Wild Ones, Gibson Woods Chapter Business Meetings are held via Zoom
on the first or second Wednesday evening of each month (unless otherwise noted).
Educational Presentations are at 10:00 a.m. the first Saturday of the Month
(unless otherwise noted).
Typically held at Gibson Woods Environmental Awareness Center
6201 Parrish Avenue, Hammond, IN 46323.
Phone 219-844-3188
Garden Tool Sharpening – with Dave Dornberg
Open to the Public
In-person & via Zoom
Saturday, February 7th, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Gibson Woods, 6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN 46323
Wild Ones member, Dave Dornberg, will be presenting a special session to help you get your small garden tools ready for the upcoming spring season. He will be demonstrating the technique for you to observe. After his demonstration, you will have the chance to practice sharpening your tools while receiving guidance from Dave to ensure you are doing it correctly and safely. NOTE: Dave will not be doing any tool sharpening for you.
To get ready for the session, Dave has provided a list of recommended items and where you can purchase them. Additionally, there are two great YouTube tutorial videos that show using the flat file and Corona carbide tool. Don’t forget to bring a pair of gloves, safety glasses, and either one hand pruner or one lopper of your choice. You will also need two flat files or the Corona tool.
Dave Dornberg recently retired after nearly 40 years as an IT professional. He has a passion for nature photography, organic vegetable gardening with 14 raised beds and practices regenerative soil techniques. He actively supports organizations such as the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Shirley Heinze Land Trust and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. He has sharpened kitchen knives and garden tools as long as he has gardened and now enjoys sharing that knowledge with fellow gardeners.
The Wild Mile- ‘Re-Wilding’ – an old Industrial Canal
in the Chicago River – with Phil Nicodemus
Open to the Public
In-person & via Zoom
Saturday, March 7th, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Gibson Woods, 6201 Parrish Ave, Hammond, IN 46323
The Chicago River, like many urban waterways, has been significantly altered over the decades to support industry and commerce, at the expense of nature and public access. At Goose Island, along the river’s north branch, the opportunity to create a new, river-centric park is growing as ‘The Wild Mile’, a mile long former industrial canal that is being transformed into a floating urban wildlife oasis. Using floating walkways flanked by man-made wetlands, we can take advantage of underutilized space, and help bring life back into the heart of the city, giving residents a chance to make new and meaningful connections to nature.
Phil is the Research Director at Urban Rivers, who’s work on the river started even before the non profit existed, assisting one of the co-founders with his master’s thesis work all the way back in 2013. His role at the organization is to investigate the ways in which artificial habitats support river ecosystems, and explore new methods to enhance restoration, even in very urban environments. Phil is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Northeastern Illinois University where he studied ecology, and has previously worked for the Illinois Natural History Survey, Shedd Aquarium, and Chicago Botanic Garden.