by Emma Narotzky
Opportunities to volunteer for the wetland arise all year long, but the main season for outdoor work onsite ends in the fall. The 2023 volunteer season at the IAWP wrapped up with the Busy Beaver Rendezvous toward the end of October. Fifteen volunteers enjoyed the mild weather as they worked on clearing the culvert, installing bat boxes, and winterizing the wetland infrastructure. The group also enjoyed the birds who remained at the wetland, including magpies, mallards, and vocal kingfishers hunting near the trail. The crew, consisting of seasoned Busy Beavers, new volunteers, and SAS board members ended the day with a pizza party in the pavilion.
Summary of the Season:
60 volunteers gave over 750 hours of their time during the spring through fall 2023 season:
Bird surveys and point counts, Water monitoring, Second Annual BioBlitz
Field trips and events reaching all ages from preschool to adults including: MSU classes, a series of trips for MOSS, workshops at the wetland with instructors including Todd Breitenfeldt and Jennifer Jones, World Migratory Bird Day, Spooky Stroll, and World Wetlands Day
Free and discounted workshops for Busy Beavers including Raptor ID with Steve Hoffman
Weed pulls, cleanups, and building work days – Busy Beavers built a pavilion, set up two new bat boxes and one new wood duck box, and repaired the berm boardwalk.
Sign up to be a Busy Beaver and pledge just 10 hours of your time in 2024 to contribute to your local urban wetland restoration project. When you become a Busy Beaver you join a community of people who share a dedication to wetland conservation and outreach, and you gain access to discounted and free workshops by SAS throughout the year.
