# Why these beaches near Chicago almost disappeared ## Метаданные - **Канал:** thebrainscoop - **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmuo7oiWDWo ## Содержание ### [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmuo7oiWDWo) Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) Fun to stay at the YMCA ♪ [upbeat music] So I have lived in the Chicago area for more than ten years at this point, and I am a little embarrassed to admit that even though it's only about 45 minutes outside of the city, Indiana Dunes state park and national parks are not places I've really been to that much. And I think partially it's because I don't really know what's here. I mean, I know there's sand, I know there are dunes, but beyond that, I have so many questions about these grasses and the other plants and the birds. And there is somebody right up ahead that will have the answers. I just gotta hike through the sand, and it's so hard. Indiana Dunes State Park is located along Lake Michigan, about 47 miles southeast of Chicago. Founded in 1925, the state park is surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Park, which grew from being a national lake shore in 1966 to a national park in 2019. It's a whole thing we'll get into later, but for now, I'm headed to the beach to meet with national park ranger and dune doctor, Erin Argyilan, to learn more about how this dynamic landscape came to be. You went to school for geology, for dune science. You're interested in trying to figure out what is happening here at the park from kind of a scientific background. I actually went to graduate school to study the Great Lakes and more specifically what we call coastal geomorphology-- so how are the land forms and the landscapes along the Great Lakes actually formed in response to changes in lake level. So this is like a perfect place for you to be. You are actually working in a living laboratory. I'm living the dream. And that's cool from like a geologic standpoint. 'cause when you think about-- when I think about geology, we're talking about things happening thousands and thousands if not millions of years ago. But we're on the shoreline watching geology happen here. Every day. Every day, the landscape is being made, it's being eroded, it's being changed every day, every minute. And then here at Indiana Dunes National Park, our geologic history sort of starts with the basin being carved out by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which was the continental scale glacier that covered this area during the last Ice Ages. But then after that glacier retreated, the meltwater filled in the basins, and lake level has sort of changed and responded ever since as the whole evolution of the Great Lakes took place. (Emily) But then here today, when we mention geology kind of happening in real time, we are standing on would you call this a baby dune? I'd call it a baby dune, a proto dune, something like that, yeah. Our story is kind of starting at the beach and we're moving further and further into the past as you move away-- is that correct? Yes. Now, most of the Indiana Dunes is actually on landscapes that have been forming about 4,500 years ago to present. I mean, that's where our biggest dunes kind of are, in that age range. And again, our shoreline is still forming today in response to lake level and wind. So how does the dune actually form? There are kind of three things that you need a lot of sand, you have to have wind, and then the other piece here that is different from some other dune landscapes is you have to have vegetation. (Emily) So, you have these grasses that we're standing in and around. they're literally taking root and trapping the sand as it's being blown up off the water? Correct. They have a really intricate root system. We call them rhizomes. And so this marram grass actually enjoys being buried. It thrives. They'll grow upward as they get buried, which then stabilizes and anchors the dune sand. Sand is pretty simple. It's just a mineral, right? And so once the grass comes in, it will add nutrients, it will trap water, it will trap more sand. And so then you'll start to develop soil. So... That's where dirt comes from? That's where soil-- Sorry, that's a different video, the difference between dirt and soil. I know, it totally is. It's really cool because this is the basic precursor, and then it sets the stage for the next type of vegetation that can come in that needs conditions that are slightly tweaked and a little bit different. And so that's the science of ecological succession. And that's what made Indiana dunes such an important landscape for scientific discovery. (newsreel narrator) Scientists have been interested in this series of dunes because they can be dated from 0 to 3000 years depending on how far they are away from the present beach. [soft piano] (Erin) Sand is the key to our entire landscape here. Bedrock is at least 80 feet below us. Wow. Sand, you've mentioned-- sand is a mineral, but what is sand actually? Is it just like billions of tiny rocks? So, sand itself is just a size, okay? So, two millimeters to a little bit smaller, about one 16th of a millimeter is what we technically call sand. And it can be made out of anything. So, if you were to head down to the Caribbean, you would have sand that's made out of coral. You go to Hawaii and it's made out of lava. ### [5:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmuo7oiWDWo&t=300s) Segment 2 (05:00 - 10:00) Here in Indiana, we are again very spoiled because most of our sand is made out of the mineral quartz. So we have quartz, we have feldspar, we even have some magnetic iron-rich minerals here. It's been both a blessing and a curse to be made out of quartz. Quartz is the mineral that's in glass, so early on with the development of railroads and industry, the dunes were in threat of being completely mined away