The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 44, Milford, Kosciusko County, 29 October 1986 — Page 18

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., October 29,1986

18

Autumn colors Woodlawn with excitement

(By D. R. DANTON Guest Feature Writer — Autumn colors and Indian legends ... falling leaves and brilliant foliage ... pumpkins and prehistoric creatures ... a walk in the woods, a moment in the museum — it’s all “right here” at Woodland Nature Center.. ... 12 acres of autumn splendor and a fascinating little natural history museum., tucked away on a quiet street on the northeast side of Elkhart. Woodlawn has been around for quite some time . . . celebraing its 20th anniversary year right now in fact. But while many school children have visited Woodlawn on field trips and tours, many area residents are less aware than out-of-towners that this peaceful, wooded place exists; and that it is open, free to public enjoyment, Wednesdays through Saturdays, every week. The small museum/leaming center on the premises houses an astonishing wealth of knowledge of the natural world, in the form of permanent exhibit rooms, “natural habitat” dioramas, mounted animal and bird displays, sculpture and art exhibits, “touch-and-feel” tables, and a surprisingly complete small library covering the A-to-Z’s of animals to ecology to The museum itself contains two complete woodland dioramas showing mounted animals and birds indigenous to Indiana and/or Elkhart County in reasonable facsimiles of their natural habitats. Here, the interested observer or visitor can see the great red-tailed hawk, the spreading wings of the screech owl, the beaver and actual log

[vermen needles are net forever

The tree that provides green color all year long may seem to be everlasting but its needles are not, says B. Rosie Lerner, Purdue University extension horticulturist. Evergreens shed their needles to make room for new growth but will retain some of their foliage all year. Needles have varying life spans, depending on the tree species. Arborvitae and pine needles live two years and spruce needles can live three to 10 years. Normally, leaf drop occurs gradually with a small number of needles falling at a time. Inner

| irii —mr ini inrin i aw | We Ask Your Support For | i These Candidates For j | Wawasee School Board... . I H A Os CURTIS E. STEPHEN O. KjllS RANDALL JLft. IORDAN J ARNOLD POLLEN | District 1 District 2 Districts ... BECAUSE They have proven records « of successful businesses and offer j BROADER EXPERIENCES that will benefit our community schools ... you deserve the BEST QUALIFIED representatives! VOTE Jordan — Arnold — Pollen, November 4th.

pieces from his lodge (home), and dan? ... strong enough to hold a man; the beautiful luna moth and tiger swallowtail butterfly, along with complete displays of their less-pretty but no less-important insect brothers; the huge, handsome Canada geese that we see even now flying overhead in their spectacular v-formation, following their migratory routeg to the south; an 1890 s collection ofwfld birds’ eggs, doubly important because such collections are no longer possible (outlawned by the Federal Migratory Bird Act); the great diamondback rattler of western legend and lore; actual nests of dozens of familiar and unfamiliar birds ... and much more. Here, too, you will see displays of the rocks, minerals, and other elements that make up the foundation of the world we live in. And, in the permanent exhibit rooms, the ancestral earth appears, preserved in the fem, fish, and animal forms found in rock formations iij the earth’s crust known as fossils . . . some dating back 500,000,000 years; in the massive bones, teeth and tusks of the elephant-like mastodon, who lived 7,000 to 9,000 years before the birth of 'Christ, and whose bones, in this instance, were found right here on an Indiana farm; in the more recent skins, skulls and skeletons of animals that roamed America “then and now ; ” in the display of Indian artifacts, clothing, and headresses that show us how America’s first people hunted some of those animals, and how they used their hides, horns and bones ... as well as the feathers of the birds ... in their daily lives. And around the walls of the larger, or

and lower leaves, which are hidden from the light, are usually the first tj/drop. Plants should be thinned when necessary so the hidden branches receive adequate light; otherwise, excess dead tissue can result. Junipers are a good example of a plant that shades itself. Some species of evergreens have a more noticeable leaf drop than others. In autumn, arborvitae and white pine will drop many of their needles. Broadleaved evergreens, such as rhododendrons, drop their two or three-year-old leaves in late sum-

main, display room, the mounted heads of some of the Indians’ primary “hunts,” such as the mighty thundering buffalo (whose real name is bison), look down on the many visitors and tour groups that regularly make the center a stop for learning, rest, or recreation. Many visitors continue to learn more about the subjects and topics that have sparked their interest by making usd of the excellent small library which is also contained in the building and covers not only plants, animals, Indians and natural history, but science, astronomy, ecology, agriculture, and much, much more, in superb reference works, scholarly texts, and fiction and nonfiction as well (including children’s books). A fine collection of National Geographies and numerous other magazines are there for the browsing. And, perhaps most of. all, the woods are there for the<walking . . . particularly this month and next; not Only for the educational benefits of learning about the different leaves and trees and birds and woodland creatures ... but for the sheer enjoyment of watching the magnificent autumn color spectacular “right up close,” in a peaceful setting of the season’s splendor . . . with quiet pathways to walk, and a picnic table to make an afternoon outing complete. Woodlawn Nature Center: It’s a place for all seasons ... but perhaps no season quite as glorious as now. It’s located at 604 Woodland Ave., Elkhart, and is open Wednesday thru Saturday, 12:30-4:30 p.m. Admission is free to the general public with a small fee charged for tours (by advance appointment). Call 264-0525 for further information.

