INDRELAND AUDUBON WETLAND PRESERVE
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 2024
A Summer of Stewardship: Key Moments at the IAWP
This summer at the Indreland Audubon Wetland Preserve (IAWP) has been one of remarkable activity and collaboration. From hands-on conservation efforts to educational programs, the IAWP community, including our dedicated Busy Beavers Corp, has come together to protect and enhance this vital habitat. Here are some of the key accomplishments that made this season unforgettable:
This spring a special, free birding class with Ashley Martens was held, just for Busy Beavers. The class filled quickly and was a greatly appreciated benefit of being a Busy Beaver.
A MOSS class and an elementary school group were among those that toured the wetland to learn about bird migration and biodiversity.
Eight people earned their Wetland Master Naturalist certification in the first course of its kind in Montana.
Busy Beavers and other volunteers accomplished a lot over summer during the big cleanup day, Knock Out Burdock workdays, ongoing weeding, trail maintenance, beaver management, water monitoring, and bird surveys.
Several Busy Beavers were trained as interpretive hosts, and Kevin Cox built a host platform as well as new pavilion railings.
More than 40 people including local experts and community members came to the wetland for the third annual IAWP BioBlitz. They found and identified more than 163 species over the long weekend.
Busy Beavers helped build beaver dam analogs at a Montana Freshwater Partners site and surveyed birds before restoration at Mandeville Creek.
Teens from across the United States with the Travis Manion Foundation volunteered at the IAWP and worked on the old beaver deceiver, pulled weeds, spread mulch and refinished the benches on the berm. The Travis Manion Foundation empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations. We are grateful.
Todd Breitenfeldt with the Whitehall Biological Weed Control Project led two biocontrol workshops: for the Travis Manion teens and another for 21 adults.
Downy Woodpeckers, Yellow Warblers, Bullock’s Orioles, Belted Kingfishers, and Sandhill Cranes were among the breeding birds at the IAWP this year.
As the season winds down, we look forward to celebrating these accomplishments and more during the Busy Beavers Rendezvous on, Saturday, October 19.
Want to make a difference? Join the Busy Beavers Volunteer Corp and get involved in our ongoing efforts to protect and enhance this unique urban wetland. Whether you’re passionate about wildlife, conservation, or community, there’s a place for you at the Indreland Audubon Wetland Preserve. For more information visit the website www.bozemanwetlands.org or email emman@bozemanwetlands.org.
