Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation

Volunteers from Miller Beach Water Safety group had the pleasure of hosting Story Hour today! Always such a good time.

We read books, walked to the life jacket loaner station, read the beach rules sign and other signs, walked (ran) to the safety station, ran to the life guards, talked with gaurds and beach patrol, dug holes and filled them back in, walked to the ship wreck display and then had lunch and played!

A great time!

Focused on 2 water safety strategies
1) around water, always be with an adult that is dedicated to watching you
2) wear a life jacket, life jackets save lives!

The gardens in the park are the result of many many volunteer hours.
Caught a few volunteers hard at it this morning! There was a 4rth person but when I drove back around to take picture, she had just left.

THANK YOU!!!!!!
Your work makes a huge difference :)

Gary Civic Symphony at 6:00 pm and Northwest Indiana Symphony in Marquette Park, Friday, July 26, 2024 in Area 5 north of the Lagoon! This is a real treat in Gary, IN, the city that originated the symphony. Bring your chairs. Enjoy a beautiful night of music while watching the sun set by Lake Michigan. Kudos to all who are making this happen!

Working together to ensure the Pavillion walkway / bridge is safe and beautiful!

The Iron workers apprentice program is hard at work on the Pavillion Bridge. They are replacing a number of the beams . This is outstanding and at no cost to the Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation or the City of Gary!

Thank you to this group for volunteering and improving their skills!

Iron Workers Local 395

It's a great career!

Today could be a good day to borrow a life jacket! Please return it in good condition.

This station was made and is maintained by the Miller Beach Water Safety / a part of Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation .

Today's forecast is waves building to yellow flag this afternoon.

THANK YOU to everyone that attended last night's Annual Meeting and Celebration. And to all that support the Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation

We were thrilled to share our accomplishments and future goals.

It is wonderful partnering with the Miller Garden Club. This was the 2nd annual bird house auction and the artists did a fabulous job!

The big news is the Legacy grant match! Please donate this year and your donation is doubled! We can double down on our efforts to continue to do important work and projects in Marquette Park that benefit the community! (Link below to make donating easy) if you are not a member yet, please sign up on the same donation link. $100 is the member fee but any amount is welcome and appreciated.

Thx to those that volunteered last nite.
Thanks to Kamisha and her team for having the place looking great.
To Dapper Eats for being our food vendor.

https://legacyfdn.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1408

Important information if you own a golf cart.

Today!!! Saturday May 11
Plant sale!

Just one week away, for the most AMAZING plant sale in all the land.
Can’t wait to see you there!
👩🏽‍🌾🌿🥀

The Disc Golf tournament that took place yesterday, May 8th, was a nice success on a beautiful spring day!

Sharing this from the disc golf page.

https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/80151 It was fabulous day on the lake. 40 players enjoyed the course in competition. Here are the results. PRO/ PRO old guys over 40 / MA1/2/3/4 are the amatuer divisions. talent varies we had one Woman player !! Course is a great host for events ! We added a couple extra holes so 20 holes were played, other park users inquired as to what was going on and the team was happy to let em know about disc golf etc etc.

Marquette Spring Classic Event information and results for Marquette Spring Classic

SAVE THE DATE
For the annual Meeting and CELEBRATION for the Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation

May is Water Safety Month- we will be sharing LOTS of information all month to help you have a save summer!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/T1MhDnS7WQ9xJFJZ/?mibextid=oFDknk

First Sport - NDPA Make Swimming & Water Competency The ‘First Sport’ Your Child Learns!Swimming isn’t just a sport; it’s a critical survival skill...

