Carroll White REMC — March 2022 Indiana Connection

Raderstorf new REMC CEO.

Carroll White REMC’s

s e e B

KEEPERS OF THE

Protecting pollinators is rewarded with bountiful harvests and honey

pages 19-22

MARCH 2022

from the editor

DOWN AND DIRTY I remember eating dirt as a preschooler totally oblivious to the fact that it was, well, dirty. And, in the not-so-distant past, though I certainly washed my hands throughout the day, I rarely used disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. I would, I suppose, when I wasn’t near a faucet before digging into my French fries at lunchtime. But I certainly never did before grabbing and pushing a shopping cart at the grocery store.

Nowadays, most of us are on high alert for germs, and we think twice before touching anything on which nasty bacteria may be lurking.

But how do you know exactly where those germs are lurking? As it turns out, it may be places that you may not even consider.

•

•

•

•

•

Our workplaces are germ-filled minefields. We might want to carry a canister of wipes wherever we go, wiping down door handles, office equipment, telephones, and breakroom appliances whenever we touch them. Desktops are apparently the filthiest places in our offices, harboring 21,000 bacteria, viruses, and fungi per square inch.

That’s 400 times more than a toilet seat. A telephone is even worse with 25,000 germs per square inch.

At home, kitchens and bathrooms are the main areas germs thrive. A favorite haunt for E. coli, mold, salmonella and other bacteria: dish sponges — since they stay wet and moist. You can reduce the germs by microwaving the sponge for 30 seconds every five to six days.

Although I’m not a fan of scanning QR codes at restaurants to view their menus on my phone, I read once that restaurant menus (and salt and pepper shakers) are germ magnets (since they’re handled by so many but so rarely cleaned). I’m fine with forgoing menus. But if a restaurant does provide you with a menu, be sure you wash or sanitize your hands after you order and never lay your silverware on top of your menu.

When I’m at a restaurant, I usually plop my purse on the floor since I’ve heard purse snatchers can easily grab it if you hang it on your chair. But floors are dirty places so I need to remember to wipe the bag with mild soap or disinfectant every few days and let it air dry.

I mentioned shopping carts earlier. If there are cart wipes near where you grab the cart at the store, use them. Those cart handles could contain 11 million microorganisms! A swipe of a disinfectant wipe will kill nearly 100 percent of those germs.

Bottom line: Though we’ll never be able to avoid all germs we can be more vigilant about keeping them at bay. Disinfect, disinfect, disinfect!

EMILY SCHILLING Editor eschilling@indianaec.org

On the menu: June issue: Summer salads, deadline April

1. July issue: Fresh from the garden recipes, deadline April 1. If we publish your recipe on our food pages, we’ll send you a $10 gift card.

Giveaway: Enter to win a $30 gift card from The Mean Bean Bistro and Brew in Bremen. Enter the contest at indianaconnection.org/talk-to-us/contests.

Three ways to contact us: To send us recipes, photos, event listings, letters

and entries for gift drawings, please use the forms on our website indianaconnection.org; email info@indianaconnection.org; or send to Indiana Connection, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606.

VOLUME 71 • NUMBER 9 ISSN 0745-4651 • USPS 262-340 Published monthly by Indiana Electric Cooperatives Indiana Connection is for and about members of Indiana’s locally-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. It helps consumers use electricity safely and efficiently; understand energy issues; connect with their co-op; and celebrate life in Indiana. Over 304,000 residents and businesses receive the magazine as part of their electric co-op membership.

CONTACT US: 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600 Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606 317-487-2220 info@indianaconnection.org IndianaConnection.org INDIANA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES OFFICERS: Randy Kleaving President Steve McMichael Vice President Dr. Richard Leeper Secretary/Treasurer John Gasstrom CEO EDITORIAL STAFF: Emily Schilling Editor Richard George Biever Senior Editor Holly Huffman Communication Support Specialist Ellie Schuler Senior Digital and Layout Design Specialist Taylor Maranion Senior Brand and Visual Design Specialist Lauren Carman Communication Coordinator Chuck Snider Director of Communication and Creative Services Mandy Barth Vice President of Communication ADVERTISING: American MainStreet Publications Cheryl Solomon, local ad representative; 512-441-5200; amp.coop Crosshair Media 502-216-8537; crosshairmedia.net Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication.

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No portion of Indiana Connection may be reproduced without permission of the editor.

MARCH 2022

3

contents

MARCH

10

16

energy

food

03 FROM THE EDITOR

12 INSIGHTS

05 CO-OP NEWS Energy news and information from your electric cooperative.

14 COUNTY OF THE MONTH Spotlighting Jay County.

10 ENERGY

16 FOOD Potato chips: Out of the bag and into readers’ recipes.

Continuing to explore EVs.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Indiana Connection

20

26

cover story 18 INDIANA EATS Mean morning (and midday) meals at Mean Bean Bistro and Brew.

20 COVER STORY Keepers of the bees.

safety

24 H OOSIER ENERGY/ WABASH VALLEY NEWS 25 DIY Join the outdoor improvement boom.

26 SAFETY Be prepared for spring’s fickle foul weather.

On the cover A frame pulled from a beekeeper’s hive teems with honeybees — a sight to behold. But over the past 16 years, especially, honeybees and native Indiana pollinators have all faced challenges that threaten their survival that include widespread pesticide use, parasites, loss of habitat, and viruses that spread hive to hive.

