Beehunter Marsh’s first spring. Waterfowl wing over the restored
Beehunter Marsh southeast of Linton. The marsh was rebuilt last year
by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service as part
of the Goose Pond restoration project.
Beehunter Marsh’s first spring. Waterfowl wing over the restored
Beehunter Marsh southeast of Linton. The marsh was rebuilt last year
by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service as part
of the Goose Pond restoration project.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has signed a letter of intent to purchase nearly 8000 acres in Greene County commonly known as Goose Pond and Bee Hunter Marsh.
The Goose Pond and surrounding marshes are part of a glacial basin near Linton, Ind. that was once an expansive, thriving wetland. The land had been drained dry since early in the last century. Today, efforts are underway to restore the area’s wildlife splendor and provide free public access.
The purchase price is expected to be approximately $8 million. Funding for the purchase tentatively includes federal grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and donations from the Indiana Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Ducks Unlimited.
Goose Pond project biologists say the area, once restored, would be one of the most significant waterfowl use areas in Indiana due to its size, historic use by wildlife, proximity to federal and state-owned natural areas, and location near the Wabash and White rivers.
The area can also be expected to become an important feeding and resting area for herons, egrets and the Greater Sandhill crane. Significant nesting use by bitterns and rails along the marsh edges is anticipated. The area will likely attract osprey, and northern harriers are already present.
Restoration of some areas of bottomland forest eventually will provide new nesting habitat for neo-tropical migrant birds. Marshland fur-bearers such as beaver, muskrat and mink will increase as more habitat becomes available.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service has previously acquired a conservation easement over most of the property. Their conservation efforts are designed to bring the property back into its natural marsh state. Further restoration efforts will provide habitat for amphibians and reptiles, including some threatened and endangered species.
Red-winged blackbird on restored Beehunter Marsh.
