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The Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Limberlost

9/28/2015

 
The Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Limberlost was very well attended and guests were treated to a host of surprises! We saw the new building, heard about the new trails, received an official Project Legacy Seal, and even saw a large check in terms of amount and size! With so many fantastic events, only a few of the topics can be discussed here.

After visiting the new Maintenance Building and dining on a scrumptious meal courtesy of the Palmer House of Berne, the Friends held their Board Election. Carl Yoder was presented with the Limberlost Service Award for serving on the Board for the maximum allowable amount of time (9 years). With a mixture of new and familiar faces, the newly elected Board stands ready to take on the exciting challenges of the coming year. 

We heard from Ben Hess about the beautiful new trails that will allow visitors to see some of the most diverse habitats in the area, particularly in the Music of the Wild, Bird Sanctuary, and County Line Road areas. He has worked tirelessly to install the trails, the final touches of which were completed on Thursday. Do be sure to check them out! We also saw the new property boundary signs that will assist conservation officers in keeping hunters, horses, and other violators from inappropriate use of the property. 

The Friends have become members of the Indiana Parks Alliance that offers grants, assistance with trail projects, and provides more widespread visibility. New benches have been installed for the comfort of visitors, and progress is being made to pursue the 39 acres around White Oak Cemetery. This area is unusual for many reasons, not the least of which is the presence of the rarely seen Firepink Shooting Star, a beautiful wildflower with five brilliant crimson petals that end in sharp notches. 

Randy Lehman showered us in good news! Not including the volunteer hours on the DNR side of the park, we've had 1788 volunteer hours in 2014 and 1640 hours in 2015! The number of Facebook followers has risen by about 60% largely due to the efforts of Terri Gorney. Her interesting and timely posts have attracted the attention of about 300 new people in a very short period of time. 

The attendance at Limberlost events has continued to grow. The three Jamborees brought 526 people to the site, 275 came for the egg hunt, 113 attended on July 4th, 85 came for the Christmas event, and 70 attended the Peregrine Falcon program. About 200 schoolchildren will be visiting in October, a large crowd is expected for the final leg of the Jay County 5K series which ends at Limberlost with an awards ceremony, and many people are expected at the Animalia creature feature sponsored by Bixler Insurance.

An historic 2.5 ton safe from the Bank of Geneva is on display in the Visitor's Center. This ornate treasure has been a popular attraction! Another new attraction is in the works. A slice of the trunk from a very old Ash tree (attacked by Emerald Ash Borer) was spared from the wood chipper thanks to Randy's quick thinking. He plans to label the growth rings to create a timeline of Gene's life. 

The website (Limberlost.weebly.com) has continued to grow thanks to our webmasters: 16-year old Alexandra Forsythe and her 18-year old brother Scott Forsythe. Alex has been performing the day-to-day operations while Scott has been working on the Teacher's Resources section. 

Literary talent reigns supreme amongst the Friends! Curt Burnette, Bill Hubbard and Terri Gorney have all written books. Each has a different flavor, from hilarious anecdotes and outstanding photography to moving words from previously unknown naturalists. The books are available in the gift shop and would make the perfect Christmas presents to anyone with an appreciation of the natural world. Curt also has monthly column called "Limberlost Notebook" in the Berne Tri-Weekly Newspaper that are must reads.

Curt gave the Friends a spectacular slide show of the "Little Known Limberlost". Curt has ventured more deeply into the Limberlost than most of us dare, and he showed us his photos of the Heron Rookery, huge Sycamore trees with trunks so large you'd think they were Redwoods, minks with luxurious coats, and graceful Tundra Swans that number in the 70s. The final "Hidden Place" he shared was from the Indiana State Fair, where he spotted a veterinary science 4-H project by our own Alexandra Forsythe which had won the Grand Champion Sweepstakes for all age groups at the state level.

Terri Gorney has been as busy as ever this year! She received a $1,000.00 INPAWS grant for Limberlost for the planting of native plants. Grants are difficult to come by these days and competition is fierce, so the receipt of any grant money is testament to Terri's hard work and her ability to convince organizations of Limberlost's worthy causes. In addition, she has written numerous newspaper articles (including Angola, Auburn, Kendallville, Lagrange) about the area and its historic naturalists, she has spoken at the Berne Chamber Women's Annual Breakfast, and she participated in the FrogWatch USA study during which she discovered 10 of the 11 species of frogs thriving in the area. It is unusual to find an area with so many frog species, and it's a sign that the Limberlost ecosystems are healthy. 

