Nov. 29 – Feb. 25, 2021
Stay two nights for the price of one. Sunday - Thursday only. Not available Dec. 20-31, 2020.
Book your stay today and save. Reserve online or call our friendly agents at 1-877-LODGES-1 and they will be happy to assist you.
Indiana Fossils
Falls of the Ohio and Clifty Falls State Park
Indiana is home to a variety of fascinating geological features. The state is well-known for its limestone formations dating from 570 to 245 million years ago. This was a time when our continent was located closer to the equator, allowing for warmer temperatures. In addition, the land was covered by a shallow sea teeming with life, including clams, snails, and other ancient animals. These creatures had shells full of calcium and as they died, their shells created layers upon the sea floor. Over time, the weight of the shells formed solid rock called limestone.
These limestone formations are often home to fossils. Fossils are created when shells are buried without breaking into smaller pieces. Over time, the shell deteriorated and were replaced with limestone, forming a fossil replica or print.
Falls of the Ohio State Park and Clifty Falls State Park, both located along the Ohio River, are home to large fossil formations. Clifty Creek’s stony bed is full of fossils, including ancient corals, ancestral squids, brachiopods, and much more. But please know, fossil collecting within any Indiana State Park is prohibited.
Glacial Influences
Chain O’ Lakes and Pokagon State Parks
The Pleistocene formed more than Clifty Falls. It was also responsible for creating the landscape of northern Indiana. During the earth’s ice ages, its average temperature was around ten degrees cooler than it is now. This allowed more snow to fall in the winter than melted in the summer. As a result, snow piled up, forming a glacier of solid ice that flowed under its own weight from Canada down over northern Indiana.
As glaciers advanced and receded, they flattened hills, buried rivers, dug new lakes, and pushed piles of rocks into new hills called moraines. As they melted, large amounts of water carved the paths of Indiana’s present-day rivers. We see evidence of the most recent glacial period in our state’s northeastern section with Chain O’Lakes and Pokagon state parks. At that time, 15,000 years ago, a lobe of the melting Wisconsin glacier created the kettle lakes, depressions, kames and eskers that we associate with these parks. Glacial erratics, boulders carried from the north by the glaciers, were deposited in Indiana as the ice melted.
A Valuable Couple
O’Bannon Woods
Two peas in a pod is a good description of Chris and Bruce Fisher. Since June of 2018 they have been going strong without missing a beat.
They both had the passion to learn during the Harrison County Master Naturalist Course and decided to contribute their volunteer hours at the Nature Center.
Bruce had the desire to assist as a trail guide volunteer on the Wyandotte Cave tours, while Chris favored the Nature Center. Bruce spent his summer underground with the cave guides. Chris focused on the Nature Center operation and learned the ins and outs of the snakes, farmstead, field trips, and volunteers. She has taken on the role of volunteer coordinator. From documenting hours, communications, to number crunching, Chris has become the go-to person for the volunteers.
When the hellbender exhibit came to life at the Nature Center in 2019, Bruce adopted them and moved from underground to aquatics. He learned the system, fed the hellbenders, cleaned their tank, ran water tests, changed out water, and donated supplies. He has adopted all the animals at the Nature Center from the hellbenders to the turtles, and even the oxen, Forest and Gump. With special treats delivered and fed to all, he has become one of the animals' favorite faces. In 2019, Bruce clocked in more than 800 volunteer hours. Chris was not too far behind.
This year, Bruce is in line to beat his record. The two as a team have contributed not only a lot of volunteer hours but have also become recognized faces at the nature center and park. They have set a great example for Nature Center hosts, Master Naturalists, and volunteers across the board. Their dedication, love, and devotion to the park has been far beyond what is expected. They are very deserving of recognition and thanks for giving their time!
If you are interested in volunteering at an Indiana State Park visit on.IN.gov/INStateParksVolunteer or email jheaston@dnr.IN.gov for more information.
The Creation of Clifty Falls
Clifty Falls was created during Earth’s most recent ice age, which lasted from 2.6 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. During this time, the southward flowing waters of Clifty Creek met the Ohio River in a waterfall that some speculate was 200 feet high. The waterfall has since cut upstream into bedrock more than two miles north of its original position. The park’s 425-million-year-old shale and limestone rocks contain numerous marine fossils and are among the oldest bedrock exposures in Indiana.
Staff Feature
Ouabache State Park
Brian Culy is the maintenance repairman at Ouabache State Park. He was hired in 2018 as an intermittent security officer and was promoted to his current position in 2019. Brian oversees maintenance projects and completes repairs on just about anything.
His favorite experiences at work include watching the sunsets and wildlife while on patrol. Brian’s most memorable moment was the time he participated in a search and rescue for a lost child when the conditions were not favorable. When the child was safely located, the sense of relief, and the expression on the mother’s face said it all. “That makes it all worthwhile,” he said.
Brian loves the outdoors and is a certified Indiana Master Naturalist. His hobbies include deer hunting, mushrooming, dirt bike riding, and photography.