Wetland restoration is an important endeavor. Indiana is a state of rivers, lakes, and watershed areas.  The state was originally 24% wetland area. 85% of the original wetlands have been drained and farmed. Wetlands are important. They provide plant and animal diversity; they filter water keeping it healthy. They mitigate flooding.  The Eagle Marsh preserve, part of Little River Wetlands Project, is a success story in urban wetland restoration.

Restoration requires the removal of invasive plants and animals that can limit food sources, reduce biological diversity, and out compete native species.  Restoration requires restoring water to the area. This might seem obvious but the land being restored is often drained wetland that was then converted into farmland. Restoration requires increasing biological diversity. This includes the reintroduction of native plants. The plants in turn have the cascading effect of improving water quality, feeding pollinators and other species, and providing shelter for native animals. Recently at Eagle Marsh volunteers have participated in removing invasive plants and preparing native plants to be reintroduced to the wetland in the spring.

The new trails (10 and 11) of the new properties of Eagle Marsh served as the focus for the removal of invasive plants. Volunteers were first instructed on the task, on safety issues, and on procedures. This included the use of clippers, hand saws and power saws and the application of herbicides. From 10 a.m. until noon the team cut and treated over 250 invasive Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, Privet, and Multiflora Rose plants  

The very same afternoon Little River Wetlands Project hosted, at the Eagle Marsh barn, a class on winter sowing native plants. Mariah Russel taught the participants a technique for starting plants, outdoors, in the winter. The technique may be used with vegetables and flowers. I have used this method to successfully start vegetables for May planting. Winter sowing may begin as early as December. At the preserve the work begins even before the creation of winter sowing containers. First the seeds must be collected and prepared for planting. This includes the removal of any pests. During the class Mariah taught the group to use plastic containers as outdoor terrariums. Plastic milks jugs, plastic salad containers, and other one use plastic containers can all be used. The containers have holes drilled on their tops to allow for water and snow and on their bottom sides to allow for drainage. Milk jugs are cut in half (while maintaining a hinge for closing). Soil and plant seeds are added, the soil is lightly waters and the containers are then sealed. However, there must be openings on top for water.

The containers are then put outside in sunny areas.  It is important to check on them so they do not dry out. Snow can function as an insulator that helps keep the seeds warm. The seeds will germinate and begin to grow based on the weather and light conditions. Participants were able to create a container and to gather seed to bring home to begin a rain garden or a native plant garden or simply to increase pollinator food and shelter choices. 

Seeds that were available at the workshop included:
Spotted Joe Pyeweed
Swamp Rose Mallow
Cup Plant
Prairie Blazing Star
Blue Vervain
Foxglove Beardtongue
Obedient Plant
Yellow Coneflower
Canada Rye
Wild Senna
Bee Balm
Common Milkweed

Some of the participants were new to working with nnative palnts. Mariah provided the class with a number of online resources to assit in learning more about native plants and how to care for them. Some of the resources included:

A primary resource for learning more about Indiana native plants: Indiana Native Plants Society
One of the oldest sites for the advocacy of introducing native plants to your gardens:    Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The Botanic Garden of Texas
A site on how to collect native seeds. This is an important resource because purchasing native plants can be expensive. Collecting-Your-Own-Wildflower-Seeds.pdf  
A scientific focused resource: The Biota of North America
One of the most useful tool availble to a naturalist or citizen scientist:  iNaturalist 
A project that envisions all of us working together to drmatically increased biodiversity: Home Grown National Park 
 
Later in December volunteers gathered at the Eagle Marsh barn to build boxes for the winter sowing. The boxes were made from cedar. Again, before beginning the work safety procedures were reviewed. The boxes were three feet by five feet. Wire mesh as connected on both the top and bottom of the boxes. This allowed for the flow of air but also protected the seeds from hungry mice, moles and voles. 

This spring we will plant the native plants that we collected on the marsh as seeds and planted into the winter sowing boxes.  Restoration takes time and effort. The birds, amphibians and reptiles, deer, beaver, muskrat, otter thank us for that effort.

Little River Wetland Projects hosts a monthly program, Breakfast on the Marsh. This month the speaker was Jessica Merlking. She is an urban wildlife biologist for the Indiana Fish and Wildlife division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Jessica’s service area covers Elkhart, South Bend and Fort Wayne. She spoke on Winter Wildlife.  
 
Jessica said the urban wildlife biologist program was needed because people think nature happens “out there” and in fact it happens “here.” That being the case then addressing the interactions of animals and their environments and animals and humans becomes important. The Urban Biologist program was created in 2015. Jessica stated that there were 890 species of wildlife in Indiana. That keeps a small government department busy. Unlike some Western states, 97% of Indiana land is privately owned. That means much of her work is consultive. 
 