because it was such a valuable mineral, and they're so, so pure and quartz rich. Oh, wow. So when we think about like habitat destruction, you would look at sand and think maybe it's not that valuable of a resource. Yeah, a lot of people think that, but there's a huge aggregate industry is what we call it, rocks and sand. Just think about all the roads that are made, all the building materials you need. And again, it was really popular to lay this as part of the railroad construction. Okay. (Emily) The surrounding industry of Indiana plays a vital role in both how the dunes have been altered and later protected over the years with the national park slowly acquiring additional land to help restore this beautiful landscape further. Today, the dunes are home to more than 1100 species of native plants, hundreds of birds, mammals, and other vertebrates, and at least a thousand different kinds of insects. To better understand how the national and state parks collaborate together and with local industry, I met with Becky Hughes, resource management technician for Indiana Dunes State Park. So, we know that this area that we're in outside of Gary, Indiana, there's a lot of industry, there's the national park, there's the state park. How does all of that stuff fit together? That's a really good question. It's a big question. First, you have the state park in the middle. I kind of think of it like a bullseye. And the state park was developed or established in 1925. And the national park was not established until 1966. If you look at a map, their land surrounds the state park. And it's not all continuous, but there are dunes all the way from Gary through Michigan City. So, that's where it's like you talk about Indiana Dunes, you're talking about a geologic formation, but you're also talking about a lot of these other agencies, You're working with sort of the same goals that the National Park is. Absolutely, yes. (Emily) Introduced species are a pervasive problem around the dunes with rangers like Becky working tirelessly to mitigate their impact on the landscape. National Park biologist Laura Brennan, AKA the most passionate plant person I have ever met, is another who is committed to alleviating some of the stress those plants can cause in the dunes. So, Laura, the ecologist here at Indiana Dunes, invited us to go with her and her team to do some plant management, maybe see what they do behind the scenes to help with the conservation here at the parks. Oh, I'm so excited. Yeah, Laura, let's go. Let's go look at some plants. Let's do it. So, what is the goal for today? So today we are going to explore Miller Woods and get to know some of the cool things that are growing and living out here. I'm curious, how do invasive species-- like how do they get here and how is it that they're able to spread so extensively and powerfully throughout the park? Oh, a number of different ways. Sometimes intentionally. Some invasive species we've brought over because they taste good, they look good, or they do something really good. And sometimes it's unintentional, you know? It's not uncommon for people to hop on a plane and be on one side of the world one day and then be on the other side of the world the next day. And maybe you took a hike and got some seed in the cleats of your shoes or stuck to your sleeping bag or your dog. And then next week, you're back in your neighborhood natural area and take a hike, and unknowingly you're introducing a non-native species. So in Miller Woods, we say this is 1,000 acres contiguous, high-quality Savannah, right? But it's not really contiguous because you can see railroad tracks. And right over there is an active steel mill. This is an old rail bed that we're driving on just to access what our work site today. And we have a right-of-way bisecting this area. There's another set of railroad tracks, and then tracks that are all punctuating this area and all those vectors. That's another source for invasive species because they really like those edges where they can hop on the train and travel across the country. (Emily) Surrounding businesses are working with the park to restore the right of way for pollinators and lessen their impact on adjacent wetlands. So, Laura took me to see ### [10:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmuo7oiWDWo&t=600s) Segment 3 (10:00 - 15:00) how the restoration team's efforts are paying off. -Close your eyes. -Okay. (Laura) Imagine you're surrounded by a sea of hybrid cattail. -Okay. -And nothing else. -That's not ideal. -It's really not. Oh, you can open your eyes now. I can do the rest of the interview with my eyes closed. That is what you would've seen here just a couple years ago. So hybrid cattail is a non-native invasive plant species. It's very aggressive, and in this area, that's all you would've seen. And so our restoration team set out to restore this wetland. And after a few years of invasive plant control, man, were we surprised because the native plants were here in the seed bank, and they just needed us to remove that pressure, that stress of those invasive species. So, even if you're not a botanist, diversity's great, right? I mean the colors, the shapes, the textures, I like to look at it, but if you think like you're the wildlife out here that depends on that for their home, for their food, for their shelter... This is so much of a better, rich, more sustainable environment than a single monoculture. It's never over. It's kind of like cleaning your house. Like, just because you mop the floors one day doesn't mean you're not gonna have to mop the floor again in a couple weeks or days, depending on your situation. -That's how that works? -It is kind of. Oops! (Emily) So, we were walking and you picked this plant. You don't normally pick the plants when you're on a nature hike. This plant doesn't belong here. It's a non-native invasive