A native of Chicago's Southeast Side, Munster resident Jim Taylor remembers what it was like to fish and ride his bike at Wolf Lake as a child.

"It's right in our own backyard," he said. "It's not like you have to travel 100 miles to go somewhere where there's some incredible nature."

Taylor and his stepdaughter, Payton Preboy, were among those who attended the seventh annual Wolf Lake Bi-State Wetlands, Wind & Water Festival this weekend. The free fest continues today on the Chicago and Hammond sides of the lake.

It is sponsored by the Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative, a nonprofit group that seeks cooperation between Illinois and Indiana in matters of preserving Wolf Lake and the 3,500 different species of plants and wildlife that call it home.

"The purpose of the festival is to promote Wolf Lake as a bi-state lake," said Michael Boos, AWLI executive director. "It's a good event because it gets kids out of the house and outdoors."

Eleven-year-old Payton came to the lake on the Chicago side early Saturday morning in time for a fishing clinic and to simply enjoy watching the waves.

"It's way more entertaining than just sitting in front of the TV," she said.

In the afternoon on the Hammond side, Boy Scout Troop 533, of Munster, offered canoeing lessons to those willing to tolerate a light sprinkle of rain.

Whiting resident Alvaro Bautista showed his sons, Abraham, 12, and Jacob, 7, how to fly a kite.

Abraham said the fest is "a good chance for families to go out and have fun." He said he enjoyed flying a kite, even though he found it difficult.

"It's not hard, but you've got to practice," Bautista said. "It's only practice and good wind."

The festival will kick off today on the Illinois side with a 6 a.m. sunrise worship service at the William W. Powers Conservation Area. Scheduled events include a 10 a.m. presentation by Master Gardener Jennifer Tobin, of the University of Illinois, on the advantages of using native plants.

On the Indiana side, first-place winners of the AWLI poster contest will receive recognition and cash prizes at 2:30 p.m. Almost 300 students from Illinois and Indiana entered the contest.

Carina Cornejo, a fourth-grader at Taylor Elementary School in Chicago, won in the division of kindergarten through fourth grade. Randy Baran, a sixth-grader at Scott Middle School in Hammond, took top prize for grades five through eight.

Also on the Indiana side, Todd Hutson, of Purdue University, will give a talk at 4 p.m. on the return of the cicada from its 17-year hiatus.