St. Mary's School – St. Mary’s Environmental Club Visits Unique Ecosystem

Did you know there’s a nearby bog where you can literally walk on water and see insect eating plants?...Students in the

environmental club at St. Mary’s School in Crown Point visited Pinhook Bog, an Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore site on

Friday, May 8, 2015. Pinhook Bog is an environment like no other in the state of Indiana.

Students learned that a bog receives all or most of its water from rain rather than runoff, groundwater or streams. Bogs, like

Pinhook, are very acidic and have a thick layer of sphagnum moss covering them, on which grows plants and trees. Plants that

can survive in acidic and nutrient-poor conditions, like carnivorous pitcher plants, are present there.

Another interesting fact about bogs is that the acidic conditions prevent decay, so scientists can study what a bog has

preserved in order to learn about the past.

Ranger Kip led the group on this fact-filled hike through the bog. Students traversed the bog on a floating boardwalk. A

highlight of the trip was when all the students jumped at once and saw all the trees move around them!

St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point has been educating children in the Roman Catholic tradition since 1872. The

school offers grade levels Pre-Kindergarten through eight. St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge

technology. The school is a recipient of the state of Indiana’s highest accolades, including Four Star status. St. Mary’s is currently

accepting applications for new students for the 2015-2016 school year. To learn more about St. Mary’s School visit

stmarycp.org/school.

Ranger Kip Walton looks on as the students make their way across the floating boardwalk at the bog.

Members of the St. Mary's Environmental Club and their chaperones are led towards the bog by Ranger Kip Walton and his

intern, Alex.

Daisy Cain, Annika Denney, Erin Doyle, Josephine Polk, and Zach Molnar attempt to wrap their arms around a tree that is

several hundred years old. Lucas Denney (left) and Marianna Ruiz (right) look on.