Annual MCC Clean Up

Dear all,
The weather has improved a lot for the MCC Annual All-Miller Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, May 4 from 7:00 to 11:00 am. The MCC Litter League and Miller Garden Club have agreed to join forces to clean up Lake Street from E. 7th to E. 3rd, which includes planter boxes on connecting streets. It's a big job and I hope we can have good attendance for this endeavor. The Miller Beach Arts & Creative District has agreed to create a Lake Street crew to take over maintenance once we have whipped the street into shape so I am hoping this is a one-time job.
The MCC Annual All-Miller Cleanup has traditionally been a free-for-all where each person gets a chance to clean up their own pet peeve spot in the neighborhood and this continues to be the case. So feel free to work independently from the Litter League on whatever you'd like to do.
But please register at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Miller Avenue and to pick up equipment. You can bring bags of garbage back to this spot where the City will have a truck to haul it away. Hopefully we have some local drivers to help us with moving bags from cleanup sites to the registration site.
Please contact me with any questions any time.
Best regards,
Sue Rutsen, organizer
MCC Litter League
773-914-2574

This looks great!

https://www.facebook.com/share/WnKtp9RfvS7PUQah/?mibextid=oFDknk

Seedbombs. Native plant nature walk and workshop
With Allison Svoboda
Sunday, May 5, 2:30 pm
FREE, rsvp at millerbeacharts.org

Join artist Allison Svoboda for a nature walk exploring Miller Woods and the beautiful native plants on display. Allison will teach participants how to make seed bombs that can help spread native plants and support pollinators. The walk is suitable for adults and families with kids ages 8 and up. Minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please wear sturdy walking shoes and clothing you can get a bit messy in.

Meet in the Douglas Center parking lot.

The lifeguards at Marquette Park could be in jeopardy! Let your council person know the guards are important!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/FHcoxNvjFFi1CYFk/?mibextid=oFDknk

Plan on attending this Marquette Park patio event. The annual Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation gathering and the 2nd annual bird house auction

https://www.facebook.com/share/QYgtxrCYX3FiJvZh/?mibextid=oFDknk

We had so much fun last year, we decided to bring it back!

The Statue Garden is shining bright!

Thank you Jim Smith, Dan Alessandrini and Scott Doranski for putting up all the beautiful lights!

Lights and wreath purchased by Friends of Marquette Park!

We hope it helps bring joy to your holiday season!

Enjoy them into February!

Friends of Marquette Park of the MCC Shoreline Committee/ Legacy Foundation has displayed a piece if a shipwreck on the trail near the Aquatorium-

If you are interested in ship wrecks in the Great Lakes- this event might be for you!

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=721418463356462&id=100064649445370&post_id=100064649445370_721418463356462&mibextid=Nif5oz

Program on Great Lakes shipwrecks on Sunday Nov 5 at the Visitor Center

The Witch of November will soon return to haunt the Great Lakes, as autumn goes grey and cold and wild.

Join a National Park Service ranger for stories of the ships swallowed by the Great Lakes, from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center.

Learn why November storms are so treacherous and the Great Lakes so deadly. And know that the bones of some 6,000 ships rest at the bottom of Lake Michigan alone, including several off the Indiana Dunes.

The Visitor Center is located at 1215 N. Ind. 49, one mile north of I-94 and just south of U.S. 20.

For more information on this and other programs at Indiana Dunes National Park, call 219-395-1882.

Flamingo reported in Michigan for first time ever Birdwatchers are chasing a mega-rare sighting along the state's Lake Huron coastline.

Friend's of Marquette Park membership dollars are always being used on needed projects in the park!

You will notice this as you walk or drive by!

This project is funding for the improvement of the lawn area on the east, west and south side of shelter #4.

24 yds of soil, grass seed and straw blanket to cover the 2700 sq ft area.

FMP hired Allen's Landscaping.

The projects are well thought out and approved by the Parks Department.

We value your donations and put them to good use!

To donate and become a member follow this link

https://legacyfdn.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1408

Great opportunity!!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=712087034279222&id=100064337963304&mibextid=Nif5oz

Paddling Adventure https://www.simpletix.com/e/canoeing-experience-with-dunes-learning-ce-tickets-143846

Sturgeons-
One washed up on our shore earlier this summer.

