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In Science Lies the Answers and the Questions

In Science Lies the Answers and the Questions

By Chris Fox, Land Stewardship Director

Indiana DNR herpetologists Jason Mirtl and Nate Engbrecht use coverboards to monitor reptiles and amphibians at the Sam Shine Foundation Preserve. Chris Fox

Using science to help guide our land management activities has become a key component of Sycamore’s land stewardship program. Aldo Leopold said it well, when he wrote that “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”

As I sit here attempting to write this article while gazing out the window, I am distracted by the birds gathered at the feeders. The sun is shining brightly and the sky is that beautiful robin egg color of blue that just begs you to come outside and explore. The birds, however, are telling a different story. Though they appear warm by their plump appearance, I suspect it is not because they have stuffed themselves on sunflower seeds. Rather, their rotund physique is likely due to the fact that they have fluffed-up their feathers for an extra R-value of insulation against the bitter cold. As I sneak towards the window for a closer look, I contemplate if I should put on another layer of insulation myself and venture out.

The crisp air on a bright sunny day like today has always been exhilarating to me. Some of my favorite winter memories were exploring animal tracks in a fresh snowfall, like Aldo Leopold so eloquently wrote about in A Sand County Almanac. What has been out roaming the woods at our office this blustery morning, I ponder? But, then I remember the -10°F “feels like” temperature and decide that going outside “feels like” a bad idea. Plus, there is this article to write and a fast-approaching deadline, so I somewhat reluctantly resist the urge to venture out. There will be other days for that.

With the decision made, I take one final look at the feeders before I dive back into writing. On the ground, there are several different species of sparrows and a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos, also known as “snow birds.” Despite the nickname, we have had very little snow this winter, but maybe the snow birds know something we don’t. As I watch the little slate-gray-colored juncos scattered about the ground, teetering on one leg and then another to stay warm, I have to chuckle. As they comically and somewhat clumsily alternate legs, they remind me of a toy from my childhood called Weebles. The catchy phrase that made this toy so popular back in the day was, “Weebles wobble but they won’t fall down.” Maybe juncos were the inspiration for the toy.

Certainly, birds have been an inspiration for many inventions and many people, myself included. As long as I can remember, I have always had a love and fascination with animals, and birds in particular. Just as George Costanza from Seinfeld always wanted to pretend to be an architect, as a child I always pretended to be a veterinarian. Growing up, everyone just assumed I would go on to be a real veterinarian, but as I got older, I wasn’t sure it was the right fit for me. I finally found the right fit when I took a class with the late Dr. Don Whitehead. I watched with great awe as Dr. Whitehead enthusiastically told stories about all of his field research. He flipped through slides of digging core samples from lake bottoms in New England to understand past climates and how acid rain might be impacting our current climate. He spoke passionately about his research examining how forest management and fragmentation, along with climate change, were impacting neotropical migratory songbirds’ reproductive success. He spoke with such fervor—always with a sense of hope, yet concerned that we must do something. I left that class with a new dream and vision of my future. Fast forward a few years, quite a few years in fact, and here I am writing an article about how we at Sycamore (an organization Dr. Whitehead was involved with and supported) utilize science to help guide our stewardship. It is a bit surreal when I think about it all.

As we plan our stewardship and restoration projects, we look to science to answer questions about how our land management can best meet our objectives and goals. We consult with experts for advice and assistance. We talk with botanists, biologists, herpetologists, and of course, other land stewards to find out what they are doing to protect and manage the flora and fauna that we at Sycamore work so hard to preserve. Using science to help guide our land management activities has become a key component of our stewardship program. Aldo Leopold said it well when he wrote, “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” While there is a lot of great scientific research out there on all aspects of stewardship, nothing can make a bigger impact than having that research conducted on land that we protect and manage. We have been fortunate to work with so many wonderful researchers on various projects on our preserves over the years. Every research project helps fill informational gaps in our collective scientific knowledge that can help us all better protect and manage these important ecological preserves. Paradoxically, the research often leads to more questions than it answers—but for me, that is the beauty of nature and science.

Indiana DNR Marsh Bird Surveys

This past year, the IDNR completed marsh bird surveys in the Beanblossom Creek area. If you are not familiar with marsh birds, you are not alone. These are extremely secretive birds that inhabit remote and often inaccessible wetlands or marshes, as the name implies. Unfortunately, these poorly understood and understudied birds are experiencing significant declines due largely to habitat loss.

Many of the species you could encounter in Indiana are listed as threatened or endangered. American bitterns, Virginia rails, and soras (a species of rail) have all been spotted on our wetland preserves. The information the ornithologists gather will help inform us on how to better manage our current wetlands to continue to provide habitat needed by these rare birds. This study will also help guide our future wetland restoration projects as we are committed to protecting our increasingly threatened wetland habitats. We look forward to partnering with the IDNR to make this a long-term study as we continue to construct and restore even more wetlands.

