CANYON COURIER - Friends of McCormick`s Creek State Park

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
CANYON
COURIER
Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park
Fall/Winter 2015-2016
Missi on stat em ent
The mission of the Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park, Inc. is to develop and
support projects and events that help preserve, restore, manage and interpret the natural
and cultural heritage and recreational opportunities of McCormick’s Creek State Park.
Our parks and preserves are not mere
picnicking places. They
are rich storehouses of
memories and reveries.
They are guides and
counsels to the weary
and faltering in spirit.
They are bearers of
wonderful tales to him
who will listen; a solace
to the aged and an inspiration to the young.
—Richard Lieber,
father of and hero to
Indiana State Parks
Meet Bob Dayhuff
Board of Directors Secretary
Our new secretary of the board, Bob Dayhuff, grew up in Gosport, where he lived right in town. He attended all grades at the Gosport School, and graduated in 1963. “The great thing about the old unconsolidated schools,” Bob says, "was that many more people
could participate in sports.” Bob played basketball and ran track, where he was a tip-top sprinter.
Bob has many memories of growing up in the small river town of Gosport, and of creeping across the old bridge each year at
Christmas time to go to Grandma's cabin, a little kind of "vacation cabin" right by the White River where he would stay for a whole
week. He especially remembers the deep water well by the river, difficult to prime, but with the greatest tasting water ever. Bob
was always a hard worker, and held two paper routes around Gosport. He also applied to Piney Brewer (a local "big wheel" in Gosport back then) to shovel coal for her for fifty cents per ton of coal moved, which meant shoveling onto the truck from the rail car
and then off of the truck into the house or wherever.
Bob remembers one daring friend named Jim with whom he went to the top of the railroad trestle over the river near Gosport, and
who wanted him to dive in from up there. Bob declined, but watched from terra firma as Jim dove in from way up high! "He came
up smiling!" Bob relates. "The trick is to only dive into the deep middle channel." Jim also liked to dive from high places at the
quarry in Stinesville.
Bob's Gosport High School has their reunion every year at the Gosport Grade School gym, with special recognition for the 50thyear class. That special recognition may have to end in 2020, with the class of 1970, since that was the last class to graduate from
Gosport. End of an era? Well, maybe, but they could then start to celebrate the 60th year class. (Continued on page 3)…
Fall-O-Ween
‘15
February 2016
Thursday, February 4 —
Board Meeting— 6:00pm Nature Center
Special topic is the Firetower
Restoration Fund Campaign. All
members are welcome to attend.
Tuesday, February 9 — 6:00pm Nature
Center
Member Meeting– Pitch-In Supper
followed by a brief business meeting.
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March
Visitors hiking the “Classic Movie
Haunted Trail” about to be scared silly!
The crew that is about to scare them silly!
Fall-o-ween 2016 opened on Friday evening, October 23, with a presentation by WildCare called Creatures of the Night. In this fun presentation, visitors learned about WildCare’s own fox, owl, and opossum, asked questions,
and enjoyed treats and beverages provided by the Canyon Inn.
The festivities continued on Saturday afternoon from 1:00-3:00 pm when
participants carved forty-four new pumpkin/Jack-O-Lantern creations. Then
from 3:00-5:00 pm judges prowled the campground looking for the scariest,
most original, fall-themed decorations, while trick-or-treaters attempted to
get their goodie-bags filled. When night was finally about to fall, at 6:307:15, the Nature Center was haunted by ghouls, witches, and monsters and
enchanted by princesses and superheroes competing in a costume contest.
The evening culminated with screams and howls from the “Classic Movie
Haunted Trail” where visitors bumped into monsters who sprang into life
from old movie reels.
Friday-Saturday, March 25 & 26
Amphibian Outing. View details at
http://friendsmccormickscreek.org/
pdf/2016AmphibianOuting.pdf
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April
Saturday-Sunday, April 16 & 17 —
Wildflower Weekend and Friends Plant
Sale
Saturday, April 30 — 5K Run/Walk:
Mag 7 Series. For registration and fee
info contact the YMCA at 812-828-9622.
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May
Saturday, M ay 7 & 8 Treasurer Barbara Filtri (who was “The Mummy”) says: “I'd like to thank all Friday,
Welcome Back Weekend.
the people and local businesses who made our event a great success: mon- Interpretive Hikes and Talks scheduled
throughout the weekend.
etary donations from Delta Theta Tau Sorority and other local businesses,
food for the volunteers and treats for the Costume Contest by Pizza Hut and
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McDonald's, candies by Babbs Supermarket, hospitality by Canyon Inn,
shuttle service by Rich May, the FMCSP who worked tirelessly, and to the
park staff for the many bits and pieces that made the event possible.”
June
New Members
Welcome to our Latest New Member!

Debra S. Seipel
Saturday, June 4 - National Trails Day,
1:00 pm, The Nature Center.
Celebrate the day by creating a memorable
walking stick.
Pre-registration recommended, $5/project.
Friday, Saturday June 10 & 11
Annual Arts in the Park Festival.
Arts Fair and Live Music Stage.
Craft vendors will be on-site with live
music filling the air.