PHOTO BY ESTHER BOSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

4

MARCH 2022

“This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

CARROLL WHITE REMC P.O. Box 599; Monticello, IN 47960 800-844-7161 (Toll Free) www.cwremc.coop MONTICELLO OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday DELPHI OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday EMAIL info@cwremc.coop CEO Cathy Raderstorf BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin M. Bender, 219-863-6652 4280 W, 700 N, Delphi

Margaret E. Foutch, 219-279-2677 7535 W, 500 S, Chalmers

Gary E. Gerlach, 574-595-7820 9833 S. Base Road, Star City

Kent P. Zimpfer, 765-479-3006 4672 E. Arrow Point Court, Battle Ground

Tina L. Davis, 219-204-2195 7249 W, 600 S, Winamac

Ralph H. Zarse, 219-863-6342 1535 S, 100 E, Reynolds

Aaron Anderson, 765-427-5592 6634 W, 300 S, Delphi

MISSION STATEMENT “Creatively enhancing our community through safety and service.”

Safety, Service, and Community IMPORTANT DATES Cycle 1 February bills are due March 5 and are subject to disconnect March 24 if unpaid. Cycle 2 February bills are due March 20 and are subject to disconnect April 12 if unpaid. Meters are read using the Automated Meter Reading system. Cycle 1 meters will be read on March 1. Cycle 2 meters will be read March 15.

Raderstorf

new REMC CEO

Carroll White REMC has a new CEO. Cathy Raderstorf, who had served as interim CEO since October 2021, officially stepped into her new role on Jan. 28. She takes the helm from Randy W. Price, who retired last fall.

“As we began the process of evaluating characteristics critical for a new CEO, it quickly became evident to our board that we had an outstanding internal candidate and needed to look no further,” said CW REMC Board President Kevin Bender.

“Cathy Raderstorf exhibits the strong leadership traits we were seeking,” Bender continued. “She communicates well with our team and is highly respected by her co-workers. She has a keen financial mind and our board is excited to have her lead CW REMC into the future.”

The Monticello resident joined White County REMC in 2002 as an accountant. In 2016, Raderstorf became Carroll White REMC’s chief operating officer. Previously, she worked in the financial field for a mortgage company, in the transportation industry, and in a CPA office.

A graduate of Twin Lakes High School, Raderstorf received an accounting degree from Ball State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

WHEN WAS YOUR COOLING SYSTEM LAST SERVICED? Schedule an annual tune-up so a qualified professional can check the amount of refrigerant, accuracy of the thermostat, condition of belts and motors and other factors that can greatly impact the efficiency of your system.

— U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ carrollwhite.remc

co-op news

“I am honored and excited about the opportunity to serve the members of Carroll White REMC in this CATHY RADERSTORF new capacity,” Raderstorf said.

“My goal is to continue to maintain and enhance the strong tradition of this cooperative. I think our mission statement says it well: Creatively enhancing our community through safety and service.”

Though Raderstorf is notably the coop’s first female CEO, she’d rather focus on the cooperative, not on herself.

“Whatever role I’ve had at REMC, I am used to working with a great team, and I will continue to use that synergy going forward,” she said. “If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do it the best you possibly can, and you hope others will catch the passion from you.”

Raderstorf serves on the National Information Solutions Cooperative advisory board and is member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Indiana Certified Accountants (IN CPA). Locally, she is a member of New Hope Lutheran Church and the Tri Kappa sorority.

She also serves on the White County Economic Development board.

GETTING TO KNOW CATHY RADERSTORF Raderstorf is the daughter

She and her husband,

She enjoys camping,

of Harold and Ruth

Rick, have two children

hiking, running and skiing

Erdmann.

– Megan (Bryan) Foley

as well as sewing and

and Lydia (Frank) Leach

baking.

— and one grandchild, JD Leach.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/cwremc

MARCH 2022

5

co-op news

GET TO KNOW two junior board members Carroll White REMC’s junior board of directors helps local students enhance their professional skills.

SARAH PADILLA

KENDRA SHEAGLEY

Padilla learns about business on the junior board Thanks to her involvement on Carroll

and a willingness to learn to the table,”

White REMC’s junior board of

she said.

Sheagley making the most of junior board experience

Padilla, who was born in Knox but

Though only 17, Kendra Sheagley

directors, Sarah Padilla is learning about career opportunities in the business field. She couldn’t be happier about her experience since she’s interested in pursuing a business career. “My biggest surprise of being on this board is the number of businesses we have visited and the number of careers that we have been introduced to as part of our learning

raised in Winamac, is active in her school’s National Honor Society and Sunshine Society. “I have helped the school and community through

When the Carroll County native

where the proceeds fund a cause,” she said. to attend a community college to

through first-hand accounts,” Padilla

about the junior board from past In the past eight months, Sheagley

to study abroad and obtain her bachelor’s degree.

Padilla, Padilla has three siblings:

professional setting.”

Beaker, 31; Karly, 29; and Ruby, 16.

In her free time, she enjoys sewing, baking and cooking.

also discovering what CW REMC is

has not only learned about Carroll White REMC, but the community as well. “I have learned that CW REMC is a not-for-profit organization that offers many different programs to get youth involved, such as the junior board of directors or the opportunity to be part of the Washington, D.C.,

all about through her junior board

(Youth Tour) trip,” the Carroll

experience. “I learned that CW REMC

Junior-Senior High School student

provides electrical services to rural

said. “What has surprised me most

communities and that they are very

serving on this board is the number

involved in the communities they

of opportunities we have so close

serve,” she said. Meanwhile, Padilla is

to us in our own community and

able to contribute her unique qualities

how helpful a program like this is.”

to the junior board. “I bring curiosity MARCH 2022

to try something new after hearing

to Indiana University South Bend

in the future when I am in a meeting or

6

in August 2021, she was anxious

members.

