Continued Busy

While this may seem like an unassuming image, it is significant; the stone protection of the newly rehabbed dike
on the West Marsh is now complete

I've hit a window of time when we have more projects going on, more stories to tell, than I have hours in the day to communicate them. Keeping up with a journal has always been tough for me when the summer days stretch late into the evening. But now, even with shorter day lengths, I just feel like I have too much to tell. It continues to be busy on the marsh.

Yesterday marked the official finish to the stone hauling project. We now have all 3,000 linear feet of the south-facing West Dike protected by newly placed limestone and another 500+ feet (probably more like 750') protected on the north side. This was another example of lots of work to get ready for a project, lots of anticipation and planning, and then boom -- the work is complete. We didn't see any way that the Buehler boys were going to knock this out (especially with just one or two trucks working) in under a week and finish before teal season -- which opens this Saturday! But finish they did . . . with room to spare. Over 100 truckloads of stone delivered and carefully placed in a matter of a few days.

Note marsh water (below pipe) is a good 30" below
the resting elevation of the bay level (foreground)

Beyond the relief of a newly protected asset, one of the most exciting aspects of the completed stone work is that we can start putting water back onto the West Marsh without concern of damage to the underlying clay dike. Today was the day.

Strategically, it made sense to keep water levels low to make placement of the limestone on the dike slopes easier and more accurate. With low water, we also benefited from a bit more time to germinate new plants.

But it is time to add some new life to the marsh once again. Roy and I pulled four stop logs from the West sluiceway yesterday afternoon, and the elevated bay water -- complete with fish and all the associated aquatic life -- started rushing in. The cool water will not only introduce new inhabitants, it will also make navigation by boat easier and further set the stage for the waterfowl that are making their way toward us as the fall migration gets underway.

Two side notes: (1) I took some fun photos and videos of the bay water as it began spilling into the Rest Pond yesterday. I just haven't had a chance to upload them. I'll try to soon. (2) Before releasing the water into the West Marsh, we made an attempt to re-flood the 100-acre Dinky Track on our east side. Things didn't go too well. An old screw gate not only wouldn't open, but it actually broke off the 24" supply pipe that we thought would be our conduit to the bay. We've done some head scratching, and we think we have a solution. We weren't looking for another project -- especially a few days before teal opener -- but such is life. Time to improvise. I'll do my best to explain that story as it unfolds . . .

Quite a Week

One of my favorite vantage points on the West Marsh; photo courtesy of Ellen Dziubek

It's been a bit of a whirlwind over the last week or so. In addition to some individual tours, we started the West Marsh dike stoning project, had our dinner with the West Marsh lease holders, hosted a shorebird walk in conjunction with the Toledo Naturalists Association and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, removed a colossal duck blind that has been in the marsh for more than half a century, mowed accesses and stabilized boardwalks in preparation for the impending teal season, and closed on the sale of ~38-acres of our east marsh to the neighboring landowners . . . whew, what a week!

With the exception of this last one, I think I've spoken to most all of these endeavors, to some extent at least. But our selling our halves of the "North" and "Center" units of the East Marsh  -- a little over 38 acres in total -- was something we've kept pretty well quiet on until it was complete. We closed last Friday, and I think all involved are quite pleased with the outcome.

While I didn't know it at the time the photo was taken, I'm basically pointing to the area that we just sold to the neighbor;
photo courtesy of Ellen Dziubek

Green heron in the shallows
watching over dike project

The premise of selling this acreage back to the previous owners was first discussed months ago. Because an artificial property line cut two management units in half, north to south, our primary goal was to reunite the two areas. Because they weren't interested in selling, we approached them about buying.

The transaction was complicated by the need for a legal parcel split and some dedicated surveying. But in the end, the property lines make much more logical sense, and both parties seem to be very happy. I know for our part it's a relief to have this situation rectified.

Nate (our intern from this past summer who is just recently back to school) is among a small group of family members who just made the purchase. So I should take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts with Standing Rush, wish him good luck in the coming academic year, and voice my excitement for what has become a really positive relationship as neighbors. Thank you for all the effort these last few months, and here's to more great things moving forward together!

Another great photo courtesy of Ellen Dziubek -- this one from the dike that as of this afternoon is almost completely
protected from southerly winds and wave action; we hope to have the dike stone project completed in the next day or two