Shedd Aquarium brings Chicago teens to volunteer at the dunes - The Times

DUNE ACRES | “Is that bear over here?” one girl asked.

“There better not be any snakes,” another said.

A group of 25 teens from Chicago’s Gary Comer Youth Center’s Green Team job training program came to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore anxious, curious and a little nervous Friday morning to help with native planting at Cowles Bog.

The students donned knee-high rubber boots and heavy work gloves and hiked from National Dunes headquarters through the woods to Cowles Bog for their day of work.

The teens were paired with the National Lakeshore via Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium’s Great Lakes Action Days. The events pair volunteers with experts from the Shedd and IDNL to conduct environmental remediation and restoration and remove trash.

The events are aimed at fostering a love and understanding of nature by providing a hands-on way to learn about the importance of the Great Lakes to our everyday life, according to Shedd spokesman Johnny Ford.

The students from Gary Comer Youth Center’s Green Teens job training program worked side by side with National Lakeshore scientists and experts from the Shedd planting native species and removing invasives. 

Tierre Turner, 15, a sophomore at Simeon Career Academy, worked with other teens digging holes for the native plants as a sandhill crane stood nearby.

“I just love the Earth a lot,” Turner said. “It’s fun being out here.”

Chris Harris, 17, a senior at Gary Comer College Prep, has been working with Green Teens for two years.

“I like gardening and I like trying new things,” Harris said. “It’s nice, interesting, just something different.”

Anthony Bonds, 16, a junior at Gary Comer College Prep in Chicago, said he had never been to the Dunes before Friday.

“It’s nice,” Bonds said. “I like working around plants.”

Reid Bogert, coordinator of Great Lakes sustainability for the Shedd Aquarium, said he often finds the Indiana Dunes are not familiar to Chicagoans.

“It’s actually pretty surprising,” Bogert said. “By doing stewardship, we’ve been able to see a tangible difference being made and a sense of ownership, personal ownership, of this place.”

Nathanael Pilla, biological technician at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, said the volunteers are helping the lakeshore in many ways.

“It’s getting the job done, of course, but for me it’s more than that,” Pilla said. “It’s getting to them to taste what I get to experience every day. It’s just understanding that nature is so big and she’s all of this.”

Shedd Aquarium brings Chicago teens to volunteer at the dunes - The Times