The daughter of Maria and Baltazar

Community High School student is

joined the junior board of directors

attain her prerequisites, then transfer

said. “This will continue to benefit me

The 17-year-old Winamac

so you might as well make the

for Riley and Sweets for a Sweetie,

junior board in 2020, said.

insight to many different careers

after all, is “You only have one life most of it.”

Following graduation, Padilla plans

already benefitted me by providing

to the fullest. Her life philosophy,

fundraisers, which includes Rocking

experience,” Padilla, who joined the “Being a junior board member has

is already to committed to living life

Padilla, center, with her nieces and sister.

co-op news Sheagley believes being on the junior

volunteered for events

board will benefit her with college

in the community

applications. And, since the junior

including Burlington’s

board visits many local businesses,

Christmas event

she knows her involvement is a huge

and annual Easter

plus as she contemplates a future

egg hunt. She works

career. In turn, she says she is an

at the Burlington

asset to junior board because, “when

Scoop during its open

given a task, I always complete it

season which starts

on time to the best of my ability,”

in April.

Sheagley said.

After graduation,

In addition to serving on the junior

Sheagley plans to

board of directors, Sheagley

attend college and

participates in swimming and tennis,

major in agricultural

and manages the boys’ tennis team.

business or finance.

Her other extra curricular activities include band, FFA and the National Honor Society.

As a member of the Burlington

Sheagley was named Miss Congeniality at the Burlington Fall Festival Queen contest. She’s shown here with her family.

“I spend most of my

Nathan and Amy Sheagley; sister Ali,

free time with friends and family,”

27; brother Brenton, almost 15; and

Sheagley, who lives in Bringhurst,

brother Braedon, almost 12.

said. Her family consists of parents

Fall Festival Queen court, she has

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7

co-op news

Operation Round Up starts new year with grant distributions and officer elections Carroll White REMC’s Operation Round Up board hit the ground running at its first quarterly meeting of 2022. Not only were new board officers elected, grants totaling $10,875 were awarded to eight non-profit organizations in our service territory.

Kristin Miller was elected 2022 Operation Round Up chair. Other officers elected were Kathy Leman, vice chair; Kathy Zink, secretary; and Paula Westfall, treasurer.

The largest grant this cycle — $5,000 — goes to the Friends of the Panhandle Parkway, Inc., which develops, manages and maintains the Panhandle Pathway, the former rail corridor between Winamac and Kenneth, Indiana.

KRISTIN MILLER

KATHY LEMAN

and run through Indiana east to

Tippecanoe River State Park and

west.

south in Cass County to France Park.

“To do this, we need to provide matching funds and show local support for this project,” said grant writer John Bawcum.

Approximately $590,000 has been pledged in match funding so far.

“Our goal is to secure additional pledges and donations of approximately $160,000,” Bawcum

through Pulaski and Cass counties.

said. “The larger the match, the

Following the historic rail path of

better are our chances are of

the Pennsylvania Railroad Line

securing the NLT state grant.”

areas, the beginning of the Wabash Valley and across the Tippecanoe River, the Panhandle Pathway provides memorable views of farmland and a dedicated prairie preserve. It is ideal for walking, hiking, running, biking and skating and serves as an outdoor learning opportunity for area schools.

Bawcum notes the project will not only benefit residents of Pulaski, Cass and surrounding counties, but those from throughout the state and Midwest region. Longdistance bicyclists from other parts of the country would also enjoy the pathway. “Currently, we are only one mile from connecting with the Wabash River Greenway project

Friends of the Panhandle Parkway,

and seven miles from connecting

Inc., is in the process of securing a

the North Judson Erie Trail, a part

$3 million Next Level Trails grant

of the American Discover Trail

through the state. The grant would

and the Great American Rail-Trail,”

extend the Panhandle Pathway

Bawcum said. These trails connect

8

MARCH 2022

PAULA WESTFALL

north in Pulaski County toward the

The 22-mile rail-trail corridor runs

through farmland, shaded wooded

KATHY ZINK

Other grants distributed in the first quarter included: Twin Lakes Robotics: The Twin Lakes Robotics team is set to attend its first competition of the season and its $2,000 grant will help defray costs. The competition, in Columbus, Indiana, requires a two-night stay for 25 students and six adult mentors. “Attending a competition,” grant writer Patrick Yoder said, “provides students with an opportunity to experience a competitive environment outside the classroom.

“This builds camaraderie as a team, as they learn through cooperative competition and real-time problem solving,” Yoder continued.

“Students use this opportunity to network and bring learned skills back to their classroom and community, spreading knowledge through ongoing outreach.” Twin Lakes Robotics encourages technologically savvy, but sometimes shy, students to CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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MARCH 2022

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The deadline to enter artwork in the Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest is March 18.

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First place winners in grade divisions kindergarten through grade 12 will each receive $200. Their winning artworks will illustrate the calendar’s cover and the 12 months of the year. One “artist of the year” will also be selected and will earn an additional $100. In addition, the judges will select honorable mention winners whose artwork will also appear in the calendar. They will receive $75 each.

The contest is open to Indiana public, private or home-schooled students.

They must be in grades kindergarten through 12th grade during the 2021-22 school year. A complete set of rules and required entry forms are available at indianaconnection.org/for-youth/art-contest.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ENJOYS THE MAGAZINE

Painting the town Send us your mural photos for June feature

Our June issue will focus on photos of murals taken by you, our readers! Do you have a favorite mural in your hometown that you marvel at whenever you see it?

Is there a mural that best represents your hometown’s or state’s spirit? The murals can be painted either indoors or outdoors.