The Urban Wildlife Biologist program is guided by four pillars: 

• Living with wildlife 
• Developing/improving/acquiring urban wildlife habitat  
• Education and outreach 

• Addressing green infrastructure and sustainability  

 
Jessica then focused on the impact of winter on animal behavior. For Indiana winter changes can be seen occurring from October to March. The environmental changes include cold, snow, dormant vegetation, less daylight, and frozen water. The behavioral changes are part of a circannual rhythm (yearly changes). Behavioral changes may be seen in terms of hibernation or slowing down, breeding, and migration. The changes are tied to the changing amount of sunlight or photoperiod, changes in food sources, and climate conditions. This may also result in hormonal changes in the animals.   
 
The challenges for fish and wildlife during winter are to keep warm, find shelter, and to find food.  Strategies for getting through the season include migration, dormancy of some sort and simply “toughing it out”.   
 
There are a number of adaptations. Migration is seen in monarch butterflies, some birds, and some bats. 
 
Dormancy is another adaptation. This is a continuum from decreased activity, to hibernation, to diapause. Hibernation is unique to mammals. However, brumation is a type of inactivity that is unique to reptiles.  The speaker pointed out that bears are not true hibernators, they can awaken and become active. Jessica gave numerous examples of behavioral changes. They included:  

• Insects in diapause. They may be found in standing dead vegetation and using vegetive debris as cover. 
• Brown bats may be found in caves. Their body temperatures and heart rate drops. 
• Turtles borrow into mud. 

• Frogs hibernate in burrows, leaf litter, and logs. 
• Snakes and lizards seek refuge where they can remain dormant until spring. 
• Fish need to move to where water is warmer and well oxygenated. 

 
“Toughing it out” referred to behavioral changes that did not include any of the continuum of hibernation or dormancy. This may include communal nesting. Flying squirrels demonstrate this behavior as do racoons and skunk. Deer may exhibit behavior referred to as “deer yards” in which the crowded conditions trap the heat of the deer together. More interesting is the phenomena of beaver and muskrat sharing lodges to increase the temperature.  
 
Food hording is also seen among some animals. This includes grey and red squirrels and beavers.  Other animals will shift their diets. Coyotes are opportunistic foragers. Canada Geese may shift from eating grass to eating waste grass.   
 
The environment may have a direct impact on the animals. Snow acts as an insulator and may protect borrowing animals from the cold. A lack of snow during periods of mild winters may lead to increased deaths. A balance to this is the fact that mild winters may lead to increased litters.  
 
 Jessica had a display of furs from local animals. She asked the audience to identify each animal by the fur being held up. It was clear that many in attendance have been involved in nature for a long time. She also talked about diverse ways fur adapted to protect an animal from the cold. This included fluffing up to increase insulation, oils to protect the animal from the wet, multiple types of fur on an animal to increase insulation and increasing the amount of fur. She pointed out that coyote fur becomes two inches thicker in winter. This increased retention of body heat by 87%. 
 
Jessica provided many more examples of adaptation to the winter by mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. She then talked about what humans can do to help. This included providing diverse and native plant habitats. It included “being messy” or not raking the leaves but rather leaving natural ground cover. This included combating invasive species.  
 
She also clearly recommended that we not feed wildlife in the winter. Feeding wildlife in the winter may increase the spread of disease. It may increase animal conflict. It may disrupt natural behavior that serves the animals to survive in the winter.  
 
Merkling gave examples of how we could be involved in helping wildlife. This included: 

• Hunting, fishing, and trapping. The license provides funding for wildlife programs. 
• Participate in winter bird watching. 
• Participate in winter plant identification. 
• Participate in winter track identification. 
• Use wildlife boxes. 
• Participate in salamander spotting. 

 
This was a well-researched and organized presentation. There was information for the experienced naturalist as well as the rookie naturalist. The speaker was engaging. I am never disappointed when I attend a LRWP Breakfast on the Marsh talk.  

This is my first post since September. I was unable to post articles. However, I am again available and will be posting on a regular basis.  
 
One of the foci of this blog is on the contributions indigenous peoples make to healing our planet. We look at their history, their wisdom, and their current actions. This past week I attended a virtual presentation “Our Land, Our People, the Algonquins”. The presenter was Merv Sarazin, a councilor of the Algonquin Pikwakanagan First Nation. The presentation was hosted by The Historical Society of Ottawa   .
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While this was a historical presentation about Cananda (specifically Ontario and Quebec) it also was the story of the American Northeast and Upper Midwest. The Algonquins were mainly located in what is now Canada and their rivals, the Iroquois Confederacy was mainly located in what is now the United States. However, like all nations the boundaries were dynamic and changed with the results of war and migration. Additionally, other First Nations along with the military and trading contingencies of the British Empire, France, later the French Empire, the American Colonials, and later the United States, all impacted the borders, cultures, and resources of both the Algonquins and the Iroquois.  
 
