Project: Goose Pond
County: Dane
Project Start Date: 09/01/2018
Project End Date: 09/30/2018
By Peter Ziegler, WWA Project Director
Water is not an issue in most parts of the state right now and the waterfowl are loving it. They have been spread out feeding in recently flooded areas which hold a tremendous amount of valuable food resources as they begin their fall migration.
Many wetlands went underwater in the past month and have recently begun to return to normal levels, but water is high and abundant throughout much of the state. This has delayed some projects and a few that will have to wait until winter to be completed due to the wetness.
A project WWA partnered on was completed recently out at the Madison Audubon Society – Goose Pond property. For those who do not know about this place, it is a tremendous spot for birds during migration and breeding. WWA, USFWS and Madison Audubon partnered on the project to restore a basin, which will aid in bird habitat in Columbia county.
This project was partially funded through WWA’s successful NAWCA grant received this year in which all partners provided matching time or money, thereby bolstering our competitiveness for the grant and helping all of us get some quality wetland habitat on the ground.
Mark and Sue Martin of Madison Audubon checking to see how the project is going; shallow ground water can be seen seeping in. Photo by Arlene Koziol.
This area was highly impacted by sediment loading through time. There were spots on the site where 18+ inches of sediment have buried the original wetland, changing the hydro periods and vegetative components and ultimately use by wildlife which rely on wetlands for survival.
Wetland scrapes filled with water after 2.8 inches of rain. The prairie restoration surrounding this wetland provides excellent nesting habitat for many birds and aids in the long-term ecological protection of the wetland. Photo by Mark Martin.