When submitting your photo, please indicate where the mural is located and include any background information you may have about the mural and what you like most about it.

Submit your photo by April 15. If we publish your photo, we will send you a $50 check. One randomly selected submission will also receive $50. Our address: Indiana Connection, Murals, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240. You can also send us your photo online at indianaconnection.org/painting-the-town.

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MARCH 2022

I just wanted to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoy this publication! I look forward to receiving it each month and save many of the stories, recipes, and travel destinations. So many of the stories are heartfelt and inspirational. Who knew that I would be crying when reading a magazine from my electric cooperative! Thank you and your staff for all that you do to make the magazine possible!

Laura Duwel, via email

SETTING THE EV RECORD STRAIGHT I want to set the record straight about the article on electric vehicles in the January issue. I am an engineer in the IC engine and power industry and this article does not represent the facts. The biggest issue I see with the article is that it failed to mention the efficiencies associated with the coal-fired power plant. This ranges anywhere between 33-35% according to multiple sources (i.e. 65% or more of the energy is lost in the process).

There are also electrical transmission and distribution losses. For the state of Indiana, these losses average around 6%.

Also, the modern automobile internal combustion engines average around 30-35% efficiency (not 20% as stated in the article). Finally, coal has one of the highest CO2 emissions per BTU of energy released (from burning). If you take all this into account, a car engine operating on gasoline actually emits almost half the CO2 compared to an EV deriving all its power from coal.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am a huge fan of EVs. The message just needs to be clear that we need to focus on renewable forms of electrical energy like solar, wind, hydro-electric and nuclear.

Joe Reynolds, Memphis, Indiana

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county feature

Jay County Jay County, which sits along on Indiana’s eastern edge with Ohio, is a portal into significant passages of Indiana geography, history, and culture. To name three: The Wabash River. Indiana’s official state river enters Indiana through Jay County. The river’s origin is just over the state line, and the Wabash meekly flows in along Jay County’s northeastern corner, south of the tiny burg of New Corydon. Then, the river draws a wide inverted “J” shape as it loops some 500 miles around the state — upward and westward through northern Indiana and then sharply southward to form the state’s southwestern border with Illinois.

Two-thirds of the state’s landmass lies within its watershed.

The Salamonie River, a tributary of the Wabash, originates near Salamonia in southeastern Jay County and flows northwestwardly into Blackford County before joining the Wabash River in Wabash County.

Native Americans. Jay County is home to the National Center for Great Lakes Native American Culture. NCGLNAC is not-for-profit organization whose mission is to continue and preserve traditional Great Lakes Native American art, history, and culture by passing those traditions on to Native people and educating the general public about its importance.

The area was home to Woodlands peoples and is within traditional Miami territory. Nineteen years ago, the Jay County Fair Board donated 30 acres of wooded land north of the county fairgrounds in Portland to NCGLNAC. The site includes a

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cleared grassy area, a variety of woods and wetlands, and a small lake.

Though it is not developed, an ambitious master plan for the site includes a cultural center.

In the meantime, NCGLNAC continues hosting an annual gathering of Native American nations at the Tri-State Antique Gas Engine and Tractor Association Grounds, which are adjacent to the county fairgrounds. The pow wow is scheduled for June 11-12. On April 2-3, NCGLNAC hosts Cultural Arts Classes Session 1 at the Lions Civic Center in Portland. Session 2 will be May 21-22.

Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve.

Said to be named for the original Miami word for “stinking river,” Loblolly is 440-acre restored wetland in northern Jay County that was once was part of the large Limberlost Swamp. The swamp covered some 13,000 acres straddling the JayAdams county line just south of the Wabash River.

The swamp attracted international attention in the early 1900s thanks to Hoosier writer, photographer, and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter. She visited the swamp from her nearby home in Geneva to photograph and write about the Limberlost’s flora and fauna. Discovery of oil and natural gas in the area, along with the desire to increase farmland, led to the draining of the swamp at the very

Jay County is home to the 19th Annual Jay County Fiber Arts Festival, March 11-12 in Portland. Learn more at fiberarts.visitjaycounty.com.

County Facts FOUNDED: 1835

NAMED FOR: John Jay, co-author of The Federalist Papers, Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation, and first Chief Justice of the United States. It is the only county in the United States named for Jay. POPULATION: 20,478 (2020 estimate) COUNTY SEAT: Portland INDIANA COUNTY NUMBER: 38

time Stratton-Porter was using it as the backdrop to her beloved novels.

In the early 1990s, the land for Loblolly was purchased from five different landowners who entered their land into the Wetland Reserve Program and work began to restore parts of the historic wetland. The return of the natural habitat has brought a resurgence of the natural insects, birds, and wildlife to the restored area. It helps complete the story of Stratton-Porter that begins at her Geneva home, an Indiana State Historic Site. Writing about the wetland restoration and Stratton-Porter in the March 2020 of Smithsonian Magazine, Kathryn Aalto, a historian and educator, noted the “the greatest tribute to her by far is the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve.”

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food

POTATO CHIP BROWNIES Kathi Tooley, Berne, Indiana

2 sticks butter, melted 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 t. vanilla 1 cup flour 1 t. baking powder 3 T. cocoa powder 1 cup potato chips, broken into pieces 1 cup milk chocolate chips

F O O D P R E PA R E D B Y IN D IAN A C ON N E C TION S TA FF P HO TOS BY TAY L OR MA R A N ION

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MARCH 2022

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9-by-13-inch pan.

Line with parchment paper. Combine melted butter with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate is melted. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Fold in flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.

