A change of season in the air

Thursday, October 17, 2024

By MARK EVANS, County Extension Director

While dry weather will likely result in less than robust local fall color, the season of fall outdoor youth field days has indeed been robust. Extension staff have been out helping with a number of our own hosted field days as well as providing assistance to neighboring counties. The cooperation for these efforts are wonderful as staff from SWCDs, Extension, parks, DNR, USDA and others all come together to help out.

The smell of fall leaves and harvest has its appeal. A fuzzy bunny, a majestic tree, a stream full of fish or a soaring eagle might come to mind for many if asked what is the first thought that comes to mind when thinking of Putnam County natural resources. While we are blessed to see many of these when driving the Putnam County landscape, there is so much more to know and understand.

Approximately 320 students had exposure to topics that included fire science, soil and water health, forestry, invasive species, amphibians, geology, maple syrup, wildlife and conservation law enforcement, water safety, habitats and whooping cranes at the seventh-grade field day locally. Later, Greencastle Middle School was assisted with its field trip to the DePauw Nature Park to help assess Big Walnut Creek there.

While there are many examples of gaining understanding about tools and diagnostic uses of natural resource knowledge, one of my favorites is the difference between a left- and right-handed snail. No, this is not a joke but factual science. To determine the type of snail, hold an aquatic snail positioned upside down with the tail between thumb and index finger with the orifice closest to one’s body. If the orifice is positioned to the left, it is a left-handed snail while if the orifice is to the right, it would be a right-handed snail.

So, what, one can use this useless knowledge as trivia at the dinner table. As a matter of fact, this is very useful in biological stream assessments. Right-handed snails are very intolerant of pollution, while left-handed snails are tolerant of pollution and contaminants. If a stream has mostly left-handed snails and no right-handed snails, one would be suspicious of the stream health. The biological assessment is very useful because species live in the stream year-round and provide good indicators for stream health. While we did not find any snails at either of our days in the creek, the number of may fly, stone fly, damsel fly and caddis fly larva all point to a healthy Big Walnut Creek.

In the coming months many of these aquatic organisms will be moving deeper to over winter and new larva will also hatch next year.

Speaking of a change of season, yours truly will be shifting gears in November with metamorphosis into a plant/soil science Extension educator with Purdue University. After 16 years in the agronomy and agriculture/natural resources arena of Extension, I have now served nearly 16 years as Putnam County’s 4-H youth development Extension educator. In Putnam County, I have been very blessed with a number of great volunteers, generous donors and strong local government Extension program support. Most of all, the staff in the local Purdue Extension office have been superb and Putnam County has reaped the benefit of continuity over the years unlike many counties that struggle with revolving doors of Extension staff.

My final column in a few weeks will highlight the top awards at our recognition program which will be Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.

The next day I will be starting my new position where I am very excited about returning to a similar position that started my career while also helping with family needs.

My mevans@purdue.edu email will continue to be unchanged just like the service you typically receive from Purdue Extension Putnam County staff.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. Our office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1-4 pm. Evening and lunch appointments are available, upon request. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs. While many publications are free, some do have a fee.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 3 – Putnam 4-H Awards Program, 2 p.m., Fairgrounds

Nov. 4 – Farmland Rental in Indiana, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Extension Office, Register at https://tinyurl.com/FarmLand24