A summer of storms fueled by the “Super El Nino” weather pattern landed its share of blows to the 157-acre Coffee Creek Preserve that sprawls east of Ind. 49 in Chesterton.
Heavier than normal storms that swept through Chesterton in June and July did their share of damage, leaving the preserve much soggier than usual and a breeding ground for hordes of mosquitoes.
But it was the Aug. 11 derecho — which hammered all of Northwest Indiana — that has shut down the Coffee Creek Preserve to this day.
Signs posted soon after Aug. 11 still warn people to stay away.
“This was pretty evident early on that this was not something we could handle on our own,” said Michelle Senderhauf, one of seven Coffee Creek Preserve board members. The preserve contracts with an outside firm for maintenance and depends on volunteer efforts.
More than 200 trees were downed by the high winds of Aug. 11.
There were 151 locations identified within the preserve where trees damaged wood bridges and boardwalks, fell across paths or where limbs were dangerously dangling overhead.
An initial damage estimate was around $300,000 for emergency clearance work, Senderhauf said.
But the total damages done still hasn’t been fully calculated and far exceeds the modest budget of the Coffee Creek Preserve.
“People are calling it a generational storm. That seems pretty accurate,” Senderhauf said.
The Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy was initially organized as a charitable organization in 1998.
The preserve is a complex of woodlands with boardwalks, paved and dirt trails. It also features an outdoor pavilion, fountain and picnic areas off Village Point Drive.
Financial support for the preserve comes from dues collected from surrounding housing subdivisions and businesses around the Coffee Creek Center. The Coffee Creek Preserve is free and open to the public, which can enjoy seeing the same biodiversity that they would experience visiting the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks.
The seven-member Coffee Creek board has to be careful in the way it manages its funds, Senderhauf said.
Even before the derecho, Senderhauf said that many of the pedestrian bridges and boardwalks within the preserve were reaching the time they needed to be replaced.
So many people have come forward in recent days, asking how they could help after the storm, that the conservancy, a registered non-profit, set up a GoFundMe page to accept contributions, Senderhauf said. By Friday afternoon, the effort had raised more than $6,000 of its $10,000 goal.
Fortunately, the Coffee Creek Preserve had insurance which helped cover most of the cost of Davey Tree Service coming in to clear the downed trees and limbs that endangered trails.
Senderhauf said that the crews spent weeks in the woods, departing briefly to do tree work after the Detroit area was struck by storms on Sept. 3.
There were some mishaps during the cleanup. A pedestrian bridge into the preserve off County Road 1050 had two partial collapses, which occurred after vehicles crossed it.
To help save money, Senderhauf said that instead of having the downed trees hauled away, it was decided to chip them on site.
The ample supply of fresh wood chips is being used to refresh some of the trails.
A walk through the woods Friday morning reveals that the crews did an impressive job of clearing the trail of downed trees and hanging branches, Senderhauf said
But the deep wounds left by the powerful storm are still evident. There are places where the trees are all bent back in the southerly direction, or where an open area has been created due to the damage.
Senderhauf said what was distinctive about this storm was how many healthy trees were felled.
“That’s what kind of has blown me away, the number of trees snapped in half like toothpicks,” Senderhauf said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
