Lacey Davis enjoys nature and giving back to the community, and on Wednesday, she combined those interests at Gibson Woods.
“I really like the people,” Davis said. “I like coming out here, and I like giving back. It’s just fun to do.”
Davis was one volunteer at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ habitat cleanup at Hammond’s Gibson Woods nature preserve, 6201 Parrish Ave. Volunteers, DNR employees and Lake County Parks and Recreation employees went on a short hike through the woods and picked up trash near the fenceline.
Davis is a respiratory therapist student at Ivy Tech Community College’s Crown Point campus, and she has to complete volunteer hours through the program. She attended Wednesday’s cleanup with her classmate, Alexis Green.
“I’ve never volunteered before,” Green said. “(Davis) sent the link in a group chat, and I looked into it and didn’t hesitate to go for it.”
Amber Laughner, DNR natural preserve steward, said the department started the habitat cleanups in June 2025, but Wednesday’s was the first at Gibson Woods. The DNR started the cleanups to help increase community engagement throughout Northwest Indiana’s natural areas.
Wednesday’s cleanup had three volunteers, Laughner said, but other events have had up to 30 volunteers. The DNR’s goal is to have a cleanup about every month to two months, she added.
“I think it’s really important that we get as much hands-on experience for the local community as we can,” Laughner said. “I think it’s important for people to know all the green spaces that are around them, especially in Northwest Indiana.”
Miguel Martinez, a Hammond resident, said he regularly visits Gibson Woods and likes to interact with the nature preserve employees. He helped clean up trash near the woods’ fenceline Wednesday.
“We always need more help in picking up the trash around here,” Martinez said.
The region has a “globally rare” dune and swale ecosystem, Laughner said. According to the National Park Service, these areas include long “waves” of sand that form “an undulating landscape radiating away from the lake’s edge.”
Higher ground is drier and includes trees and shrubs, according to the park service, but swales, which are the lower ground, are wetter and include water stands and wetland plants.
“It’s really important that we let people know what’s here and that it’s worth protecting,” Laughner said. “We just always want to make sure that people engage with the outdoors and know it’s an option for them if they ever want to recreate here.”
Alexis Dalton, Lake County Parks’ natural areas manager, said Gibson Woods has a lot of species that are rare or threatened in Indiana because of the ecosystem.
“The dune and swale ecosystem is really special,” Dalton said. “We only have it right here along the southern rim of Lake Michigan, and we don’t have a lot of it left because of the industry and urbanization of the area. We’ve only got these fragmented areas.”
The partnership between the parks system and DNR is beneficial to both agencies, Dalton said. The parks system also works with the Nature Conservancy to help upkeep local nature preserves and areas, she added.
“It’s nice to be able to share resources because every single entity brings some different strengths and weaknesses to the table,” Dalton said.
Dalton was also happy to assist with Wednesday’s habitat cleanup, she said. The area included in Wednesday’s cleanup is near an alley that the trash truck comes through, so garbage will fly out and into the park.
Trash cleanup is also important for all parks and nature preserves, Dalton said.
“It’s one of those things that makes people think, ‘Oh, you’re just picking up trash, and you’re not really doing anything,’ but it makes a massive difference,” she added. “It makes it look so much nicer. …. This time of year, we are done with our winter work, and we haven’t started our summer work yet, so we just pick up a lot of trash in this season, and it makes the preserves look better.”