Spread half of brownie batter into the pan. Top with potato chips. Spoon remaining batter over the potato chips. Bake 45-50 minutes. Cool. Melt the milk chocolate chips. Drizzle over the cooled brownies.

(If desired, you could sprinkle more potato chips on top at this point.) Refrigerate until firm (20 minutes).

Cut into squares.

food POTATO CHIPS: OUT OF THE BAG AND INTO READERS’ RECIPES

Chip Chip-Hooray!

POTATO CHIP COOKIES

Alberta Millikan, Plymouth, Indiana

1 cup brown sugar

2⅔ cups flour

1 cup white sugar

1 t. baking soda

1⅓ cups butter (2 sticks plus 5 T.)

2 cups crushed potato chips

2 eggs

2 cups butterscotch chips

2 t. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla, then add rest of ingredients. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 F.

HOT HAM SALAD

Doris Ann Kahlert, Berne, Indiana 3 cups diced ham

½ cup sweet pickle relish

2 t. minced onion

2 t. prepared mustard

¾ cup mayonnaise

1 cup diced celery

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 T. lemon juice

¼ t. salt

1 cup crushed potato chips

¼ t. pepper Combine all ingredients except potato chips. Place in a casserole dish.

Sprinkle potato chips on top. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes at 425 F. Yield: 8 servings.

MARCH 2022

17

Indiana eats

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When it comes to “brews,” choose between a variety of popular coffee styles and flavors, including plain

Everyone from the hungriest eaters

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ABOUT STATE SEN. RYAN MISHLER: Sen. Ryan Mishler has represented District 9, which includes Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, in the Indiana Senate since 2004. He chairs the Appropriations Committee and also serves on the Health and Provider Services, the Tax and Fiscal Policy and the State Budget committees. Mishler is president of both Mishler Funeral Homes and Bremen Monument Company. He serves on the Bremen and Kosciusko County chambers of commerce and is a member of the American Legion Post 191, the Masonic Lodge 414, the Scottish Rite of South Bend, and the United Methodist Church.

s e Be

KEEPERS OF THE

Protecting pollinators is rewarded with bountiful harvests and honey

BY RICHARD G. BIEVER

P HO TO S BY ES T H E R B OSTON P H OTOGR A P H Y

Between a drought and a lack of pollinators, the Community Share Gardens at Lebanon’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church had little harvest to share in 2013. But help soon came from above — on the wings of … not a snow white dove … but honeybees.

From the church’s small but active congregation (weekly attendance is 30-some adults and children), two parishioners in particular, Chuck and Sandy Dailey, looked into what could improve the then 2-year-old garden ministry. The husband and wife team of now-retired Rolls-Royce engineers spent 2014 researching options, including beekeeping. By the spring of 2015, the St. Peter’s Apiary ministry was born. Chuck Dailey, now the ministry’s senior and a certified master beekeeper, has overseen up to nine hives on the church’s 8-acre grounds.

“Once we got the bees, our gardens became so much more,” Dailey said.

“The harvest is so much better.”

But he noted honeybees don’t pollinate everything. By making their

gardens safe for their honeybees — by practicing natural pest control methods and no longer spraying pesticides — it also brought back native pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies. “The native pollinators have really been bountiful because of our honeybees.”

The cornucopia the church began producing on half-acre plots and raised beds allowed the church to share its wealth of produce with the larger Boone County community, and beyond. Produce went to the food pantry run by St. Joseph’s, the Catholic church in Lebanon. Produce went to the Shalom House, a Saturday soup kitchen in town for seniors. And through beekeeping, St. Peter’s also connected with the Indiana Black Farmers Co-op.

Members of the cooperative grow gardens where they can in Indianapolis for those living in Indy’s food deserts where fresh healthy produce is harder to come by. Four groups from the co-op accepted an offer from St. Peter’s in 2020 to come north to Boone County to farm a halfacre plot the church provided. They then take the produce they grow there back to the markets in Indy.

“We’ve been really trying to expand our ‘Care of Creation’ ministry,” Dailey, 63, noted. “That is taking watch over what we’ve been given and being good stewards of the earth and everything that we have.” continued on next page MARCH 2022

19

continued from page 19

Plight of the humble bees Honeybees play essential roles in pollinating plants that humans and animals rely on for food. Declines in bee populations — including 20% of honeybee colonies per year in Indiana — threaten that food supply.

Insecticide exposure, loss of flowering plants and nesting habitats, disease and parasites like varroa mites, and poor hive maintenance are all factors in the decline.

The national media has been abuzz with the plight of honeybees on and off for some 16 years. Dubbed “Colony Collapse Disorder” in 2006, the syndrome includes widespread honeybee deaths and the mysterious abandonment of hives by worker bees. Since then, much research has been directed at honeybees that help pollinate three quarters of the grown food we consume.

Overall, the number of honeybees kept in the United States has been declining since 1950. The Department of Agriculture said there were some 5.6 million honey-producing colonies then. Today, there are around 2.8 million. In Indiana, it’s estimated there are currently over 6,000 honeyproducing colonies.

Most colonies will have around 60,000 bees which include the workers we most often see gathering the nectar, the male drones that mate with the queen, and the one queen who lays the eggs.

While culturally honeybees appear everywhere symbolizing natural goodness — from breakfast cereals to perfume to even alcohol (mead) — most people who slather golden honey across their breakfast biscuit or drop a dollop in their midday tea may not realize that honeybees are not native to North America. They are imports from Europe. The first colonists

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MARCH 2022

P H OTO C OU RTESY O F ST. PETER’ S EPI SCO PAL CHURCH

Children from the summer Caring Hands Camp suited up to get a close up look at beekeeping at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lebanon. The camp is an annual program of the Boys and Girls Club of Boone County.

brought domesticated honeybees with them in the early 1600s for the natural sugar and the wax they provide.

analysis, 28% of North America’s 47 bumblebee species “face some level of extinction risk.”

