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Spring
2002
Cora
Thiele:
Snorkeling Artist
Snorkeling
in Lake Michigan off the Indiana Dunes, Cora Thiele eagerly
approaches the plunge zone — the point at which the
lake bottom suddenly drops off and life abounds. She spots
freshwater shrimp, and glittering silver minnows dart off
as she draws near.
This
is part of the day’s science class for 13 year-old
Cora, who is homeschooled by her mother, Elma, director
of the Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary in Chesterton, Indiana.
Nestled on three and a half acres of wooded dunes and beaches,
the sanctuary offers Cora a hands-on learning laboratory
for observing and recording the marvels of nature.
"We’re
trying to start a mollusk counting program around Lake Michigan,"
explains Cora. "Nobody has done any research on mollusk
populations so the data we collect will be very helpful
to people in the future." Three times a year, Cora,
her mother, and other volunteers gather before dawn at Gibson
Woods for a bird banding project. "It’s incredibly
fun to handle the birds," Cora declares.
Enchanted
by the beauty, Cora captures nature’s images through
artwork. Her watercolors of North American ducks have garnered
prizes each of the three times she’s entered Indiana’s
Junior Duck Stamp Contest. Sketches of young caribou, lupine
and bald eagles adorned her well-researched, handwritten
letter to President Bush that urged him to protect the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
—
Cindy Mehallow
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