mer and early fall. Yews or taxus needles will turn yellow and drop in the late spring or early summer. However, evergreens that are losing the current season’s growth may be under stress. This abnormal leaf drop can be caused by stress in the form of diseases, insects or environmental changes. Environmental stress includes problems such as drought, winter injury, road salt damage, waterlogged soil or dog damage. Brown branch tips can be a sigh of stress and should be investigated.

ATWOOD STUDENTS TAKE TOUR — On Friday, Oct. 24, the PACE (Program for Academic ** and Creative Enrichment) students from Atwood Elementary School toured The Papers Incorporated in Milford to learn about each phase involved in printing a newspaper. Pictured from left in the front row are Krista Bailey, Bethany Himes, Holly Davis,,and Cheryl Ferguson. Standing in the second row are Dustin Calhoun, Seth Tuura, Scott Slone, Sam Yeiter, Layla Sellers, Mrs. Janice Torrence (teacher), and Kristen Bowman. Pictured behind them are Jim Price and Paul Fields. (Photo by Leslie Miller) J

Lakeland promotions announced

Lakeland Financial Corporation board of directors have announced two recent promotions. Betty McHenry has been promoted to senior vice president / -**■ Al Betty McHenry

and auditor. Mrs. McHenry came to Lake City Bank in 1984, with over 20 years of banking experience. She is responsible for audit, loan review, compliance and security functions of the bank. She and her husband, Kenneth, reside at rural Milford and are the parents of four children. Mrs. McHenry’s community involvements include Order of Eastern Star, Robinson Chapel Methodist Church, National Association of Bank Women, Robert Morris Associates and the National Association of Accountants. Jean Northenor has been promoted to senior vice president. She joined Lake City Bank in January, 1984, as the marketing officer, after completing eight years as Kosciusko County auditor. She now has responsibilities for the purchasing and facilities management of the bank.

k wif Wl* V AT I ■ * w Jean Northenor Community involvements include president of the Warsaw Community Development Corporation, commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles,

Evans names Task Force

A state-wide task force to promote parental and community involvement in the public, schools has been appointed by the state school superintendent, H. Dean Evans. ... “The mission of the task force will be to identify and recommend effective state, regional, district and building level activities that will result in improved parent and community involvement in public schools,” said Evans. “If I could wave a magic wand to improve public education, the first thing I would do would be to get the family back to where it used to be,” Evans said. “Parents are a child’s first teachers, and they are in all likelihood their best teachers. The family has been the glue that has held society together, but unfortunately in far too many families that glue has come apart in recent years. ’ ’ Evans said the primary functions of the Parent and Community Involvement Task Force are: . • To review information on local, state and national efforts to establish and improve parent and community involvement in public school affairs • To identify effective ways to involve parents and community members

founding board member and past president of Kosciusko Leadership Academy, member YMCA board of directors and trustee of Atwood Aldersgate Church. She is also a member of Warsaw Altrusa, Warsaw BPW, National Association of Bank Women and Order of Eastern Star. She and her husband, Jim, have two sons and reside near Atwood. On U.S. health U.S. citizens are buckling up and dieting more, but less than half the people exercise regularly, and many have problems with stress, concluded a new government study released recently. Lowest use Hospital use by Americans has plummeted to its lowest level in 15 years, as clinics and outpatient programs served a growing number of people, according to government statistics released recently.

• To recommend the most effective public school activities and programs to involve parents and community members • To review implementation strategies for parent and community involvement activities and programs. In addition, the task force will investigate the use of incentives to encourage local school corporations to plan and implement parent involvement information strategies to highlight the importance of-parent and community involvement. Named as chairperson of the task force is Sue Zinser of Carmel, a member of the Carmel Clay School Board and past president of the Indiana School Boards Association. Mrs. Zinser is also the chairperson of the Department of Education’s Performance and Accountability Task Force, afad is a former chairperson of the Governor’s Adult Literacy Coalition. ' Membership of the task force is broad-based and includes superintendents; principals, school board members, teachers, parents, university personnel, and others. An area person named by Evans to the task force is Kimberly JJilinski, Triton Elementary School, Bourbon.

Doug Grant, president of Lake City Bank, complimented both women upon their fine performances in the past and emphasized their importance to the future of the organization. Prime up The number of serious crimes reported to police rose 8 percent in the first half of 1986, the biggest increase in six years, the FBI reported recently. Watch fires and children Children love to play with fires, somehow it seems to fascinate them. Many young lives have been lost because of the carelessness of parents and caretakers. Little children should not be left alone in rooms where there are open fires, lighted candles within reach, or vessels of hot water on stoves or on the floor.