The plight of the honeybee is real, but honeybees are hardly at risk of extinction. “They’re not a native species. So, they’ll never be an ‘endangered species’ in the United States,” said Kathleen Prough, chief apiary inspector with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. “In Europe they can be but not here.”

They don’t get the media attention, but native pollinators — bumblebees, butterflies, hummingbirds — also pollinate plants that grow into the fruits and vegetables we eat. And some of the same issues affecting honeybees, especially pesticides, is affecting native pollinators. Many, like bumblebees, nest in the ground. Any pesticide on the ground can kill them.

In fact, more honeybees are on the planet today than at any time in history noted Alison McAfee, a honeybee researcher at North Carolina State University, writing in Scientific American. “For some reason, maybe because they are small, honeybees are not generally viewed as the massively distributed livestock animal that they are.”

Scientists, meanwhile, know little about the population status of most indigenous bees. Data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature indicates that many species are declining. Of particular concern: bumblebees. According to a 2015

“The biggest thing I tell people,” Prough said, “is if you plant flowers, the more native flowers you plant the better because they’ll attract native bees. And the honeybees will show up, as well.”

She also noted a large variety of native flowering bushes and trees that attract both honeybees and native pollinators.

For folks interested in becoming a beekeeper, Prough, 60, who is retiring this month from the DNR, suggests connecting with other beekeepers at their local meetings. “Talk to the beekeepers, go out with a beekeeper

into their hives,” she said. “You have got to get used to bees flying around you. That freaks some people out even with a hat and veil.”

Healing power of bees “The Keeper of the Bees” was the last work of famed Hoosier writer and naturalist Gene Stratton-Porter. Published originally as a magazine series shortly after her December 1924 death in a vehicle accident, the story was pollinated with her common theme of nature’s power. The piece spoke of reconciliation and healing for a wounded World War I veteran, an aging ailing beekeeper and a precocious child who come together through beekeeping.

Stratton-Porter seemed to foreshadow how beekeeping would come to be used to heal the afflicted. Veterans suffering PTSD, people with all kinds of physical and mental conditions find relief in bees. “They’re getting veterans into beekeeping because once you get in the hive, you just calm right down,” Prough explained. “You don’t want to be super hyper when you’re in the hive because the bees will know. You just calm down and just go slow and watch the bees.”

Ross Harding, 36, an Indianapolis-area beekeeper who makes his living keeping bees and selling the honey, noted humans and honeybees have been working together since the days of the Old Testament. “It’s a special relationship we’ve had for thousands of years, a long, long time. So, there’s all this folklore about people talking to bees, and how statistically beekeepers live longer …. It’s weird ... it’s like that all across the world,” he said.

The ancient Greeks spoke of a special healing power in bees. And Harding noted “apitherapy” — that uses honey, pollen, bee secretions like “royal jelly,” and bee venom — is a thriving alternative medicine for many people in the U.S. Apitherapy is considered a traditional medicine in some parts of Europe and Asia.

stewards of the Hives and the earth It’s apropos that the apiary at St. Peter’s has become a ministry. St. Peter’s likes to note that most all churches offer coffee and doughnuts. But what other churches can offer coffee, doughnuts, and honey — especially honey that’s harvested on the church grounds? continued on next page

YOUR PERFECT LAWN COULD BE KILLING POLLINATORS Once upon a time, running barefoot through the yard meant treading carefully for fear of stepping on a bee making its way from one flowering white clover to the next and getting stung.

And there was a time kids put dandelion and clover flowers into old jelly or peanut butter jars and then caught honeybees. They’d watch the bees up close and hear them buzz around next to their ear for a bit before opening the lid and letting them fly away.

Throughout much of suburbia and even down country lanes, those are cherished memories younger generations never experienced. That’s because at some time between “once upon” and now, Americans started spending $75 billion a year for the perfect lawn. But in getting rid of clover and dandelions, we also rid our yards of honeybees and native pollinators.

While those flowering “weeds” may be unsightly to you, it’s important to remember they’re food to bees and other pollinators, said Doug Richmond, a professor of turfgrass entomology and applied ecology for Purdue’s College of Agriculture. He joined other researchers studying the impact lawn care practices have on pollinators several years ago. These researchers created a pollinator-friendly guide for lawn care that includes:

Wait until May or June to apply pesticides if you need to use them at all. Early-season pollinators and colonies of bees are still recovering from winter stress in March and April.

Use granular formulations of insecticides, which fall to the ground and avoid direct contamination of flowering portions of blooming plants.

If you must spray, mow first to remove the flowers and the presence of pollinators.

Establish plots of diverse, pollinator-friendly native plants that bloom from early spring to fall. Check with your local Master Gardeners for ideas on what to plant.

Source: Purdue University

MARCH 2022

21

Ross Harding looks over a frame of bees pulled from a hive. Harding, a professional beekeeper for about 10 years, cares for hives around urban and suburban Indianapolis.

He sells the honey he collects to numerous restaurants and venues.

PHO TO BY ESTHER BO STO N PHO TO G RAPHY

continued from page 21 Dailey noted that while honey is a beneficial byproduct, “Our main focus is teaching beekeeping.”

Last year, the ministry welcomed over 200 individuals, adults and children, who visited its hives to learn about the importance of pollinators. “We suit them up and take them in,” he said.

