Thanks for the Ongoing Motivation

Joe Kalt, Sr. with his eldest son (Jeff), autumn of 1995.
[What is now our field office is behind them to the left. The roof of the darker building to the right had failed by the time we took possession of the property, so it unfortunately needed to be raised. It is now the site of our storage/workshop.]

I knew going into this project that it would present a true test in patience. While wetland management is about as "instant" as one gets when seeing changes in the landscape, a wise, seasoned marshman (and neighbor) told me from the onset: restoring and protecting wetland habitat "is a marathon, not a sprint."

As we juggle a handful of projects in the field and try to continue to lay the groundwork for a handful more through various potential partnering organizations, I'm learning this lesson firsthand. The uncertainty of the current political climate only compounds the waiting game. (Just yesterday, President Trump presented a federal budget that would completely eliminate $300 million allocated to continue the great work done through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative or GLRI. While our efforts aren't contingent on this funding, reduction -- much less elimination -- of these funds would have a profound ripple effect.)

Despite all the positive momentum and all the potential that lies in our near-term future, I've spent the last week or so fighting the demons of negativity and pessimism. It's sometimes hard to wait and trust that the right outcomes will play out. I needed a pick-me-up. And as has always been the case with this adventure, I got it just when I needed it -- this time in the form of an email from one of our duck hunting lease holders.

Included with permission from Joe Kalt

Last year I was out of town during the later "big duck" season, and the weather was looking really ducky for the next day. We didn’t have too many days like that last season. High winds 25-30 mph, gusts to 40, rain, cold. I talked to my son Joseph (member of the lease) about getting out there, and he set up the morning hunt with my other older son, Jeff. Jimmy was punting. 

It was one of those days . . . ducks flying in from every direction. Activity and shooting all morning. They finally limited out with a mixed bag of mallards, teal, widgeon, gadwall, woodies, and a goose. Jeff even dropped three teal with one shot! 

It’s really the first time either of them have hunted waterfowl without me. I’ve never seen either of them SO excited to tell about their hunt. They had the best time of their young hunting careers, especially doing it together on their own. They both said they will remember that hunt for the rest of their lives!  I was so happy for them because they’ve been with me through the good times and a lot of the blue bird days where we never pulled the trigger. The stories about that day just keep on rolling. They can’t wait to get out there again.

My boys will never forget that day, nor will I, even though I wasn’t there! This is why we do what we do as good stewards of the land, isn’t it? To pass it on to future generations to enjoy as we have. Thanks for taking over that marsh and for having the vision to do what you are doing, and letting us be a part of it. Just needed to let you know how what you are doing is affecting others . . . 

Truly blessed to be so fortunate. Have a great day. -- Joe 

This story highlights several fundamental pillars of our mission. There is clearly a recreational component. Several of the guys who are leasing our West Marsh for the duck season have hunted these same blinds for years, decades. They have hunted with their grandfathers, fathers, uncles, sons, and grandsons. (While duck hunting tends to be a male-dominated pursuit, trust that some girls/women have hunted the property, too!). But more than just hunting, this activity has fostered a practical education and deep-seeded conservation ethic in the lives of those who have been able to experience it firsthand. Sure these hunters love to have a day of fantastic shooting like the one described above, but what they love even more is seeing the sun rise on the cattails. Nothing beats seeing nature "wake up," and nothing compares to just "being" in the marsh.

Thanks Joe, for the ongoing motivation.

____________________________
The photo at left was taken in November 2016, on the morning described above. 
Thanks to Jeff and Joe, Jr. for the visual reference to a memorable morning in the marsh.

Three Birds of Note: Ibis & Pelicans

This glossy ibis was one of four that visited the millet late last week. By Saturday morning, they were accompanied by an equally rare relative, a pair of white-faced ibis.

Birding is all about timing. Right place, right time. And speaking of time, I just haven't had much to report on several exciting visitors over the last several days. But before I do, some backstory . . .

Millet by Thursday afternoon
(note egrets in mud to right of channel,click to enlarge)

Last Thursday, we started the West pump in an effort to expose more "mud" in what was 40-acres of millet last fall. We were at a tipping point. What might have been 4-8" of water over 20 acres to start the day shrunk to maybe half as much water over half as much area over the course of the entire day of moving water.

Our goal in pumping this unit at this point in the season is to expose more soil to direct sunlight because even a few inches of water can prevent the germination of the desirable vegetation we are trying to promote. It's somewhat of a cat and mouse game with precipitation.

This stage of a drawdown tends to be pretty dynamic -- not only in terms of the change in water levels, but in how the wildlife responds. I unfortunately couldn't be there myself, but Roy tells me that by early afternoon, the dwindling water was simultaneously visited by 146 great egrets (he counted!) and four individuals that literally had cars pulling over on the Route 2 overpass. Glossy ibis are known for their curved bills and their propensity to East Coast living. This burgundy to black wader looks like something out of Dr. Seuss, and it typically resides along the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to Florida, into the Caribbean and even Central and South America. But according to the ODNR, this species may not make it into Ohio for multiple years at a time, so seeing four at once (three in one blurry camera frame) was pretty exciting!

Eager bird watchers (apparently alert even when driving by at 65 mph) congregated on the shoulder of our exit with spotting scopes from Thursday until Saturday morning -- when the ibis ultimately pulled out. Fresh rains pushed the water up another few inches, making a mealtime dip uncomfortable even for the larger egrets. [They are like walking staff gauges; great egrets only like water <6" deep, while great blue herons will frequent water up to 12" deep.]

But before the rains fell, one particularly enthusiastic and seasoned birder from Cincinnati confirmed Roy's hunch. Four ibis had become six, and the last two to join the party were an even rarer visitor, the strikingly similar white-faced ibis. The two share feeding behaviors, and both apparently like to wander far afield of their typical range. The white-faced is widely distributed west of the Mississippi, and even takes up year-round residence in mid- to southern South America. Unfortunately for us, they don't like to have their pictures taken!

Documented on "East Medusa Marsh"
through former site Aves.net

One final birding note worth noting: as we closed up shop for the evening today, we were treated to a flyby from three of the biggest birds one can see in Ohio: the American white pelican. With a wingspan up to 9.5', they are tough to miss, but again, they are not a common sight in the Buckeye State. I have come across historical photo evidence that they have been documented on our East Marsh in the past. While they seemed to give it a look (breaking their wings to interrupt their telltale glide), they apparently had their minds set on something even further east -- even further from their typical range.

Pretty neat stuff.