Celebrate Earth Day all day: From free trees to an aerial film of Indiana landscapes

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·7 min read
Indiana Harbor shows the heart of the steel making industry along Lake Michigan, one of the aerial views seen in the new film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”
Indiana Harbor shows the heart of the steel making industry along Lake Michigan, one of the aerial views seen in the new film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”

On Earth Day, which is April 22, two South Bend filmmakers will debut their new 55-minute meditative film made exclusively with drone footage of human-altered landscapes across Indiana.

“Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene” will be shown for free at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph County Public Library auditorium, 305 S. Michigan St., South Bend.

Anthropocene refers to an age when human activities have profoundly altered the environment. The film takes us on a drone cruise over more than 40 sites across the state, showing us agriculture, steel mills, waste recycling, coal mining, auto manufacturing, an amusement park, neighborhoods and other ways that humans are rearranging our geography.

It’s a visual feast. The filmmakers insist that the Anthropocene isn’t just in exotic places but “right here.” Minus any narration, it starts off with green, lush scenes and progresses through chapters, stopping short of making a definitive point, South Bend filmmaker Zach Schrank says.

Anaerobic manure lagoons are seen at a large-scale hog farm, one of the aerial views in the new film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”
Anaerobic manure lagoons are seen at a large-scale hog farm, one of the aerial views in the new film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”

Schrank is a sociologist who became the new director of IU South Bend’s Center for a Sustainable Future in September. In 2020, he co-directed the documentary about the city’s economic past and present, “Big Enough, Small Enough: South Bend in Transition.”

More from Schrank in 2022: Wearing one dress for 100 days wasn't as strange 100 years ago. What's it like now?

Schrank worked with Aaron Yoder, a South Bend native who started Indiana Aerials in 2017 as a drone footage provider.

This will launch a statewide tour for the film and its makers, hosted by the nonprofit Indiana Humanities, including Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Greencastle, New Harmony and Bloomington.

On April 22 in South Bend, the film score will be performed live by its composer, Nate Utesch, aka Metavari, of Fort Wayne. There’ll be a brief intermission. Filmmakers will answer questions afterwards. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Recommended for viewers age 13 and older. Reservations are requested, not required.

A dozen large photos from the film are now on display outside the library auditorium through April 22.

For more information and to see a trailer, visit https://indianahumanities.org/program/liminal/.

Views from a wind farm are among the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”
Views from a wind farm are among the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”

Trilliums bloom and …

The large white trilliums came into full bloom last weekend in the state-dedicated nature preserve at Bendix Woods County Park in New Carlisle. Numbering in the thousands, it marks spring’s most spectacular wildflower show.

You can offer suggestions in a contest to name the five soon-to-hatch falcon chicks in downtown South Bend. See my recent story, linked here online.

The 2023 contest: Want to name South Bend's falcon chicks, soon to hatch? Audubon starts contest.

And WNDU now has a live camera trained on a pair of nesting osprey on its studio tower.

Celebrate Earth Day

∎ Arbor & Earth Day: Exchange plants and seeds, pick up free cloth bags and evergreen trees, meet live critters, watch a solar cooking demo and join other activities from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 in the St. Joseph County Public Library’s auditorium at 305 S. Michigan St., South Bend. All held indoors, there will be green-minded clubs, critters and bikes. Bryan Edington performs at 11:30 a.m., the Spanish Rose Dancers at noon, Jack, Jo and Friends at 1 p.m. and The Music Village Jammers at 2 p.m. There will be speakers on living sustainably, recycling, organic gardening and Lyme disease. Participants can drop off empty seed packets, broken but clean Crayons, old CDs, old cellphones and gently used youth bikes for a new Kids Bike Club this summer at Chet Waggoner Little League. Sign up for organic gardening classes for kids and a Juday Creek cleanup May 6. Free admission. For questions, text organizer Diana Mendelsohn at 574-310-9428 or email her at greenearthbikerental@gmail.com.

