Indiana Wildlife Federation 2023 Annual Conference: Wonder of the Wetlands

On January 23rd, 2023 a contingent of members and volunteers from Little River Wetland Projects attended the Indiana Wildlife Federation Annual conference. This was the first in-person conference since the pandemic. We were also excited because the focus was on wetlands. The conference was held at Fort Harrison State Park in the Garrison Center. 

The keynote speaker was Anne Lacey from the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo Wisconsin. She set the tone for emphasizing the value of wetlands to restore biological balance and biodiveristy. She spoke passionately about the state of cranes in North America.  This included talking about both Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes.

Sandhill Cranes grab my attention because we now have pairs of them at Eagle Marsh. While these are North American birds some do breed in Asia. In fact, their area or habitats are vast. Lacey explained that there are three non-migratory species. These include the Mississippi which are endangered as well as the Florida and Cuba subspecies. There are also three migratory subspecies, the Greater, the Canadian, and the Lesser species. The Eastern population of Sandhill Cranes is approximately 91,444 individuals and the population is increasing. 

Aldo Leopold, the father of the naturalist movement is from Baraboo. Aldo’s original and historic shack is near the International Crane Foundation headquarters. His influence permeates the ecology movement. Anne pointed out that in his day the number of Sandhill Cranes were few and dwindling. In fact, she pointed out that he believed the species would become extinct.  It is one of those rare moments when I am truly happy that a personal hero of mine is wrong.  The cranes' comeback is attributed to their ability to adapt to farmland. However, the farmland has wetland on the property.

The state of the Whooping Crane is very different. They are in fact the rarest cranes in the world. This is partly due to the fact they lay two eggs but raise one. The cranes have a poor fledgling rate. They mature at age three and can breed at age four or five. 

The International Crane Foundation has actively worked to increase the population. They raised cranes with humans in crane customs to minimize the impact of human contact. However, whenever possible wild-hatched and parent-raised is preferred. They have used ultralight to teach migration to cranes raised in captivity. 305 cranes have been introduced into the wild, 75 of them are still alive.

Challenges for both crane species include infrastructure, solar farms, and poaching. For people interested in supporting crane population restoration they may consider joining the “I Give a Whoop!” campaign. This may be found at: www.savingcranes.org. The Whooping Crane population is slowly increasing and now stands at 836 Whooping Cranes in North America. 

The second speaker was Kalli Dunn. She is the property manager of Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Preserve. Goose Pond is the largest wetland restoration in Indiana. It is 9,980 acres (about half the area of Cleveland, Ohio). The preserve consists of prairie, woods, wetlands and pollinator fields. 

Management of the preserve is multifaceted. Prescribed fires are used to maintain the prairie and control invasive species. Water levels are manipulated to maintain wildlife health. Rotational farming and mowing are utilized. The management plans are updated every five years. 

Land management is a challenge because of the complexity of the preserve. 3.5% of the preserve consists of wetland, 15% is grassland. 1500 acres of grassland are burned every year. Herbicides are used on both invasive and native plants. Additionally, there are 4000 acres of shallow wetlands. There is a fall draw down that starts I July. The focus is on maintaining the nesting island and optimizing the migration lands. 

The result of all of this is a rich biodiverse preserve that becomes the home of 40,000 snow geese during migration.

Dan Boritt, the executive director of Indiana Wildlife Federation then provided an update on the Sustainable Trails initiative.  He stated that there were four goals:
⦁ Promote conservation, enhance and restore animal habitat
⦁ Provide and maintain the four components needed for wildlife, food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young
⦁ Preserve and enhance natural native wildlife
⦁ Create environmentally friendly experiences for people 
This was followed by updates n the Urban Wilderness Trail in Indianapolis and the Betley Woods at Glacer’s End. This was all guided by the Mission of Indiana Wildlife Federation: Education, Advocacy, and Action.

Finally, he ended with a review of the history of IWF. It is the oldest conservation organization in the state dating back to 1938. It published research. It advocated for conservation policies, 1965 Clean Water. It advocated for the disuse of Pesticides in 1966 and specifically DDT in 1968. In 1970 it sponsored statewide environmental education. In 1974 it advocated for hunters and anglers. In 1981 the organization became the Indiana Wildlife Federation. In 2001 it passed a Resolution to protect the Great Lakes from Invasive Species. In 2017 it took a leadership opposition in protecting Monarchs and pollinators. In 2022 it had a membership of 4,500. 

Will Ditzler is a member of the Indiana Wetlands Commission. This is a 13 member committee representing diverse interests and perspectives. He stated the committee had excellent participation, collaboration, and attendance for such a diverse group. 

However, none of this collegiality resulted in the government strengthening protections of Indiana wetlands. In fact, the protections were lessened. The State Regulated Wetland rules were changed. The Senate Bill 389 was passed. The impact is a concern. The law lessened protection for state regulagted isolated wetland. It reclassified wetland categories and broadened exemptions. It exempted more lower quality farmed wetland for irregation. Fortuanlty federal rules have lessened the impact of the bill.  The hopeful note was that a Task Force was established to review the changes.  

To wrap up a very informative day Drew Younge Dyke from the National Wildlife Federation spoke. He told us about an interesting initiative to regonize Sacred Habitats. This is an attempt to bring the Homegrown National Park initiative to houses of worship.  
His goals for our region are simple but viatal: 
1. Restore Wetlands
2. Great Lake Restoration
Ohio River Restoration
Mississippi River Restoration

The conference was invigorating. For me it touched on much of what we in NE Indiana are doing. We have Sandhill Cranes. They are new to the marsh and will be studied and valued. We have a continental divide on Eagle Marsh. A berm divides to watershed in an attempt to prevent watershed crossing of Asian Carp in the Greaat Lakes.  We fight invasive palnts and nurture native plants. We look at our marsh and do not see it as our settler ancestor did, as a swamp and home of disease. Rather we see it as a wetland that protets protery from flooding, cleans water, and increases biodiversty. 

This was a powerful cofernece and I look forward toa ttending more Indiana Wildlife Federation meetings and conferences.