Written by Coordinator of Student Services, Bryan Roberts
Every session the IEP Office works to create experiences for the students to enjoy and interact with the wonderful culture and natural beauty of the Bloomington area. Sometimes this is getting together to go bowling at the local IU Union building, to visit the local Farmer’s Market, or to enjoy an IU Soccer game. Other times, like this session, the weather turns in our favor and we can take the students out to enjoy the nearby forests, lakes and streams. I’ve been an avid hiker and outdoorsman for several decades and I am always honored to get a chance to introduce international students to our local, natural world.
The weather this Spring has been unseasonably cool and wet. After announcing the hike I was concerned we would have to cancel the event but luckily the clouds parted on Saturday morning and gave us a perfect day to enjoy.
Armed with a list of necessary supplies they should bring, the students met me in the small parking lot of Ballantine Hall and then followed me to the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. Griffy Lake was originally created in 1924 as a reservoir to supplement the local city’s drinking water supply and, to this day, is considered a backup water supply for the city of Bloomington. The nature preserve around the lake was built by the city by property acquisitions that ranged over 80 years. In total, the current nature preserve covers 1,180 acres which include the sizeable Griffy Lake.
There is a full host of wildlife in the surrounding woodland including deer, raccoons, opossums, turkeys, and coyotes. Canadian geese and other wetland birds can often be seen on the lake and specifically on the eastern end in the shallows.
The preserve itself is composed of hardwood forests and wetlands which border the beautiful Griffy Creek. I had originally planned a 1.5 mile hike that took us along the wetlands on the east side of the lake and along Griffy Creek. Unfortunately, we had several days of heavy rain and when I scouted the trail on Friday afternoon, a large section of that trail was flooded. So, on Saturday, I pointed our crew to the 1.7 mile hiking trail path that ran up and along a nearby ridge. After a brief briefing on the area and an important introduction to bug spray in order to keep mosquitos and ticks off, we set off on the trail to explore the area.
I was struck with the wide range of countries represented by our students walking through this Indiana woodland. Representing Saudi Arabia, China, Africa and Afghanistan, these students had never seen this particular kind of natural landscape before. As we walked I did my best to introduce students to the local plants and trees just starting to come alive in the early Spring. I informed them of our ever elusive morel mushroom which was currently in season and was able to show them an old outcropping of turkey tail mushrooms. We looked at mayapple plants, hickory trees, and local birds.
As we dropped down off the ridge, we were able to stop and enjoy a small feeder creek, looking for fossils and geodes to help share some of the geological history of the area. We came across a small leopard frog which I was able to catch briefly and show the students. A fellow hiker out enjoying the day with his child was able to show us an old box turtle shell they had found along the creek earlier.
The students agreed we would go a little further to see Griffy Creek before the flooding began so we added a bit of distance to our hike. Things became a bit more adventurous as the paths became much more wet and filled with mud. Even though some were tired at this point, they enjoyed navigating a very large, muddy area of the trail in order to get to the very full banks of Griffy Creek.
Eventually, our time was up and as we hiked out with muddy boots and tired legs. Regardless, all of the students seemed to have an excellent time and we had smiles all around. I think the pictures speak for themselves as to how much fun was had and I want to thank the adventurous students for sharing those photos with us.
I’m looking forward to another similar outdoor adventure for our Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions!
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