This crane visited our wetlands in early Spring
This is the first of several new images we will be adding to our site.
Well, today was 57 degrees and it finally looks like Spring might take hold in the Wetlands. We have had alot of Spring snow, but we can now hear the frogs at night and the geese are back. We have one possible nesting pair and lots of ducks. We had Sand Hill Cranes visiting earlier in the week and a large grey crane yesterday.
We finally have our Eagle Scout coming tomorrow to begin work on the “living fence” that will surround the wetland. It looks like good weather for the project. He plans on 750 feet of fence (non-barbed wire) and then will plant Willows as a foundation plant for the entire length. Later on this summer we will finish with the noxious weed control and begin to plant more wetland plants.
Still no sign of Wood ducks in our special nesting boxes, but we are hopeful.
How wonderful it is to finally have everything green and growing. There is water in the wetland and even a couple of carp flopping about. We have enjoyed seeing new Canada goslings and today a beautiful 3 foot grey crane came to visit.
This last weekend we teamed up with WOW (Wild Over Wood ducks). They are a relatively new organization dedicated to bringing back the Wood duck to Utah in greater numbers. This duck normally nests in hollow trees but is therefore accessible to predators. Joel Draxler and his volunteers brought out a “Predator proof” nesting box and set it up in the wetland, and one across the creek on Sue Zollinger’s bank. If not this year, we are excited to see if next year we can have some eggs. WOW is co-operating with the DWR and USU to observe and study the effect of the new boxes. We wish them success!
Well, finally the snow has melted even though we had more just 2 days ago. We still have good water in the wetland and yesterday were visited by 2 magnificent Sand Hill Cranes. We have had our regular Canada Geese couples and our one lone White Egret is back. At night we have a beautiful chorus of frogs and so far, no mosquitoes. Everything is beginning to green up, including the Cottonwoods.
Hopefully, our Eagle Scout will get his project approved by the board and he can get started on our wetland boardwalks. We hesitate to finish fencing until that is done so it is easier to get materials into the wetland.
Well, with the recent rain and warmer temperatures, our Spring Creek has risen and refilled the wetland. What a delight to look out the back window and see the return of our Canada Geese and a few ducks splashing about in the “lake”. I know it’s early and snow is expected tonight, but soon we can be back outside!
Our neighbor, Sue Zollinger, owns the pastures on the other side of our creek and has just had a plan approved to plant trees and shrubs and help stabilize the stream bank on her side. They plan to start their project at the end of March and we plan on being there to help. How wonderful that we have so many people in our “neighborhood” committed to preserving and improving the open space in Cache Valley.
Chandler Poulsen, is working on quickly getting his Eagle Scout paperwork in to the review board with his proposal for his project. He still wants to build a boardwalk through part of the wetland. We may have to wait til May to get started so we have all our goslings hatched before starting and disturbing the wetland area. How exciting! We will keep you posted.
Unfortunately, the collapse of many major financial institutions 2 months ago was the major reason that Prop. 1 did not pass. There wasn’t an overwhelming majority of the electorate who voted against the proposition. 59% is not a mandate, but considering the circumstances, it makes sense that the bill wasn’t warmly received.
Most of the American people are not thrilled about having to “bail out” Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, etc. I think the resentment of the taxpayers is making any tax increase seem unfair and unnecessary. If this proposition had been on the ballot during an economic surplus, it may have passed. However, there is serious concern about the economy’s strength in the near future. Whenever the general public is extremely concerned with being able to financially support their family (pay their mortgage, make car payments, buy food for their children, etc.) a tax hike for “green causes” is almost an insult to the common intelligence.
Conserving land is similar to buying life insurance………paying for it now isn’t quite as exciting as spending money on something you will enjoy in your lifetime. Land conservation isn’t considered a “crisis” in Cache Valley by the majority of its inhabitants, so it is easy for the average citizen to think a tax increase as unnecessary. A perfect example is that my own beautiful wife Shelley voted against it!! I couldn’t believe she did that, but she had a convincing argument. She told me that in “this economy”, she didn’t want to pay another $16/year for land that wasn’t hers. I disagree with her, but I understand her perspective.
To understand the viewpoints of a lot of Cache Valley voters, check out this article in the Herald Journal. A lot of people did not like the “man” telling them that they had to pay to conserve land that didn’t belong to them. Personally, I can get hacked off when I feel that my taxes are being increased little by little, for no good reason.
It will be a while before a bill like Prop. 1 is back on the ballot. I think most folks will actually have to consider our “Critical Lands” in critical condition before we see a legitimate public outcry for this type of legislation again. Just my two cents sportsfans.
After reading the editorials the last couple of weeks in the Herald Journal, I feel compelled to write how I feel about this proposition we get to vote on next week. Our Cache Valley has changed drastically since John and I moved here 8 years ago. I am not anti-development (although I hate the new WalMart), I am for carefully planned development of land. That includes saving and conserving open space. That was our whole motive for starting this project…in trying to restore our wetland. We have lived all over the world, usually in large cities, including Tokyo, Seattle, San Antonio and Los Angeles, and I never want to feel that way again. I don’t think the people here want our valley to look like those metropolitan areas. They just don’t realize the steps they are taking to get there. Indiscriminate building, pollution of water and air, high traffic and congestion, noise, etc. It is all what we moved away from. We are trying to leave a legacy for the next generation. If I thought people would put their money where their mouth was and preserve areas on their own, then fine. But they won’t. We need larger sums of money and assistance from organizations with the experience in conservation (ex. The Nature Conservancy). I think that $16/year added to my property tax is worth the sacrifice. We need to start somewhere and I am voting for Prop.1.
This project would not be possible without the inspiration of 2 very special places. The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, UT, and the Swaner Eco Center, located in Park City, UT.
Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve Visitor Center
Our idea to construct a boardwalk that is accessible to the public comes directly from the beautiful preserve in Layton, UT owned by the Nature Conservancy. The boardwalk at the G.S.L.S. Preserve is over a mile long and has dozens of interpretative signs. Some of the signs are placed on the boardwalk itself that are “eye catchers” to visitors. There are also free standing signs next to the boardwalk that explain the importance of the Great Salt Lake wetlands as an ecosystem. The signs also describe how important that habitat is to the nesting birds who migrate thousands of miles to the preserve.
The Nature Conservancy’s G.S.L.S.P. also has a sign for contributors that we will eventually use as a model for our sign to honor those organizations that are helping with this project. Another future goal is to construct a roadside kiosk, similar to what the Swaner Eco Center has in place. Along with the kiosk, we hope to be able to provide adequate parking for people in the community who want to visit our project site.
It is noteworthy to mention that this project was awarded the Conservation Project of the Year by the Utah branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
John and Ann were presented with an award from the president of the Bear River chapter of the DAR, Rena Fornasch late this summer. This meeting was the first time that I have personally ever seen a United States flag retired in due and proper form by a troop of Boy Scouts. You couldn’t help but feel patriotic after attending this meeting.
These fine ladies made us feel that we are doing a service to our nation by conserving its beautiful land. I guess it had never occurred to me that land conservation IS very patriotic!! One of the greatest things done by a president was to create the National Park system, which began the conservation of our beautiful spaces. I guess that’s why Teddy Roosevelt’s face is on Mount Rushmore 
Friday, October 17th was a very special day for me and for this project. Ann Ribera, the land owner, Chandler Poulsen, an Eagle Scout Candidate, and my wife Shelley and her family were all there to see the poster presentation for our project at the Utah Bioneers conference. To see so many people interested in this project, while Ann was there to watch, was very satisfying for me.