Terri has organized bird counts in Limberlost for the Audubon Christmas and May Day events (103 bird species seen in a matter of hours!) and she has kept a list of rare birds that visit the Limberlost. Many birds that disappeared for decades have recently returned to the area thanks to the restoration of the Limberlost. The Friends can take pride that due to their efforts, many of Gene's favorite birds can now be seen here again, and they are attracting many new visitors to the area. Rarities such as the Yellow-headed Blackbird and Glossy Ibis brought birders in from far and wide.

Some of the most unexpected surprises came during Scott Forsythe's presentation. Scott is developing an app for Android and Apple devices: Birding with Gene Stratton-Porter at Limberlost. The app will contain information about Limberlost, include maps and GPS directions, and a link to our Events page. All of the commonly seen birds will be included. For each bird, there will be a photo, description, season and location within Limberlost where you're most likely to see the bird, and a quote from Gene Stratton-Porter herself about that particular bird or its habitat. "I wanted to honor Gene by creating an app that allows people to feel as if they are birding alongside Gene, with Gene herself describing the bird to them in her own poetic words." The app should be ready in time for the bicentennial. At the end of his presentation, Scott gave a heartfelt thank you to his mentor Terri for her support, he thanked Randy, Curt, Bill and Ben for their help, and he thanked his sister Alex for her birding knowledge and photography.

After Scott's talk, Perry Hammock, executive director of the Indiana Bicentennial Commission, surprised Scott by presenting him with the Bicentennial Legacy Project Seal, indicating that the app has been approved as an official Bicentennial project. Seconds later, Natanja Tabb from Nordstrom presented Scott with a Macbook Air and a huge 3-foot scholarship check in the amount of $10,000.00! Thousands of students were considered for this national award, but the scholarship committee was impressed with Scott's grades and test scores (top 2% in the nation), dedication to community service (in addition to his work with Limberlost and his volunteer work for other organizations, Scott runs a global nonprofit that benefits learning disabled children and annually hosts the only dyslexia conference in northeast Indiana). Scott will be entering college next fall and majoring in computer engineering.

Topping off a sweet evening were tasty cupcakes, courtesy of Nordstrom. It was a memorable night, full of excitement, surprises, and the promise of a fantastic coming year!

Scarlet Tanager

9/21/2015

 
Picture
by Alex Forsythe

Last Mother's Day, my mom had one request: find her a Scarlet Tanager close enough that she could see it. That's a tall order! They are typically found high in the treetops in forest interiors, and we live in an area in which field corn is usually the tallest plant around! We drove to the next county and found not one, but four male Scarlet Tanagers and 2 females, all down low and easy to see and photograph! It was quite a memorable Mother's Day! Since then we've managed to attract them to our yard. They dine from a mealworm feeder that I set out for Bluebirds. I've also noticed that when I take my mom with me on a birding hike, we now find Scarlet Tanagers more often than not. I think they know she loves them and they appreciate the attention!

My mom loves the Scarlet Tanager primarily for its color. The male is a beautiful crimson with black wings and tail, while the female is equally gorgeous with a yellow-green body and dark wings. Both the male and female sing, but the female's song is quieter and less harsh than the male's song. 

Gene Stratton-Porter loved Tanagers, too. She raised and released a Scarlet Tanager while she was writing "Friends in Feathers", and she included the experience near the beginning of that book. The Tanager's nest had been destroyed by a storm and the bird was in danger of either drowning or being trampled by cattle. She took the chick home and dutifully fed it every 15 minutes for ten days. Then she gradually and patiently taught the bird to be self-supporting. She released it in her orchard, feeding and watering it for a while after it fledged, then she slowly reduced the bird's dependence on her. She was sad to see it go, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted extensive studies on the Scarlet Tanager in the 1990's resulting in a comprehensive report: "A Land Manager's Guide to Improving Habitat for Scarlet Tanagers and other Forest-interior Birds". It was Cornell's first publication in a series of habitat management guidelines. From 1993 to 1996 over 1,000 volunteers studied Scarlet Tanagers at over 2,000 study sites across North America. At the time, it was one of the largest datasets ever collected on forest fragmentation and birds.

The study found that forest fragmentation negatively affected Scarlet Tanagers, but surprisingly the importance of forest-patch size and isolation of the patches depended largely on the region. In the Midwest, including Indiana, Tanagers are far more affected by fragmentation and require larger tracts of forest in order to survive. According to the study, "roughly 66 acres are required to achieve High Suitability [for Tanager habitat in the Midwest]. As the amount of forest in the surrounding block decreases, the minimum area required by tanagers increases sharply, roughly doubling for every 10% reduction in surrounding forest. Note that in sparsely forested landscapes, the minimum areas required for high and moderate suitability are sometimes impossible to achieve." The study recommends protecting existing forests, reclaiming forest areas, and establishing forested corridors to reconnect isolated forest patches.