The Historical Society of Ottawa has provided multiple presentations about local history to their members and an interested public. Merv Sarazin often assisted in these presentations. However, because of his personal history and his extensive collaboration with historians and First Nations leaders he was asked to give this presentation. Mr. Sarazin has extensive experience in the functioning to First Nations. He has 30 years experience serving as a tribal business administrator and working in human resources. Beyond his education and training he is also a traditional member of his community. This means he also hunts, fishes, and gathers foods and medicinal plants. Finally, Mr. Sarazin is the descendant of tribal chiefs and serves as a tribal councilor.  
 
The speaker's presentation was guided by the Seven Grandfather Teachings. These Algonquin values include: Love, Wisdom, Respect, Truth, Humility, Honesty, and Courage.  
 
He reminded us that the Algonquin consisted of ten First Nations. Nine of the nations were in Quebec. Today that includes Kitigan Zibi, Barriere Lake, Kitcisakik, Lac Simon, Abitibiwinni, Long Point, Timiskaming, Kebaowek, and Wolf Lake. One nation, Pikwakanagan is located in Ontario. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans the Ottawa Valley had a population of 10,500 Algonquin. This was a sophisticated culture with a religion, language, and traditions. The people participated in cross-border trade. There was a clan and kinship system. The nations used Wampum Belts that recorded stories and recorded laws. This included a sacred traditional constitution.  
 
This all began to change with the Doctrine of Discovery. The speaker described this as “the white man’s illegal taking of land.” Prior to contact with the invaders (Europeans) the indigenous population of Turtle Island (North America) was in the millions. Even before military clashes first contact meant first contact with disease the indigenousness peoples had no immunity to. Populations quickly plummeted.  
 
Chief Tessouat was one of the last Algonquin chiefs that were more than administrators. He was a Grand Chief of Chiefs. He met with Samuel de Champlain in 1603. From the late 1500s to the mid 1600s the Algonquin resisted the disintegration of their borders and influence. They blamed the disintegration on the influences of Christianity, war and disease. Champlain was impressed by Chief Tessouat. However, Champlain's mission was to plant French culture in the new world and believed French culture was superior to native cultures in all ways.    
 
The lands of the Algonquin and the Iroquois Confederacy were important. They were rich in resources including furs. They had abundant waterways including rivers and lakes. Portage was important and made transportation and trade possible. Further, the rivalries of the First Nations made is easier for European powers to play peoples against one another. This was the land of the Algonquin-Iroquois Beaver Wars. These were proxy wars for France and England. The wars increased the wealth of the colonizers and introduced technologies and new weapons of war to the area.  
 
In 1701 the Great Peace of Montreal was signed. This was a peace treaty that halted decades of hostilities between the Iroquois Confederacy (allies of the English) and the Algonquin (allies of the French). The treaty signing included 40 First Nations and 1300 delegates. While the treaty of important the period of peace was did not last and was followed by new proxy wars. The French and Indian Wars from 1754-1763 pitied old rivalries against one another.   
 
The wars were disruptive and finally lead to the Treaty of Niagra in 1764. This included the Royal Proclamation that protected the integrity of native lands. The Proclamation and 39 additional petitions were never respected, and native lands continued to be stolen.   
 
This was followed the War of 1812 that pitted new enemies against one another, the English and the new Americans but included their first nation allies. Chief Kichi Ogima Constant Pinesi protected Canada. While England and the Americans fought of territory in the Midwest the accomplishments of Chief Constant Pinesi contributed to the preservation of Canada.  
 
The speaker briefly spoke about the Indian Act of 1876. This was hardly the act of a grateful nation. Instead, the act, which was in force from 1876 until 1955 made the loss of ancestral identities legal. Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minster of Canada , stated that there could be no demand to tribal identity if one did not practice their culture or speak their language. In other words, policies that separated families, made traditional languages illegal, and worked to make native children “white” were then used as excuses for denying tribal identity. 
 
Today there is a movement to reclaim tribal land. The work is often through the courts. In the area of Ottawa burial grounds, portage trails, and sacred areas are being identified. A park is being planned. This would be used not only by Algonquin but all Canadians. Elk were reintroduced 20 years ago and now number in the thousands. Tribes are developing rules for hunting. The goal is to restore the land when possible. To restore identity and identity of place. There is no illusion that this will be the land of the 1500s but there is an appreciation that indigenous wisdom is needed to help heal a hurting land. 
 
This was not the talk of an expertly trained academic. It was the talk of a life lived and a life lived with a People. It was also not a talk that was simply accepted. There was at least one member of the audience who spoke up for Iroquois land claims and others were clearly experiencing historical pain and wishing for a justice they saw as unattainable.  
 
I appreciate the Ontario Historical Society hosting this event. I appreciate all the work Merv Sarazin put into this presentation.