Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore – City Creatures Project, May 26

MSAE is delighted to be partnering with Dave Aftandilian, ASAE member and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Texas Christian University and Gavin Van Horn, Regional Director, Center for Humans and Nature . Together, they are collaborating on The City Creatures Project. The City Creatures Project will be embarking on a  day of discovery and inspired listening at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Saturday, May 26th. The soundwalk will be part of a writers’ and artists’ retreat, and is intended to help writers and artists themselves think about animals in new ways, by using other senses than sight.  Their all-day workshop will be a private event but they have graciously invited the public to attend the sound walk portion from 11:00am-12:15pm that day.
This project is unique in its scope and  includes a book and blog about human-animal relations in the city of Chicago. In the description of the project, Dave and Gavin write:

“Cities offer unique and underexplored opportunities for encountering the ”wild” in the midst of our backyards.  This book builds on the premise that scientific research is necessary but not sufficient to inform and shape public opinion and action in relation to the natural world.  People must feel connected in order to develop the skills of attentiveness and caring, and the first step in helping people feel connected is educating them about who’s out there with whom they can be connected.  The book’s primary focus will be on urban natural history, as a way of celebrating the city and making its unheralded creatures more visible…”

Eric Leonardson will be leading the walk in Miller Woods on Sat May 26 (public sound walk) 11:00am-12:15pm

Miller Woods, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, 100 N Lake Street Gary, IN 46403 (map)

For those who are traveling to the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education from Chicago and other places in northern Indiana, the South Shore train is convenient, timely, and affordable. Disembark at Miller Station (map). A 15-minute walk north takes you to the Paul Douglas Center.

View the train schedule here: http://www.nictd.com