Dear Friends of Goose Pond,
The GPFWA staff is well into the summer field season. This time of year always keeps the staff busy performing succession control and invasive plant control activities on the property. Exceptionally dry years, such as this one, enable us to get into areas that are usually just too wet and the crew has been taking full advantage of these dry conditions.
We performed two major draw downs of units BH2 and Main Pool East this spring summer. A draw down is the intentional draining of selected wetlands. The draw downs serve several purposes: 1) Create shallow water and mudflats for migratory shorebird habitat 2) Allow the basins of the wetland units to revegetate with herbaceous prolific seed producing plants 3) Allow us to perform needed maintenance activities on levees and 4) Allow us to enter the wetland basins to more efficiently control invasive plants and trees . Granted, the recent and ongoing drought has resulted in less water in other units than we would like to see this time of year, but that’s just the way it goes.
In addition to our usual field work, there has been significant movement in regards to the office/visitor’s center. A location has been identified. The Division is working with our Federal partners to secure the necessary approvals. An archaeological reconnaissance of the site was completed and the site did receive clearance. A contractor has been hired to formulate an interpretive plan for GPFWA. The contractor will be conducting surveys and interviews with partners, users and other stakeholders as they begin to develop the interpretive plan.
Bill Barnes’ documentary, Goose Pond : A Story of a Wetland and Its Neighbors, is finished and available for sale at . The documentary has aired on several PBS stations across Indiana. Sales of this nationally recognized documentary benefit the Goose Pond Visitors’ Center.
FoGP helped out with our annual Frog Gigging event. We had 18 participants who gigged 179 frogs. The event was a great success. We had a lot of help from a lot of people. In addition to thanking FoGP for financial & logistical support of the event, I want to thank John Hert for donating the use of his restaurant and for the ice cream, cobbler and soft drinks for the youth. The Youth Endowment of Sullivan County through the Sullivan County Community Foundation was the primary financial supporter, Gander Mountain in Terre Haute and Jasonville Assembly of God Royal Ranger Club also supported this event. Thank you one and all.
I know that the Board of Directors of Friends of Goose Pond is working hard to improve the FoGP website, strengthen membership and promote GPFWA. I thank them all for their hard work and dedication and would like to encourage others to consider serving on a committee or on the board.
James Crosby of Ladoga Indiana proudly displays his first frog
Brad Feaster
Property Manager, Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area
GOOSE POND STARGAZING EVENT
The Friends of Goose Pond had its first stargazing outing on May 19, 2012, led by Chuck Davidson. It was well attended by stargazers of all ages. Members of the Stonebelt Stargazers Astronomy Club from Bedford, Indiana did a great job of showing us planets, stars and constellations. Thanks to the position of the stars and planets in the sky, we were able to view Venus, Mars, Saturn (along with several of its moons), a distant galaxy and a star cluster with different colored stars. We heard a First Nation legend about how the stars came into being and a Greek mythology story about the Big and Little Dippers plus a poem by DH Lawrence. Thank you to everyone for their participation.
The next star gazing outing is in the planning stages.
Photo Source:
A similar glimpse of Saturn with four of its larger moons.
Quarterly Bird Report for Goose Pond FWA, April-June 2012
By Lee Sterrenburg
Spring of 2012 was spectacular season for shorebird migration at Goose Pond FWA in Greene County Indiana. The DNR property management drew down the water levels in two large Units, Main Pool East at Goose Pond and BH2 at Beehunter Marsh. Shorebirds flocked to the newly exposed shallow water and mudflat habitats. The highlight bird of the spring season was Indiana's third ever Curlew Sandpiper, found in Main Pool East by Ryan Sanderson and his party on May 22 and last recorded on May 25. Many birders came to see the Curlew Sandpiper. The Curlew Sandpiper is shorebird species number 34 for Goose Pond FWA since the beginning of the wetland restoration. A photograph of the Curlew Sandpiper by Ryan accompanies this report. Main Pool East also hosted Goose Pond FWA's second record for Whimbrel, when a surprising 2 showed up on the Greene County Big May Day Count on May 12. Whimbrel is listed as Very Rare in the Southern Tier in spring in Brock's Birds of Indiana (2006). Main Pool East this spring attracted 1 Hudsonian Godwit, 2 Marbled Godwits, a high of 3 Ruddy Turnstones, a lovely female Red-necked Phalarope, and at least 1 Wilson's Phalarope. There were also very large numbers for some shorebird species. Main Pool East recorded a remarkable 28 shorebird species during spring migration of 2012. GPFWA overall had 29 shorebird species for spring of 2012, adding American Woodcock in proper habitat elsewhere. Additionally, MPE recorded 1 White-faced Ibis and 1 Glossy Ibis. Spring of 2012 was a wonderful season to be following the birding events and changing wetland habitats at Goose Pond FWA.
Curlew Sandpiper in Main Pool East (Photo credit: Ryan Sanderson)