The church offers regular tours of the apiary twice a month. But if someone just stops by the church, Dailey said he and Sandy, who live nearby, are there about every day tending the hives or working in the gardens.

Dailey is also the education chair for The Beekeepers of Indiana. With local groups all around the state, the association brings beekeepers and those interested in beekeeping together to share information and insights. Dailey regularly gives talks across the state on beekeeping, including at the Indiana State Fair.

In the meantime, St. Peter’s developed another new ministry — “The Harvest House Community Center” — led by Sandy Dailey, a certified master gardener.

In an 800-square-foot teaching kitchen beside the church, the

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MARCH 2022

Daileys and a member of the Boone County Master Gardeners lead young people from the community through activities based on the Junior Master Gardeners curriculum. They teach the basics of gardening, the need for pollinators, and basic canning and food preparation techniques. The food grown by the youth at the church is either used by the youth themselves or donated to local food pantries.

“And so we’re trying to be good stewards, we try to be good teachers,” said Dailey.

And the church tries to be good neighbors, too. A bottle of honey is given every year to those who live alongside the church. “A lot of them grow fruit trees and different vegetables and things,” Dailey said.

“That’s just more food sources our bees have.”

pollinators back … back here, anyway.

Bumblebees are huge here. They’re probably one of the hardest working pollinators.”

The Care of Creation ministry uses pollinators as a teaching tool to youngsters about the fragile balance in the greater circle of life. And Dailey said the humble honeybee and other pollinators highlight humankind’s role.

“We’re placed here to leave the earth better than we found it,” he said. “I have my ‘Masters Certification’ in beekeeping, but we’re placed here as stewards, not as masters. And not just honeybees, but native bees. They’re all important to us because our food source really depends on these guys.”

Richard G. Biever is senior editor of Indiana Connection.

Was it just honeybees that turned St. Peter’s gardens around after that one rough harvest in 2013?

For more information about beekeeping, visit The Beekeepers of Indiana website: indianabeekeeper.com.

“No,” Dailey said. “It was a combination of honeybees and being very conscientious about what we do.

Our realization that ‘hey, stop putting stuff on plants that kills pollinators’ has really brought our native

For more information about St. Peter’s Apiary Ministry and the other “Care of Creation” ministries at the Boone County church, visit churchthatgrows.org/.

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Wabash Valley Power news

Hardened House: Unique alternative to traditional wood framing offers several advantages for homeowners

Noble REMC energy advisor Brian Hawk worked with high school students pouring concrete in a project that taught even him valuable lessons.

Hawk helped the students set forms and pour a basement using insulated concrete forms (ICF). ICF blocks are made from a foam exterior with rebar placed on the inside, which has connective plastic webs, before concrete is poured in between. The concrete dries and the blocks together form the exterior structure walls.

While ICF has existed for decades, it has gained attention in recent years from people building more energy efficient structures.

Also, as lumber prices skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, some

24

MARCH 2022

people have considered ICF as an alternative to traditional framing.

“They are a lot more versatile than what contractors are willing to find out,” said Hawk, who worked with a vocational program in Noble County to pour the concrete into the ICF forms. “That’s probably why I geek out so much over them. If a high school team can put it together, why aren’t more experienced contractors doing this?”

By combining a foam exterior with concrete, ICF has a more consistent – and frequently higher – R-value than traditional framing, which can allow for more heat transfer than ICF (the greater the R-value, the greater ability to keep conditioned air where you

want it). ICF’s R-value can mean lower costs to heat and cool the home while keeping occupants comfortable during extreme weather.

“It has definitely gained more attention,” Hawk said of ICF. “More and more homeowners are demanding efficiency when they build a new home.”

The ICF system is comprised of blocks that can be “formed” over several days – less time than traditional framing processes. The concrete walls also will not have the same moisture issues as wood framing, which can lead to a more resilient structure that will last for decades, Hawk said.

He has seen several homes built with ICF, including one

in Northeast Indiana as part of the Power Moves Home program. Homes in the program are at least 20 percent more efficient than traditional homes, and come with an energy efficiency report and HERS score, as well as a heating and cooling cost guarantee.

“We have seen multiple ICF homes in the last few years,” said Dan Phillips, senior analyst of grid innovation and energy efficiency at Wabash Valley Power Alliance, which administers the Power Moves Home program. “The advantages that ICF brings make it very appealing, and new homeowners incorporating ICF into their new homes have been pleased with the results.”

co-op news CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 work on their presentation and

North White, Eastlawn,

communication skills. “An onsite

Meadowlawn and

presentation is an excellent way to

Oaklawn Elementary

hone and refine those skills,” Yoder

schools. “Through a

said.

series of five volunteer-

Star City Lions Club: Thanks to a $1,000 grant, the Star City Lions Club will be able to help replace the roof on the Community Building at Star City Park. “The Star City Lions Club has committed funds to the project as has the Van Buren Township trustee,” wrote grant

led sessions,” wrote grant writer Bo KuzeeBaumis, “students will learn how to become better members of the community while participating in handson activities.”

Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD):

writer Kathleen Thompson. The

Monon Town and Township

“SWCD sponsors Earth Day in

building is used, on an average,

Public Library: The Monon Town

Carroll County for 2nd grade

once a week. Several groups have

and Township Public Library will

students and Arbor Day activities

regular meetings in the building,

use its $500 grant to help start

for preschoolers,” grant writer

including two 4-H clubs.

a new and innovative type of

Rhonda R. Hicks said. With its

community library. “This would be

$175 grant, the SWCD will be able

a collection of items that people

to distribute oak trees for these

may occasionally need to use,

celebration days.

