Pumping: About Time to Move Some Water

West Pump and spillway -- set up to pump from the marsh
[top half of photo] to the Bay [behind me, as the photographer]

'Tis the season, I guess, but I woke up to raindrops on the skylights for the third morning in a row. Our neighborhood has enough standing water that the mallards are starting to infiltrate to set up nesting locations among swing sets and rows of densely packed boxwood bushes. There is certainly a chill in the air, but it’s definitely April.

My wife would tell you I’ve always been a weather “freak.” What I love to do most (fishing, hunting, etc.) tends to be pretty weather dependent. Now my work is that way, too. Several of the chances for “showers” late this past week have resulted in sustained rains that were measured in inches rather than tenths of an inch. We are forecast to get a break this weekend, but it’s supposed to get back to it (potentially with another inch+ on Monday/Tuesday), so it will likely be time to get pumping.

We refer to the property as the West Marsh and the East Marsh. While the 2-lane State Route 269 is the north/south that serves as the delineating line, the truth is, the entire system is connected – by large pipes, at least. 

Each "management unit" is defined by the "dike" or raised earthen levee that surrounds it. Pipes and pumps are often the means to allow water in or to take water out of a given unit. There will be plenty more discussion on this subject and on why this is the current state of many, if not most, coastal marshes on Lake Erie and beyond. It obviously isn't ideal relative to what once was, but in our estimation, it's the best we can achieve considering all that has changed since Europeans began settling and since population densities really started to increase.

We may move water (intentionally) for a variety of reasons. This time of year, we pump primarily to keep up with precipitation -- to keep water low enough that strong spring winds and the resulting wave action won't deteriorate the earthen dikes that are allowing us to help a diverse natural world thrive inside the marsh.

Spring Ducks "Being Ducks"

A mix of Northern Shovelers (drake in foreground and pair just below fliers), Green-winged Teal (in flight and far right),
and a solitary black duck enjoying last summer's millet crop (March 29, 2017).

One of Roy's common lines that quickly became one of my favorites is some variation of the phrase, "It's nice when you can see ducks being ducks." In essence, what that means to me is that it is rewarding to see situations where waterfowl can behave as they would naturally. This doesn't mean Canada geese on a golf course fairway or mallards in an urban ditch aren't part of nature. It just means that those observations reflect major adaptations made by certain species to adjust to life in a largely human world.

The image above is one of Roy's first from the new Canon SX60. As he's prone to doing, Roy diminishes its quality and reminds me that he has a lot of work to do to knock the rust off his photography skills. First off, we don't necessarily need (or expect) Audubon quality with these images. Secondly, the first batch that he sent me today has some really neat stuff, and I know that they are only going to get better as we get accustom to the equipment. (No pressure, Roy.)

I chose the photo above for a couple reasons. One, I wanted to make a fundamental clarification that while ducks and duck hunting are an absolutely critical element of the local environment's natural history (in terms of wildlife and human interaction with the natural world), and while we most certainly want to encourage environments that attract and benefit ducks (for the sake of the birds and the hunters), this project has set out to manage for holistic ecological benefit. Roy and I appreciate that these birds are a big reason -- maybe the only reason -- that these wetlands are still on the map. Never underestimate the passion of a duck hunter. But we also recognize that there is a tremendous diversity of life that also relies heavily or completely on coastal marsh habitat.

Bottom line: We want to make decisions that are good for ducks but also that will be good for fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and even more obscure groups like insects or freshwater mussels. The list that can benefit is long. And the determination of what benefits is largely driven by vegetation (which is in turn dictated by water levels over time). Management is largely about trade-offs.

I also wanted to include this photo to document that this spring's duck migration (which unfortunately may already be 90% behind us in Sandusky Bay) was marked by several unique observations. The temporary "walking" ice that did form in December was completely gone by late January. While the water did skim over to ice a few times since (shallow water can freeze with just a few cold nights), the migration most certainly started early.

What may be most notable about what we saw this year though was (1) the numbers of Northern Shovelers and Northern Pintails co-mingling in our 40-acres of millet, and (2) how long they stuck around (at least three weeks in big numbers). Shovelers and pintails aren't particularly regular companion species to begin with in the spring, but it was even more unique that we had literally thousands of them hanging out -- sometimes with 40+ Trumpeter Swans -- on a daily basis. We should have bought that camera for Christmas.

ASIDE: Toledo Blade Editorial, 03/30/17: Fight for Lake Erie

Roy Kroll: The Man for the Job

A classic "pose" . . . on an evening tour Roy told Art
he never likes pictures of himself. I like this one,
so he'll have to live with it!

As this project started taking shape, it became very clear very quickly that I would need local help. Our home is about an hour drive from the marsh. I have four young children, and a wife who likes me around -- for the most part. I also had some additional, unrelated professional obligations.

Consistent eyes and ears on the ground would be crucial not only for the more technical aspects of marsh management -- e.g., tending to changing water levels, bird-dogging contractors working on the property, monitoring wildlife movements, etc. It would also be critical when it came to the more mundane -- e.g., locking the gate that was left open after dark, keeping an eye out for signs of trespassing, etc., etc., etc. Both lists were feeling seemingly endless.

My hope was that I could find a 20- to 40-something with a basic understanding of marsh management, and maybe more importantly some personal familiarity with the area. I knew I was an outsider and that until I could start earning some local trust and respect, I would be seen as an outsider for a while.

What I found in Roy Kroll is quite frankly too much to describe in a single post . . . maybe even in an entire blog! But before I go any further, it's important to say a few words about Roy as our on-site marsh manager. (He can write his section of the "About Us" -- I get to write about him otherwise because he'd be too modest to say any of it himself.)