Hoot Woods Old Growth Forest Study

Next year, we will continue a research project that has been going on longer than Sycamore has been in existence—even longer than I have been in existence, in fact. The late Dr. Marion T. Jackson, professor at Indiana State University, began the research project in the 1960s. Dr. Jackson, along with some of his students and colleagues, began surveying sections of Hoot Woods to better understand the dynamics of an old-growth forest.

They established permanent plots within the forest and recorded all the trees that occurred in the grids, along with other data. Dr. Jackson was interested to see how the forest changes over time when left undisturbed by humans.

The 80-acre preserve in Owen County is designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and was the 301st state-dedicated nature preserve in Indiana. Thanks to the Hoot family, this forest survived the clearing that most of our forests suffered during the early settlement of our state. Now, the ancient forest will remain protected as a permanent preserve. And thanks to the foresight of Dr. Jackson and the continued dedication of his past students, peers, volunteers, and Sycamore staff, the research will continue for decades to come.

Beanblossom Creek Herpetological Study with Indiana DNR

For the past few years, Sycamore has partnered with IDNR to conduct herpetological surveys on several preserves. Specifically, these surveys were geared toward gathering information on species diversity and abundance in advance of planned restoration activities. An additional focus of many of these surveys was searching for the state-endangered Kirtland’s snake, a species that is poorly understood and imperiled in all states in which it occurs.

It was recently considered for federal listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act but was not accepted due to a lack of scientific evidence to support the listing. Sycamore had a few known records of Kirtland’s snakes and we were curious if there were more populations out there. Herpetological survey methods involved the use of coverboards, audio recorders, visual surveys (day and night), live traps, and photography.

These surveys have helped inform our stewardship team about the species currently using our preserves, and this information has led to modifications in a planned restoration project to protect Kirtland’s snakes already inhabiting the area. This research has also led to some new findings not previously well-documented in the scientific literature. For example, last year, it was discovered that individual Kirtland’s snakes could be identified by their unique facial patterns, thanks to the efforts of Zach Truelock.

Photographs have been used to identify individual snakes in the past, but usually for larger snakes with bold patterns, such as rattlesnakes. Through the use of photographs, we have also been able to get a better idea of population size and collect data on the individual movement of a mostly fossorial snake, which has been rarely recorded in published data. The research has also produced several county records, which helps fill in gaps in species ranges and movements.

This research is being shared with other groups and will be published in conservation journals. A huge thanks to Nathan Engbrecht, Jason Mirtl, and Zachary Truelock for their passion and dedication to this project and the protection of herps everywhere

Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc Research Grant

We are excited to announce that we will be starting a new research project this year focused on both the cypress firefly and Kirtland’s snake, thanks to the generous support of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc.

This is our first research-based grant and will help fund our efforts to continue to use science to guide our management and stewardship. This project will focus on three main goals:

Gain a better understanding of the current population of these two rare species using different survey methods.
Protect and restore habitat for these rare species so their populations can survive and potentially expand.
Provide more outreach and education to the public about these unique species and the threats they face.

We are hopeful that this is just the beginning of a long-term study and partnership with the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc.

Land Stewardship Director Chris Fox hunting for cypress fireflies (Photuris walldoxeyi) at Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve with Richard Joyce (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation), Sergio Henriques (Indy Zoo/Global Center for Species Survival), and biologist Max Henschen who helped discover the Beanblossom Bottoms population.

As I think about all these research studies, the partnerships we have formed, and how far we’ve come in such a short time, out of the corner of my eye I suddenly see a flash of red and white streak across the windowpane, and my attention is brought back to the feeders in front of my desk.

“What was that?” I whisper to myself as I scurry to the window for a closer look. I survey the area, but all I see are sparrows, finches, and those Weeble wobble juncos.

And then, nestled under a St. John’s wort shrub in our native plant garden, I spy our feathered mystery guest. Quickly, I grab the binoculars on the table without taking my eyes off the bird. As I peer through the lens, I am amazed at what I see.

It is a female cardinal with a white head. The rest of the plumage on the body is mostly pigmented in the normal cardinal colors save a few white patches here and there. The bold white head with an orange-tinged crest and bright orange beak gives her an almost parrot-like look. It is striking, and I hurry to alert the others in the office as I try to get a photograph.

As we look on, we all discuss how we’ve never seen a bird like this in person. According to several sources, the odds of such a bird are 1 in 30,000. Truly our lucky day! But what causes this and what does it mean? I may not know the answers, but I know how to find out.

Science will tell me—and with it will no doubt come more questions, and thus the mystery of life continues!