∎ Unity Gardens grand opening: Unity Gardens will hail the completion of its Welcome Center building with ceremonies and free activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 at 3701 Prast Blvd., South Bend. The Michiana Stormwater Partnership will have educational booths in the garden, alongside garden tours, a tree planting and refreshments. A ceremony at noon will include words by Mayor James Mueller and the first-ever “Green Globe Award" to a supporter of the gardens.

March 2023: 'It is bigger than me': South Bend's Sara Stewart wants everyone to have fresh, free food

∎ Rummage sale at the park: The South Bend/Elkhart Audubon Society will hold a rummage sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22 in the red barn at St. Patrick’s County Park, 50651 Laurel Road, South Bend. Donate items for the sale (no sofas or electronics) at the red barn from 1 to 6 p.m. April 19-21. Park admission is free until 10 a.m. April 22.

This roller coaster and water park at Holiday World in Santa Claus is among the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”
This roller coaster and water park at Holiday World in Santa Claus is among the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”

∎ Garlic mustard zap: Help to pull invasive garlic mustard from 9 a.m. to noon April 22 at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend. Bring gloves. Register by April 19 at 574-654-3155 or bendixwoods@sjcparks.org.

∎ River cleanup: The Friends of the St. Joe River will host a cleanup of the banks along the St. Joseph River. Meet at 9:30 a.m. April 22 at the parking lot of Zion Community Church, 211 S. St. Peter St., South Bend (across from Howard Park). Trash bags, litter grabbers, gloves (if you don't have them), doughnuts and coffee will be provided. Bring a water bottle and sturdy shoes. Registration is free but requested under events at www.FotSJR.org. For questions, call Brian Will at 847-322-5029.

∎ Fernwood cleanup: Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles invites volunteers to clean up its banks of the St. Joseph River from 10 to 11:30 a.m. April 22. Volunteers will get free admission and snacks. Register under “events” at fernwoodbotanical.org.

∎ Elkhart trees, fish and more: The Elkhart Environmental Center, 1717 E. Lusher Ave., Elkhart, will host Earth Day activities from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22, including a giveaway of free native trees starting at 10 a.m. and an exchange of seeds and starters at noon. Also, there will be live fish demos, food vendors, kids activities, booths with local conservation groups and the ribbon cutting for a solar panel and windmill.

∎ Extravaganza at the preserves: Chikaming Open Lands invites helpers to remove invasive plants, clean up trails (bring your own bag) and do crafts and other activities from 10 a.m. to noon April 22 at two neighboring nature preserves, Robinson Woods and Flynn Woods, on East Road one mile east of Red Arrow Highway and Lakeside. Find details and register at chikamingopenlands.org/events/earth-day-workday-1.

∎ Garden cleanup: Clean up DeFries Gardens in New Paris at 10 a.m. April 22. Bring work gloves, your favorite tools and your own water. Registration is required at elkhartcountyparks.org.

∎ Benton Harbor celebration, cleanup: Join in a cleanup of Ox Creek, along with free, family-friendly Earth Day activities such as guided nature hikes, a scavenger hunt, exploring creek critters, geocache hunt and crafts from noon to 3 p.m. April 22 at Hall Park in downtown Benton Harbor. Sarett Nature Center will have live animals. Sweeny Weenies will provide food. There will be speakers and music, too. To reach Hall Park from Main Street, go south on Hull Avenue, which is one block east of Paw Paw Avenue.

Recreational vehicles await shipping in northern Indiana in one of the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”
Recreational vehicles await shipping in northern Indiana in one of the aerial scenes in the film “Liminal: Indiana in the Anthropocene.”

∎ Garden talk: Naturalist Jan McGowan will discuss how native plants bring a garden to life at 3:30 p.m. April 22 at the Francis Branch Library, 52655 N. Ironwood Road, South Bend.

Buchanan Plow Day

Watch horses and antique tractors churn the earth as they pull plows through fields from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 22 at the historical Buchanan School Farm, 3588 Andrews Road. From downtown Buchanan, follow Main Street north and turn left on Andrews. Pancake breakfasts will be sold from 8 to 11 a.m. and lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. See ice cream making and wood carving and take hay rides. Learn about fishing tackle, archaeology and more.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Earth Day things to do free trees cleanup sustainability film Liminal