For the most up to date information on DNR’s response to COVID-19, please visit on.IN.gov/dnrcovid19.
Frontline Interpreters Become Online Interpreters, Virtual Programs Offered
Our interpretive naturalists are dedicated to sharing virtual tours of the outdoors to keep you engaged and uplifted.
Staff are normally on the frontline providing park visitors with in-person nature hikes and programs, but now they are working ONLINE to provide at-home park visitors with virtual hikes, presentations, and live streaming programs.
Topics include wildflower walks, nature talks, live critter feedings, history programs, craft tutorials, pre-school programs, property tours, and more, and range from 5 to 50 minutes.
Virtual programs can be found on individual park Facebook pages or a listing can be found on the Indiana DNR calendar www.calendar.dnr.IN.gov. You can find these programs by using the Advanced Search feature and choosing the “Virtual” category or typing “Virtual” in the Keyword Search
Volunteer Spotlight
Tony Fleming has been passionate about supporting Chain O’Lakes State Park for many years. His expertise and willingness to serve have been a great benefit to the park’s staff and natural resources. Tony was instrumental in the establishment of Glacial Esker Nature Preserve in 2012.
In 2019, he volunteered more than 423 hours to develop a Comprehensive Natural Resources Plan for the park. Tony grows native plants for the park to plant, and he often helps train other volunteers to participate in invasive plant removal and other natural resources projects. Tony was named one of two Outstanding Volunteers at Indiana State Parks in 2019, and we are grateful for his willingness to serve. Find more information about volunteering with Indiana State Parks here.
Story of a State Park
Mounds State Park is available to all of us today because one family loved the land and its history. The Bronnenberg Home stands as a stately reminder of this family’s commitment to preserving the prehistoric mounds on their farm.
Frederick Bronnenberg Sr. arrived in the United States from Germany around 1800. The family was originally destined for Illinois, but settled in Madison County, Indiana, in a log home not far from what is now known as the Great Mound. Frederick and Barbara had 12 children, nine of whom survived and prospered.
Their third child, Frederick Jr., built this Federal style, brick, two-story home around 1850. He and his wife, Hulda Free, raised six children in the home. Frederick Sr. ran a tannery, saw mill and grist mill. Frederick Jr. farmed the large family homestead. These ventures made the Bronnenbergs wealthy and well known in local circles.
The house is the only surviving structure from the Bronnenberg Farm. In 1905, Ransom, Frederick Jr.’s son, leased approximately 40 acres of land to The Indiana Union Traction Company with the option to buy in five years. The company built an amusement park called Mounds Park that ran successfully until 1929, then sold the land to the Madison County Historical Society. The historical society promptly donated the land to the Indiana Department of Conservation, and Mounds State Park was established Oct. 7, 1930.
Wildlife Spotlight: American White Pelican
For some, pelicans bring to mind Nigel, a character in the movie “Finding Nemo”, or vacations along seashores and coastal regions, but not floating on a lake in Indiana.
This beautiful, large, white-plumed bird weighs almost 30 pounds with a wingspan exceeding 9 feet. Seeing a large bird with white wings and black tips sometimes leads to misidentification as a snow goose, another Indiana migrator.
Don’t miss your chance to see one here in Indiana. They stay around just long enough to rest in our waters and eat a lot of fish before moving on to their breeding grounds.
Regular sightings of pelicans occur at Mississinewa Lake, Salamonie Lake, Summit Lake State Park, Raccoon SRA, and Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area. Discover these properties at stateparks.IN.gov.
Employee Spotlight
A regular spotlight to acknowledge and appreciate our dedicated staff.
Angie Capps is the office manager at Summit Lake State Park. Angie was hired in 2014 as a gate attendant and promoted to her current position in 2016. She enjoys greeting and helping park visitors. Besides office work, Angie designs and helps maintain all of the landscaping features at the park. She can be seen kayaking on the lake with her family throughout the warmer months.
We would also like to celebrate and congratulate Indiana State Park Inns’ longest serving employee, Penny Bessire. Penny started working as a waitress in 1974 at Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County. That year, dinner specials were $3.95, and people drove from Indianapolis for their hand-breaded fried chicken. She fondly remembers the large platform birdfeeder outside the dining room window. Often asked to identify the birds, she kept a field guide at the waitress counter.
After 25 years, as Abe Martin Lodge's sales director, she relocated to the Fort Harrison/Garrison Conference Center as general manager. She started with four employees and a wedding with 250 people. Today she serves Fort Harrison State Park Inn & Golf Resort as its accounting manager and human resources coordinator. Always connected to the beauty of nature and Indiana State Parks, she continues her loves for birds and photography.