Dayhuff (continued fr om page 1)
Meet the Editors
Doug and Susan Gulick
Susan, originally a northern Indiana farm girl, is a
retired English teacher,
who enjoys reading, cooking, and travelling to Italy
to visit daughter, son-inlaw, and grandchildren,
and to Kansas to see their son. “I have loved coming to the park since my first visit in the 1960’s.
Then in the 80’s we made family memories here
with our children, Lydia and Ben. And now we
can’t wait for summer of ‘16 when we’ll introduce
grandbabies, Irene and Christopher, to the park.”
Doug grew up in Bloomington and was a Seasonal Naturalist at McCormick’s Creek
from 1989-1990. He enjoys
hiking, studying about and
being in nature and reading
about history and archaeology. “I remember coming to McCormick’s Creek in
the 50’s and going into a cave at the bottom of a
sinkhole! You had to climb down a handmade
wooden ladder. It was kind of scary! On hikes
around the park we’d see so many big snails.
We had lots of fun picnics.”
Indiana State Parks’
Centennial
Bob has many wonderful memories of McCormick’s Creek, and he has been
going to the park his whole life. He particularly remembers his family's picnics, dating back into the 50's and even into the 40's. The annual family reunion is still being held. Originally it was along the road near where the tennis
courts are, and Bob has fond memories of playing on those same tennis courts.
The picnic had to be moved as its size increased, and for years it was relocated
to the Pinewood shelter, but now it is at Camp Friendly. Bob, of course, remembers the old pool (as everyone seems to), and he loved swimming there.
He remembers in particular the time when, suffering from homesickness, he
almost went home from a church camp at Camp Na-Wa-Kwa, until he heard
that they were all going swimming at the pool! "I decided I'd stick around for
that!" he remembers. Bob's special memories of our park are similar to those
many have...Wolf Cave and the fire tower, in addition to the pool. He calls
going up into the fire tower years ago a "wonderful experience.”
After growing up and living in Gosport for so many years, Bob then moved to
Greene County and worked in Bloomington for twenty years but came back to
Gosport to live in 2012.
Bob and his wife Dianne have two daughters, one in Bloomington and the
other in Shoals.
What brought this hard-working man to become a Friends member and serve
on the board as the Secretary? Bob says he wants to give back to others the
help and service that he received throughout his life, and he finds that outlet
here with the Friends!
FMCSP Fire Tower Rehabilitation Project
The FMCSP major centennial project will restore the Fire Tower, located on trail
4, back to its original condition. This 86' steel structure and metal 7'x7' cab with
As Indiana’s first state park, McCormick’s
interior wood panels was constructed in 1935 by
Creek has an important role in the 2016 Indi- Civilian Conservation Corps Company #589. The
ana State Park's Centennial celebration, part tower was in service through 1967 and since has
of the Indiana State Bicentennial. The cenbecome a popular visitor destination in the park.
tennial kicked off with a pancake breakfast
The tower was officially listed on the National
Historic Lookout Register on November 12, 2008.
at the Canyon Inn on December 16, 2015
from 7-8:30 a.m.
Future activities at the park include a celebration weekend June 24-25, 2016 with live
music, theater performances, and other
events. Saturday, June 25, a 5K run/walk
will start at Cooper Commons, travel up
River Road, and enter the park. Dwight
Brooks, Property Manager, will dedicate a
history placard; Lynda Ellington, Assistant
Property Manager, will host a birthday party
in the grassy area by the pool; and Sam Arthur, Interpretive Naturalist, will coordinate
evening entertainment. Former staff of the
park will gather for a homecoming.
The project will include the following:
-Prep and paint the entire structure
-Replace the wooden steps and landings
-Remove and replace the safety wiring around the stair case
-Rehabilitate the cab allowing public access inside
-Road improvements to allow better access to the site
-Clear trees in a 50” radius aroung the tower to decrease risk of future damage
Sam Arthur, Interpretive Naturalists, obtained a $3,000 grant from the Indiana
Parks Alliance to do the engineering study and it is now estimated that the cost
will be approximately $85,000. The cabin will be repaired where it stands rather
than using a crane to take it down and refurbish it elsewhere. Removal of some
trees will improve the view from the tower as well as protect it from future damage. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fGVIqZCuMw for a video of
the project.
First Day Hike
Winter Postcard Winner
Julie W.
Spirit of the Day Winner
John T.
33◦ Scattered clouds
Wind 13 mph
Humidity 63%
January 1, 2016 Weather Report
91 participants turned out for the hike and the hospitality at Canyon Inn.
On Saturday, September 12th the park hosted our 7th annual BBQ & Blues
Festival. Featured artists included: Blue Riviera’s, Fistful of Bacon, Fruteland Jackson and King Bee and the Stingers. We were again happy to have
Smokin’ Jacks Rib Shack and Carson’s BBQ as food vendors. Crowd size
is always hard to estimate for our big events but based on hourly counts we
would put the number at roughly 2,500. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all Friends members and HAM radio operators who were able
to assist with everything from staffing the Friends tent to helping park cars.