Roy and I first met not long after I graduated from college. I was the early 20-something and he was the early 40-something. At the time, Roy managed the most influential private marsh on Lake Erie, Winous Point (WP). That place and that story deserve more than a few posts in their own right, but for now, just know -- if you don't -- that Winous is the oldest continuously operating duck hunting club in North America. Founded in the 1850s, it has endured to be foundational not only to the evolution of waterfowl hunting, it has also been instrumental in both the practical and academic understanding of waterfowl and wetland ecology and preservation.

Spring Amphibians Welcome Our First Intern

About the size of a dime, a Northern Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer) provides some audio signs of spring.

Literally from the second the truck door cracked open at the marsh yesterday, I could feel (or more accurately hear) a change in the air. January, February, and much of March have been uncharacteristically, remarkably, and consistently warm -- very warm. So when I opened my door to a symphony of Northern Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer) and Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata triseriata), I had to smile and take it all in. With April almost upon us, it finally somehow feels (or sounds) right.

Truth is, these little buggers have been making their audio presence known periodically since some of those crazy warm early February days, but now the band is most certainly back together. I should have at least collected some audio on my phone, but for now I'll leave it to ohioamphians.com to share what it sounded like just outside the bunkhouse: music to the ears of anyone with spring fever!

This greeting was apropos because yesterday marked an important day for Standing Rush. We welcomed Julie Anderson, a young biologist interested in a career related to ecology to the marsh for the first day of a 5-6 month part-time internship. One of Julie's primary responsibilities will be overseeing the compilation of a master species list -- a detailed inventory of every living thing we can identify within the confines of Standing Rush property.

We plan to collaborate with specialized "experts in the field" to concentrate on plants, aquatic insects, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals. But independent of what it is, if it is alive and we find it, we will do our best to positively identify and add it to the list. Julie will learn a lot, and at the same time we will gain valuable insight into specifically what living things are utilizing the marsh.

Education is one of the foundational goals of this entire project. While we've been learning since day one, Julie marks the start of an important new chapter.


P.S. In introducing Julie, it becomes clear that Roy Kroll, our full-time onsite marsh manager needs an introduction. His bio will be added very soon.

Also, here's the Chorus Frog in action. These little guys really do pack a punch.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)

March on Sandusky Bay -- a view of Standing Rush's west shoreline from a couple hundred yards off-shore.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the most comprehensive federal program in our nation's (and our region's) history that is explicitly structured to address the most pressing environmental issues impacting Lake Erie and the broader Great Lakes. Its funding -- in fact, its very existence -- is in extreme peril based on the most recent federal budget proposed in Washington.

However, care should be taken to make this a party-biased issue. While it's true that funding was initiated early in President Obama's administration, much of the foundation was set through George W. Bush's presidency.

This topic has been and will be in the local and national news a lot lately. And well it should be. From an article just yesterday in The Blade (Toledo's primary newspaper) . . . "the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded work to restore natural habitats, combat invasive species, and clean up pollution. It’s also done work to reduce the nutrient load that leads to harmful algal blooms like the one that fouled Toledo’s drinking water in 2014. The program funds work across the Great Lakes region, which has included dozens of projects in northwest Ohio."

The rest of the article can be seen here. Trust that there will be plenty more commentary on this topic as the story continues to unfold.

Who Could Get Tired of Seeing Eagles?

An unsuspecting visitor -- a mature bald eagle -- gets caught by a motion camera on Standing Rush's West Marsh.

One more branch to the treetops. A baldy adding to its nest in early spring.

After all this discussion of nasty invading plants, it seems fitting to throttle back a bit on a Sunday and focus on some of the good news coming from the marsh. What better way than to highlight the iconic and always majestic bald eagle? This particular individual paid a visit to one of our motion cameras on the fringe of the West Marsh. We leave a couple cameras up more-or-less full-time for this very reason -- one never knows who might pay a visit, day or night!

The resolution of the first image soon after he arrived is definitely an eye-catcher. But what is so neat about the second image is that it captures an instant in the behavior life of an adult eagle in early spring. Note how this bird has picked up a fairly large (~1.5" diameter) willow branch to take back to its nearby nest.

Eagles are the largest nest builders in the United States. Their treetop roosts are typically situated in one of the largest trees in a local landscape, and considering they can grow to 1-3 tons in broken branch biomass (4-5' in diameter, on average), they are usually not hard to pick out. The National Eagle Center offers more interesting facts related to eagle nesting and breeding.

Standing Rush is fortunate enough to have several nesting pairs in immediate proximity (the closest being on our southern-most property line). To put this in perspective, these resident birds are equivalent to the entire statewide population in Ohio at its low watermark (in the early 1980s). When the bald eagle was listed on the Endangered Species List (1963), there were 400 nesting pairs in the Lower 48. When the eagle was delisted in 2007, that number had climbed to more than 10,000 nests. This is most certainly a success story, and it provides an entree to speak to the broader need for the Endangered Species Act (legislation that benefits way more than the individual species on a list). More on that later.

Because of our site's orientation relative to Sandusky Bay, and because much of our 3/4-mile+ of shoreline is dotted with hulking cottonwood trees, it is not uncommon for literally dozens of eagles to be in the marsh at any given time. In fact, a highlight of one of my first visits to the property offered the rare opportunity to witness a shoreline flyby by more than 60 adult and juvenile eagles.

As an aside, seeing the limb being hoisted skyward is a good motivator and reminder as to why we are working to reforest not just the six acres of what was mostly dead ash trees (see 3/21/17 post), but also another eight acres of what has been a hay field for more than fifty years. Canopy trees are in short supply along many stretches of the lakeshore, and species like the bald eagle benefit from reforestation, particularly of desirable hardwoods.

And as a brother of mine often says, "Who could get tired of seeing eagles?"