species called purple loosestrife. Okay. It's pretty. You know, it is really pretty, but it's also very aggressive, and it can produce, like, millions of seeds per plant. Oh wow. So, it's really, really good at what it does. So, this is one species that we're actively managing, but in kind of a different way. Hmm. So there is a very effective bio control agent, a beetle actually that herbivorizes these plants. The beetles actually eat so much of this plant that it prevents it from flowering and producing seed. Wow. And so that's reducing both our time and use of chemicals. It's not that I wouldn't say I don't care about plants, but is it the plant blindness is a real thing, right? Oh, for sure. So how you as a botanist, an ecologist, what do you see when you look at this? -Magic. -[both laughing] (Laura) I see so many different plant species, and even though I can't see it, I know that there's so many insects and different birds that make their home here. I just see abundance in life and diversity... -Yeah. -and magic. -Yeah. -This place has changed me. Can I read you one of my favorite quotes? Please do. So, this is a quote from Carl Sandberg in a letter to Paul Douglas, who was one of the founding fathers of protecting this very place. So, Carl Sandberg wrote, [typewriter clacking] "Those dunes are to the Midwest "what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona "and the Yosemite to California. "They constitute a signature of time and eternity. Once lost, the loss would be a revocable. " [typewriter bell dings] Does that not give you the chills? I mean, it really, it actually does give me the chills. It's an amazing to me that you can be in Chicago, hop on the South Shore Line, and there is a Miller Wood stop. Like, you can get off on the train and walk here. (Laura) You walk all the way to Lake Michigan. (Emily) That's wild. (Emily VO) I could happily spend the entire day walking around the dunes with Laura, but there was work to be done, so we headed out to meet the rest of her team. -Claire, Emily. -Hi, I'm Claire. -It's nice to meet you. -I'm a fan. I've watched you since the Brain Scoop's first video. Oh my God! OG brain scoop. Wow. And Mike and Madeline. (Laura) These are three of the people that are doing actual on the ground hard work to protect this place. In a little bit, we'll see what they're up to. (Emily) As the crew gets to work treating non-native species around the wetlands, I stole Zach Lindeman to get his take on habitat conservation in the parks. So I am considered a biological science technician, which means that I am part of the crew that goes out into the units of the park and gets to go and restore them. So you're like boots on the ground, like literally... -Boots on the ground. -Boots in the water. -Yeah. -Everywhere. That's awesome! And what is this contraption that you're working with? So this is a backpack sprayer. And one of the tools that we use in this line of work is backpack sprayers with herbicide. ### [15:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmuo7oiWDWo&t=900s) Segment 4 (15:00 - 17:00) And what we do is we go around and we spray invasive species. So you're not just taking this and indiscriminately just like, boom, like pesticide everywhere. No, Miller Woods and the park itself are just filled with rare species, flora, fauna, everything. So, everything we do, we want to do and do it carefully. How have you seen this work change? I've been coming to the park for probably around 12 years now, but it has gone from areas that wetlands that are filled with phragmites and cattail. It's just being filled with different varieties of species. Just to be a part of that is really, really cool. And to go and actually do the work and to then come back like two weeks later and see that you've made a difference, and that the following year you might even have more success... -That's awesome. -Nothing better. Is this work that you've always wanted to do? So, actually no, I wanted to be a person working in business. -Yeah? -In a cubicle. You were like, that's the life for me. -Are you serious? -My dream to have a cubicle, that came to fruition, and I hated it. (Emily) Yeah, wow. I was looking out a window at a parking lot, and just decided that I needed to switch it up. For me, often it feels so overwhelming this idea that you're ever going to get a handle on the invasive species or the impacts of climate change. It feels very exhausting. Do you experience that at all? Yeah, I would say like most people, I think at this point, yeah, I do. But I do see the benefit of it, and I do feel-- or you could see in areas that maybe are not touched by our program so much that they might not be as filled with natives or they might have more invasive species in them. And I just know that what we're doing is worth it. -Yeah, it gives me chills. -Yes, I just got them too. I know it's the reason that we come out and do this because you are not working alone. You're working within the capacity of a greater vision, not just with the national park, the state park. You've got your partners in the industry around you. And yeah. I mean, that must be really gratifying. It really gets a lot of done. Yeah, come to Indiana Dunes! -Woo. -It's not just sand. I love that. When I moved to Chicago 11 years ago, I said goodbye to the Great Plains of South Dakota and the majestic mountains of Western Montana and while I still miss those places a lot, I've come to better appreciate the complete unlikelihood of this wild landscape. Despite a century of industry and development, shifting values over time have allowed the Indiana Dunes to persist. And I think that makes it a really special place worth visiting. [upbeat music] Accessibility provided by the U. S. Department of Education. It still has brains on it. --- *Источник: https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/41454*