Here is a post I just saw and thought you all might be interested!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=709941274507095&set=a.242366471264580&type=3&mibextid=Nif5oz

While we take no pleasure in finding lake sturgeon on our beaches, it provides the opportunity to share some information about this fascinating fish whose populations are down to less than 1% of their historic numbers.

🐟The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is an ancient species that is virtually unchanged from when they swam alongside dinosaurs over 130 million years ago. These behemoths can grow upwards of 8 feet long and can weigh as much as 300 pounds. With sucker-like mouths and fleshy lips, they suck up crustaceans and mollusks from the lake bottom. The lake sturgeon begins their life as an egg in the streams that flow into Lake Michigan.

Sturgeon can live for decades. Males live up to about 55 years, but females can reach 150 years in age. Overfishing around the turn of the last century decimated the populations of this unique organism. Other stressors like blocking access to spawning habitat and fragmentation of populations have restricted their numbers from bouncing back. Additionally, females need 15-25 years to reach sexual maturity and begin producing viable eggs, and then will only spawn about every four years.

In 2018, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to consider listing lake sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS made an initial finding in August 2019 that protection may be warranted, but the agency missed a 12-month deadline for a final determination. In 2021, a federal court in Chicago ordered the FWS to decide by 2024.

While lake sturgeon populations have faced significant challenges, there is reason for optimism. Researchers in Michigan and Wisconsin have been successfully "streamside rearing" sturgeon. This practice uses local stream water to raise young sturgeon in controlled environments to enhance the rates of survival in their early life stages. Sturgeon become "imprinted" with the unique water and will navigate back to the same stream to spawn when they mature.

We have hope 💙

Image credit: Zachary Lindeman
Alt text: Nighttime photograph with flash of a partially decomposed lake sturgeon co**se in beach sand.

Mark your calendars for October 14th!
Beer, Brats and Bulbs in the park!

Sharing - great collaboration for a very fun day for the kids in the park!

https://www.facebook.com/100067410910183/posts/628417539415271/?mibextid=Nif5oz

A great turn out for the disc golf tournament that was held here last Saturday!
75 people entered!

Here are the results.

Thank you to Brian Cummings for getting the FMP Marquette Park Disc Golf course on the schedule!

Thank you Flamingo Pizza for sponsoring this Tournament and providing a box lunch option!

Our logoed discs were sold there as well!! These discs come in many colors!

https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/72746

Beautiful rainbow over Marquette Park this morning!

Thx Leslie Lucas for the great photo!!

Sharing this post-
Calling all bird watchers!! And those that aren't- but are interested in learning more about our amazing Marquette Park!

https://www.facebook.com/100064366792506/posts/686924640129756/?mibextid=Nif5oz

The count is on! We're learning more with our pilot season fall waterbird survey from Miller Beach. This research gives us a better picture to the full flight of not only jaegers, but an assortment of shorebirds, waterfowl, and more.

You can read the weekly blogs at: https://indianadunesbirding.wordpress.com

You can also see the August and September eBird Trip Reports at:
Aug:: https://ebird.org/tripreport/154023
Sept: https://ebird.org/tripreport/154691

The birders are back! Just one in this photo but others arriving and setting up.

Marquette Park is on the National Birding trail and attracts birders from all over.

At 6 am this morning I spoke to two young men that were camping at either the Indiana Dunes State Park or the Indiana Dunes National Park camp grounds. They had rode their bikes to Marquette Park to bird watch! They are here visiting from Ohio :)

We are thrilled that year two of the annual Lakeshore Challenge Disc Golf Tournament will be held here on September 16!

Thank you FLAMINGO PIZZA for sponsoring this event and offering your box lunches to the players!

RR#6: Lakeshore Challenge II RR #6: Lakeshore Challenge II is a PDGA-sanctioned disc golf tournament in Gary, Indiana beginning September 16, 2023 and hosted by Red Roc Disc Golf Club.

This time of year is AMAZING!!!
Just beautiful!
Photo taken Thursday Aug. 31 6 a.m.

Hope you get out to Marquette Park to play a little disc golf, walk the beach, fish, kayak, picnic!!