Steve Cosman of Schererville holds his hat full of pins collected in Indiana State Parks as part of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Explore program.
Steve Cosman’s State Park map and notebook document his travels to 35 state park properties.
Indiana State Parks’ Explore program brochure allows participants to track their activities in each of 35 parks, reservoirs, forests, and fishing and wildlife areas.
Steve Cosman of Schererville recently completed the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ exploration pen program, which requires activity on 35 state park lots.
Christine Bryant Times correspondent
Every needle that is just below the crown of his hat tells a story.
Designed with drawings of eagles, kayakers, hikers, rolling hills, and more, each pin represents an Indiana state park that Steve Cosman visited.
A nature lover, Cosman and his wife, Kimberly, always made it a point to visit at least some of the many parks that Indiana has to offer across the state. But when he retired, he saw an opportunity to take on a challenge – visited all of Indiana state parks.
At that point, he began planning his trip to visit every corner of the state with the aim of completing the Explore-Pin program, an initiative by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that encourages residents of the state to visit and Learn more about what makes each of the state’s parks and reservoirs specifically.
To earn a pin, a person must meet five requirements: participating in an interpretation program or doing a self-guided activity when no program is available; Walk, cycle or paddle on park paths for at least 30 minutes; participate in a site-specific activity assigned by the park; do one hour of volunteering; and report to the interpreting scientist or staff member how the volunteer time benefited property and person.
Once attendees complete all five, they can purchase a $ 2 lapel pin.