Another cause of concern is the Brown-headed Cowbird. If a Cowbird discovers a Tanager's nest near the forest edge, it may lay its egg in the nest, securing the survival of its chick at the expense of the Tanager's chick. Historically, the Brown-headed Cowbird followed the buffalo herds across the plains. As a nomadic species, it could not remain in one location long enough to build a nest and raise its brood. Instead, it was forced to rely on other bird species to raise its young, depositing its eggs in another bird's nest in what is known as "brood parasitism". The Cornell Tanager study points out that the expansion of the Cowbird's range was and is caused solely by humans. With the destruction of the buffalo herds, introduction of cattle and ranches, deforestation of the land, and the ever-increasing agricultural lands, the Cowbirds moved into territories of birds that had no mechanisms for rejecting Cowbird eggs. In addition, the study found that many species require forested areas that are at least 330 feet from a a forest edge; the edge causes an increase in the rate of nest predation and parasitism. The larger the forest patch, the less likely it is for a Cowbird to find a Tanager nest. 

Hopefully land owners will adopt the recommendations in Cornell's study. With proper forest management, Scarlet Tanagers could be available on Mother's Day for many years to come, making beautiful memories for moms like mine.

The Builders of the Limberlost Cabin

9/14/2015

 
Picture
By Terri Gorney

The Limberlost cabin has been a part of Geneva for 120 years but most are probably 
unaware of its beginnings. According to the “Geneva Herald” April 20 1894 issue, it 
reported that excavations were being made for the new residence of C.D. Porter. The 
article stated that the “two-story frame building of modern design and the estimated cost 
is over $8000.” Another article in the “Decatur Democrat” put the price of the home 
around $5,000 and with the price of the lots would have put the home at about $7,000. 
The home was begun around Charles and Gene’s 8th wedding anniversary.


Charles Porter took his wife Gene to the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The Forestry 
Building made a lasting impression on Gene. It inspired her to build a home in the rustic 
Queen Anne style built of Wisconsin red cedar logs. 

The Porters chose a young and capable architect named William “Will” Christen of 
Decatur to design their home. At the time, Will had an office in Decatur over Peter 
Holthouse’s Clothing Store. Gene Stratton-Porter worked with Will on the design of the 
home. It would be the first of several homes that she would build.

In early 1895, Will moved with his wife Ada to Rockford Ohio. He built homes and 
business in that area. In his 40s, he served as mayor of that town. Besides the Limberlost 
cabin, Will’s second most noteable structure in Adams County is the two-story school 
built in 1913 for the town of Bobo. Today it is a private residence. In 1922, Will was the 
architect for the new high school in Rockford. 

During Will’s long career, his buildings would make a lasting impression on the 
Melbourne Florida landscape. He was an architect and builder there for thirty years. In 
1919, he created the new high school in the Neoclassical style. Today it known as the 
Henegar Center for the Arts. In the early 1920s, he was the architect for the Indialantic 
hotel and casino. A historic marker there bares the name of William Christen as the 
architect.

The masonry contractor for the cabin’s construction was awarded to John Schupp. John 
listed stone mason as his profession in the 1870s and 1880s when he was living in 
Decatur. It is possible that he created the stone fence around the cabin. A contractor of 
“fee simple” was Henry Fred Linn who was a carpenter by profession. 

At this time, Geneva was prospering from oil money and the town was booming. Charles 
Porter was a well-respected man in the community. In an 1895 article in the “Geneva 
Herald” he was described as a man of “mature experience in financial matters.” He was 
co-owner of Porter and Deitsch, founder the Bank of Geneva, and he owned several 
properties in town as well as a 239 acre farm in Hartford Township that had oil wells on 
it. This home showed that Charles was a successful member of the community.

Gene and Charles were living in the cabin by February 1895. Charles wrote that the logs 
of the cabin were oiled. After the cabin was sold to their friends, Corwin and Chloe Price 
in 1920, the logs were painted as they remain today. Chloe Price would sell the cabin to 
the Limberlost Conservation Association December 31 1946 and donate it to the state.

We tip our hats to Will Christen, John Schupp and Henry Fred Linn who so long ago 
created the Limberlost cabin and to the Porters and the Corwins that loved the home.

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    The volunteers and staff of Limberlost

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