In this blog we take a look what we accomplished this past year with the help of our members and generous volunteers and donors. The Friends of the Limberlost is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit. We work with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Nature Preserves which owns most of the land in the Limberlost Conservation Area and the Indiana State Museum which owns the Limberlost State Historic Site.
We thank all that helped us this past year and hope you enjoy a look back on some positive things that happened in 2020 at Limberlost.
Retired Ecologist Ken Brunswick is currently the chair of the Limberlost Swamp Remembered committee. He had a vision of a snake fence being placed at Music of the Wild Nature Preserve along with native plantings along the fence. In June 2020, Dr. Richard “Doc” Yoder volunteered to build it. He built a 250 foot fence and donated his time and materials.
In the fall of 2019 and 2020, native plants were planted along the fence. We thank Rebecca Stafford for the donation of the plants and Connie Ronald for organizing the volunteers and transporting the plants. Those that helped were: Willy De Smet, Jack Ronald, Dale Widman, Zach Widman, Melissa Fey, Randy Lehman, and LaDonna Habeggar. Ken Brunswick and his grandchildren prepared the ground for the planting.
A new kiosk was installed in November at the Bird Sanctuary. This was made possible through a grant by the Goodrich Family Foundation.
A new kiosk was installed in November at the Limberlost Swamp Nature Preserve Deacon’s Trail parking lot. It was made possible with a grant from the Indiana Parks Alliance. The grant committee: Terri Gorney, Willy De Smet, Curt Burnette, Ken Brunswick and Randy Lehman.
A carriage similar to the one that Gene Stratton-Porter drove for her ramblings around Limberlost was purchased by the Friends of the Limberlost in July 2017. It was restored and ready for its debut in the spring of 2020. The Friends have it on loan to the site.
The carriage is in the Visitor Center for the winter.
In November, repairs to the Rainbow Bend parking lot were completed.
The culvert at Rainbow Bend/Bottom over the Engle Ditch was in need of repair. This was completed in early November. This is the pre repair photo. Ken Brunswick oversaw this construction and took the following photos.
The work begins.
The chimney swift tower was the idea of Alexandra Forsythe. The Robert Cooper Audubon Society in Muncie received a grant to build a tower. Curt Burnette put a lot of volunteer hours into thinking about how to best construct it and then making it. It is attached to the Friends of the Limberlost barn along the Hart Trail at the Limberlost Swamp Nature Preserve. We have a chimney swift interpretive sign ready to be installed this spring. The tower is up and will hopefully be used for a nesting pair of chimney swifts in 2021.
The grant committee is currently working on three more interpretive signs. The 10.64 acres addition to the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve the Friends purchased last summer will begin restoration in 2021.
For members, we publish a newsletter four times a year and will continue to do so.
We are looking forward to 2021. January 1 we welcomed three new members to the board: Bill Hubbard, David Rezits and LaDonna Habeggar.
Thank you!
Friends of the Limberlost 