Kids’ Focus Winner
Amara H., age 9
In January,
FMCSP members munched
popcorn and
enjoyed a
screening of
the film Indiana
State Parks: Treasures in Your Own
Backyard, a 2010 production of WTIU.
The film celebrates park heroes such
as Richard Lieber and the CCC, and it
chronicles challenges met by the
parks through their 100-year history.
McCormick’s Creek is recognized as
Indiana’s first state park and the film
points out that the Stone Arch Bridge
is on the National Register of Historic
Places. (So is
the gate house,
although this
wasn’t mentioned in the
film.)
Meetings
Newsletter
Please join us on the 2nd Tuesday of
each month at the Nature Center at 6:00
pm for our monthly meeting. Enjoy potluck style snacks, great friendships,
and a special guest speaker or activity.
Hope to see you there!
Do you have a favorite story from your
time spent at McCormick’s Creek? Did
you attend a Friends event and have
some great photographs? We would
love to include personal stories and pictures in our next newsletter. Please
email any photos or stories to
[email protected].
New Shelter at McCormick’s Creek
The Echo Canyon area of the park is getting a make-over. The Land and
Water Conservation Fund is financing the construction of a new shelter in
this historically important part of the park. The old shelter will be removed
and repurposed in Deer Run. The new 32’ x 68” structure, designed after
the Civilian Conservation Corps
shelter at Salamonie State Park,
will have full walls in the back,
partial walls elsewhere, and a
fireplace. Ben Clark, Historic
Preservation Officer with the Department of Natural Resources, is
overseeing the project. The restroom building in the vicinity is
designated as a “rustic park structure” and its integrity will be maintained.
President
David Gohn
[email protected]
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Vice-President
Dennis Goen
[email protected]
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The Bluebird Trail — You can volunteer!
Early each spring, a team of active and dedicated Friends
members are heading out to Concord Field in McCormick's Creek State Park to clean the current thirty-six
bluebird boxes and get them ready for the years' cavity
nesting neighbors.
Secretary
During the rest of the spring and summer, this team divides up to go out once a week to monitor the bluebird
nesting boxes, collect data, and hope to hear or see the
beautiful Eastern Bluebird
Treasurer
Although passionate about bluebirds, team members have also reported Carolina Chickadees and House Wrens nesting in the boxes and the occasional Little
Brown Bat hanging upside down inside a box.
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The diversity of the park also allows for many other species to be commonly
seen while monitoring such as; Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Pileated
Woodpeckers, Meadowlarks, Common Yellowthroats, Whitetail Deer, and
Black Rat Snakes.
Susan Gulick
[email protected]
Join us!
Active bluebird monitors are on a schedule to monitor every few weeks (about
four times a summer). Not only will you be able to see the amazing life cycle
of cavity nesting birds; you also have the added benefit of picking fresh wild
raspberries and blackberries, if you can stand the chiggers that is.
Contact Andrea ([email protected]) to be an
active bluebird monitor, to take a hike on the established bluebird trail, or for more information. Weekly
reports, including past seasons, up to the current year,
are available online at:
www.friendsmccormickscreek.org/
BluebirdMonitoring/index.php.
Bob Dayhuff
[email protected]
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Barbara Filtri
[email protected]
Newsletter Editors
Doug Gulick
[email protected]
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Membership
Co-ordinator
John Harder
[email protected]
CANYON COURIER
Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park
PO Box 483, Spencer, IN 47460
www.friendsmccormickscreek.org
We’re still going green!
If you would like to receive this newsletter via
email in full-color, please
email info@friendsmccormickscre
ek.org. Thank you for
your cooperation.
Become a New Member, Renew your membership or donate on our
website at http://www.friendsmccormickscreek.org
Winter Nature Ideas
Keep a weather calendar. Record sky conditions and clouds, the temperature and what time of day it was
taken.
 Turn your eyes to the heavens. Note the time of sunrise and sunset each day, the phases of the moon, and
any other celestial happenings.
 Put out food for the birds. Keep a list of the kinds of birds that come to dine and note their habits and interactions with other birds.
 Study the tree shapes and bark. Leaf shape is not the only way to identify a tree. Get familiar with the general shape of the branches and do a rubbing of the bark.
 Notice which trees or bushes or other plants hold their leaves or fruit all winter.
 Look for animal tracks and bird wing impressions in the snow. See how many different animals you can
identify that visit a snowy patch.
 Look for icicles and ice on tree branches or frost on windows or small branches. Take close-up photographs of the beauty.
 Look and listen for birds in trees. You should be able to spot them easier on the bare branches this time of
year. Use binoculars. Go for a silent nature walk. No talking, just listen and look.
 Catch snowflakes on your mitten or on a black cloth and try to draw them before they melt.
 Notice the various patterns of snow sculpting that is formed by the wind drifting the snow.
 Go for a What-Don’t-You-See nature walk and look for aspects of nature that are missing compared to
your walks in warmer months; e.g., leaves, insects, certain birds, green grass, certain warm-blooded mammals, cold-blooded reptiles. Talk about why they are missing and where they are.
 Look for buds on trees. These form in the winter and swell as the days get longer, but won’t open until the
days are warmer.
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