Junior Achievement Serving Carroll County: A $1,000 grant was awarded to Junior Achievement, Carroll County to assist in funding the Spring Elementary School curriculum at Carroll and Delphi Elementary schools. “The Junior Achievement Our Community program will be taught to second-

but don’t own themselves,” wrote grant writer Austin Stroud, library director. “Items such as hedge trimmers, rakes, lawnmowers, flower seeds, vegetable seeds, a tool

For more information about Operation Round Up, visit www.cwremc.coop. Grant applications are also available online.

set, or leaf blowers will be included.

grade students,” wrote Bo Kuzee-

“The library has been working on

Baumis, grant writer. “Students

ways to adapt, grow and better

learn how citizens benefit from

meet the needs of the community,”

and contribute to a community’s

Stroud said. The library also plans

success. Various jobs and their

to include board games, flash

required skills are identified to

drives, travel and hiking backpacks,

demonstrate how the work people

to name a few of the suggested

do positively affects a community’s

items in this new endeavor.

economy.”

West Central After Prom: With

Junior Achievement Serving

its $200 grant,“the After Prom

White County: A $1,000 grant was

Committee will provide a safe,

awarded to Junior Achievement

controlled and fun event for

Serving White County to help

students who attend the West

support the spring elementary

Central Prom,” wrote grant writer

school curriculum at Frontier,

Sara Kroft.

FROM THE BOARDROOM The Carroll White REMC board of directors met on Jan. 28. Roll call was taken, and minutes of the previous board meeting were approved.

CEO Cathy Raderstorf reviewed the financial report and the Carroll County REMC Holding Company report. She also presented a new EDR-4 rate which the board approved. The board then voted on and approved the outstanding balances as of Dec. 31, 2021, on CW REMC electric accounts be charged off to the Reserve for Uncollectible Accounts.

Reports were given for Indiana Electric Cooperatives, Wabash Valley Power Alliance and Cooperative Finance Corporation, as well as each department giving its monthly information.

MARCH 2022

25

safety

BE PREPARED FOR SPRING’S FICKLE FOUL WEATHER

TIPS FOR SAFELY CLEANING UP AFTER A STORM •

Wear proper safety material.

As you are cleaning up, wear proper protection to prevent injury. Work gloves, safety

S

pring is a fickle season that brings nature’s renewal of buds and blooms to the trees and fields and also brings dark, powerful rolling storms that can wreak havoc. From 2016 through 2020, the National Weather Service recorded 28 deaths, 133 injuries and over $64 million in property and crop damage from weather events in Indiana alone.

Weather disasters can occur yearround, but most of the worst storms Indiana receives come in the spring.

“While not all damage can be prevented, being prepared can minimize damage and reduce injury or death,” said John Gasstrom, CEO of Indiana Electric Cooperatives.

Here are some tips from your electric cooperative for staying safe before and after a storm hits.

BEFORE THE STORM • Make sure your cell phone is charged. Consider purchasing an external battery charger for your phone to charge it without electricity.

• Have a battery-operated radio available so you can stay updated on the latest weather watches and warnings.

• Unplug appliances and other electrical items, such as computers.

Damage can occur from power surges caused by nearby lightning strikes.

26

glasses, heavy-duty work shirt

• Have an emergency kit ready and create a family communication plan.

with long sleeves, work pants, and steel-toe work boots are a good idea if you are clearing large amounts of broken,

FOLLOWING THE STORM • If you are driving and come upon fallen power lines, turn around.

Never drive over or around fallen lines.

splintered or sharp debris.

•

Always assume a downed power line is live. Downed

• If a downed power line falls on your vehicle, stay in the vehicle.

Call 911. Exit only if your life is in immediate danger from a fire or other reason. Then, jump clear of your vehicle being certain to never touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time; then shuffle away keeping your feet together at all times.

• While checking for damage outside your home, be aware of hazards from exposed nails, broken glass, and broken tree branches dangling on other limbs.

Stay away from power lines.

power lines pose a particularly dangerous threat in areas where individuals are clearing fallen trees and branches from roads and lawns. Let the professionals handle this job. It’s not worth the risk. If you see a downed power line that is sparking or on fire, call your electric utility immediately.

•

Stay away from damaged buildings or structures. If a building has been subjected

• To avoid the chance of a fire or explosion, use a flashlight, instead of a candle or torch, to inspect your home in the dark.

to flood waters or high winds,

• Since downed power lines could still be energized, do not touch them or any objects in contact with them. Call 911 to report the downed lines.

until professionals can

When the spring storms arrive, know how to keep yourself, your family and your property safe from harm during severe weather.

it may not be structurally safe.

It’s best to stay away from these types of structures assess the extent of the damage.

•

Never operate gasoline-powered equipment indoors.

Gas engines emit carbon monoxide — an odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas you should never breathe.

MARCH 2022

There's more to 811 than

SUBMITTING A TICKET You know you need to contact 811 before you dig—but did you know that there is much more to safe digging than that, and contacting 811 is just the first step?

Quick 811 Spring Tips: • Submit your free locate request at Indiana811.org at least two full working days before you plan to start digging for your spring projects.

• Working days are every day except Saturday, Sunday, and state and national holidays.

• If a contractor is needed for the project, request they contact Indiana 811 before they start digging.

• It’s fast, easy and free.

As always, please follow the Five Steps to Safe Digging:

PLAN YOUR PROJECT

CONTACT INDIANA 811

Follow us for damage prevention news and tips. @IN811

Indiana 811

WAIT FOR THE MARKS

CONFIRM THE MARKS

DIG WITH CARE