News Release

Educator Workshop to Focus on Mt. Baldy and Local Geology

Date: February 4, 2019

On Saturday, February 16, educators who teach students in grades 4 – 12 are invited to participate in an educators’ workshop at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The workshop, entitled “Geology and a Moving ‘Mountain’”, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will begin at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education. 
 
Participating teachers will try their hands at activities they can use to teach their students about geology in Northwest Indiana and the Great Lakes Region. They will receive resources to use in their classrooms, and will learn about research projects which have yielded information about Mt. Baldy, a living, moving sand dune. Dr. Zoran Kilibarda from Indiana University Northwest will share his findings on the movement of Mt. Baldy, and will also guide teachers step by step through a process to identify rocks from the Lake Michigan shore. Park Rangers will guide participants on a field trip to Baldy’s summit, exploring geology along the way. On this hike, educators will discover what Drs. Erin Argyilan and Todd Thompson, of Indiana University Northwest and the Indiana Geological Survey respectively, have learned in their recent scientific investigations of the sand dune and the mysterious “holes” that have been found there. 
 
The workshop cost is $10, and pre-registration is required by Monday, February 11. To register, visit the public events calendar at www.duneslearningcenter.org or call 219-395-9555.
 
This workshop is co-sponsored by Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Great Lakes Research and Education Center, Dunes Learning Center, and Indiana University Northwest. Funding has been provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.