We welcome back Mr. John Manuszak from our own chapter of Izaak Walton on Wednesday, October 16th. John will discuss the importance of insects, along with fascinating facts and myths about them. He will explain how to adapt to living in harmony with them. Just recently, the Bee was declared the most important living being on our planet. Bee and Bird populations have been on the decline. How is this affecting us? Do not miss this event. See you at the IKES!

Dinner starts at 6:30 P.M. Program starts at 7:30 P.M.

Menu: Pork Loin with the trimmings

Cost: $9 adults FREE hot dogs for the kids!

Call in your reservations by Tuesday A.M. Oct. 15th at 272-3660

We welcome Dominic Chaloner, Ph.D, from the department of biological sciences, University of Notre Dame, to the IKES on Wednesday, Sept. 18th.

Mr. Chaloner will discuss how Father Sorin chose the “perfect” location for the university in 1842 based on all the surrounding water features including St. Mary’s lakes, the St. Joe river and Juday creek. The relationship between the University and Juday creek has continued to evolve over the past 177 years.

Juday creek has been used for many years by multiple undergraduate and graduate courses at Notre Dame. Courses include general ecology laboratory that Dominic has taught for the last decade. In this course,students learn the the opportunities and challenges of ecological fieldwork. For example, students study the process of decomposition on land and water in both urban and forested areas. Juday Creek, as it flows through our Izaak Walton league, is one of these areas.

From these ongoing studies by Notre Dame students, useful data has been generated over multiple years. This provides interesting insights about the ecosystems associated with Juday creek. Those insights have important implications for the ongoing restoration and management of Juday creek.

Dinner starts at 6:30 P.M. Program starts at 7:30 P.M.

Menu: Roast Beef with the trimmings

Cost: $9 for adults and FREE Hot Dogs for kids 12 and under!

Call in your reservations by Tuesday Sept. 17th by 10 A.M. at 272-3660

Summer Movie and Popcorn

We are pleased to have a Summer Movie night on July 10th at 7pm the IKES! We have procured a copy of the film “The Compleat Angler”. This film, by artist and writer James Prosek, is an artful documentary of the mid 1600’s book written by Sir Izaak Walton. Walton’s book, which remains a top seller to this day in England, is also known as the “Fly Fishing Bible”. Prosek travels through England in the footsteps of Izaak Walton. Prosek and the Film have won numerous awards. In the words of Izaak Walton, “ Fly fishing becomes more than an activity, it cleans the soul of everyday troubles and allows a simple connection to nature”

Movie is free and starts at 7:00 P.M.
FREE popcorn

No reservations required

Save the Date: Hog Roast on August 17

The Whistle Pigs will be returning on August 17 for another amazing night to help fundraise for the Ikes. This year will be particularly important as we had a large spend for a new paved road and parking lot.

Fishing Day

Good news! Our June 1st “Let’s go Fishing Day” was a great success! We had many folks turn out to enjoy fishing, food and fellowship. BIG shout out to Tim Kanczuzewski and J.C. Sporleder for spearheading this event. Tim also negotiated a good price to stock both Rainbow and Brown Trout in the creek and ponds. We finally did it! We paved the road and parking lot at the IKES! The workmanship was exceptional and we even added an additional paved road part way to the archery range. The price tag was over $45,000, so we are accepting any donations to either the trout stocking fund or paving fund

As I'm sure many of you have already heard, our outstanding caretaker for the past 10 years, Casey Collier passed away on Memorial day. Quite fitting for the tough Vietnam veteran who received the Purple Heart along with other honors for his service to our Country. Casey always managed to take care of whatever needed to be done and he will be dearly missed around the park and in our lives. You can read Casey's obituary here.

His loss has created a void that needs to be filled. We are actively seeking his replacement. We want to first rely on our membership for suggestions. Please contact anyone below if you have questions or suggestions. The position is unique. It requires equipment and maintenance skills along with communication skills. It’s technically a volunteer position with “payment” being use of the caretaker’s house with utilities.

President, Mike Hay - 271-0973
Vice President, John Manuszak - 850-4550
Secretary, JC Sporleder - 277-4292
Fish & Outdoor Recreation, Tim Kanczuzewski - 340-0842

We welcome “perennial” Izaak Walton member and current Vice President, John Manuszak, to the IKES on Wednesday, May 15th. Mr. Manuszak taught biology at Mishawaka High School for 35 years and has always been an avid gardener. He will explain in detail the dos and don’ts of gardening along with tips, tricks and shortcuts. John will discuss methods to protect against rodents and rabbits. He will cover wide row gardening, companion crop gardening, and raised bed gardening. Other topics include how to purchase reputable seed, composting, and preparing for fallow.

Dinner starts at 6:30 P.M. program starts at 7:30 P.M.

Menu: roast pork loin with the trimmings

Cost: $9 adults $6 12 and under FREE hot dogs for the kids!

Call in your reservations by Mon. May 13th at 272-3660

Remember that this our last dinner/program of the spring. Our next event is the annual Hog Roast featuring the Whistle Pigs on August 17th.