fox Island Alliance and Purdue Extension. If you are interested in learning more about nature and the environment, this may be the class for you. Contact Kathy Dew at 481-6826 option 3. Ask her to send you the Application form for the class. The class has an orientation, 8 class sessions, and an exam. The class sessions cover Geology, Birds, Insects, Forest Ecology, Wetlands, Critters, Wildflowers, and Trees. The first Orientation is 2-21 and the Final exam is 5-9. There is a charge of $75.

***Spring Timberdoodle "Sky Dance" Fox Island County Park

March 20, Saturday 7:30 PM- 9:00 PM

Celebrate the first day of spring by attending the courtship "sky dance" of the American Woodcock. We will observe male birds showing off for the girls. Dress warm for the weather. Cost: $2.00, Pre-register by: 3/15, Min: 5, Max: 15, To register or more information: Email:rzartman at allencountyparks dot org, Call: 449-3186, Ron Zartman

***Preschool Discovery Hour - Bunnies Fox Island County Park

March 23, Tuesday 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

We'll tell the tale of a favorite animal in fact and fiction. We'll hop to a craft and nibble on a snack. Cost: $ 3.00 / child, $ 2.00 / adult, Pre-register by: 3/18, Min: 5, Max: 20, To register or more information: Email:rzartman at allencountyparks dot org, Call: 449-3186, Ron Zartman

***Tai Chi Fox Island Nature Center

March 24 - May 12, Wednesdays 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Instructor Sandy Gebhart will teach the Sun Seventy-three Form in this eight week Tai Chi class. The Sun Form is a gentle, non-strenuous form that can be practiced by all. Cost: $50.00 for eight weeks, Pre-register by: 3/19, Min: 10, Max: 25, Registrations accepted through 3rd week if minimum is not reached, To register or more information: Email:rzartman at allencountyparks dot org, Call: 449-3186, Ron Zartman

***RACE into the WILD Spring Day Camp! 30 NISTEM points/week Fox Island County Park

April 5-9, Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Campers will experience a week filled with scavenger hunts, survival skill tests and great adventures in the outdoors. By icorporating fun into learning, we hope to create a positive connection between children and the outdoors. Sack lunches from home are required daily. We will provide drinks and snacks. Go green and bring a re-usable, labeled, water bottle. Cost: $100.00/week/child, $95.00 if registered, prior to 3/14, $90.00 Gold Parks Pass holders, Pre-register by: 3/26, Min: 10, Max: 30, To register or for more information: mail: nhaley at allencountyparks dot org, Call: 449-3246, Natalie Haley

***Become An Indiana Junior Naturalist!

The mission of the Jr. Indiana Master Naturalist class is to bring together natural resource specialists with young people, ages 9-13 years, to foster an understanding of Indiana's plants, water, soils, and wildlife, and promote volunteer service in local communities.

The class schedule is as follows:

• Location - Fox Island County Park:
• April 14th, 6-8PM, Wilderness Survival with Michael Golbert, Allen County Parks
• April 17th, 9-11AM, Birds with Soarin' Hawk and Stockbridge Audubon Society
• April 17th, 12-2PM, Geology with Ron Zartman, Allen County Parks and Soils with Scot Haley, Natural Resource Conservation Service
• April 21st, 6-8PM, Plants and Trees with Larry Yoder, Yoder Farms, & Natalie Haley Allen County Parks
• Location - Metea County Park:
• April 24th, 9-11AM, Naturalists and Conservation with Scott Beam, Maple Wood Nature Center and Bob Dispenza, Allen County Parks
• April 24th, 12-2PM, Rivers and Creeks with Jerry Hohla, Hoosier Riverwatch
• April 28th, 6-8PM, Frogs, Snakes and Turtles with Chris Barlow, Ivy Tech
• May 5th, 6-8PM, Monarchs, Milkweed and Wildflowers with Karie Harding

The Allen County Parks, the Stockbridge Audubon Society, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, are teaming up to sponsor northeast Indiana's first Junior Indiana Master Naturalist class.

In addition, class participants will be required to volunteer six hours in a pre-approved natural environment and must attend 80% of their classes in order to earn their Jr. Indiana Master Naturalist certification. Deadline for registration is March 26th, 2010. Class fee is $70.00 per student and includes three field guides, class materials, room rental and IDNR registration.

For more information or to download a brochure visit us at www.allencountyparks.org or contact Natalie Haley, Environmental Educator at 260.449.3246 or email at nhaley at allencountyparks dot org

What's newish on the web site?

2/10/08 Vera Dulin has written an article on Sue Foreman. You can find it under the "Articles" link or you can go directly to it here: Sue Foreman

2/10/08 Cyntia Powers has written an article on "Volunteering in the Bird Building." You can find it under the "Articles" link or you can go directly to it here: Volunteering in the Bird Building

1/26/08 ***PLANT IDENTIFICATION: I have added a page to give the plants that I have observed at Fox Island. You can find this page by selecting the "Living Things" link. Select the "Plants_Schutt" to see the list online. (You can go directly to that page here: Plants_Schutt.) You can also download an Excel version of the list in the same place or you can find it here: Plants_Schutt (Excel)

11/12/07 IMPORTANT UPDATE! I have deleted the prior contact e-mail. I was getting about 3000 spam e-mails per month. IF YOU ASKED TO HAVE YOUR NAME APPROVED FOR THE NATURE OBSERVATIONS BLOG, I DID NOT FIND IT BECAUSE OF ALL THE SPAM. SEND ME A NEW E-MAIL TO THE CONTACT E-MAIL BELOW AND I WILL APPROVE IT SO THAT YOU CAN EASILY ADD POSTS.

1/15/07 FLASH UPDATE! Want to post an observation that you've made at the park. Go to the Nature Observations Blog and let us know what you've seen at the park. Go to our RSS feed to get automatic updates.