|
|
Inspector in Training
Tim Ward at E.A. Vaughn WMA
Photo by Aaron
Ward
2008
Nesting Season Project Planning Underway!
Final box inventories are being readied by various youth groups, predator
guards are being fabricated, poles are being salvaged and supplies obtained
in conjunction with MWDI’s more than 50 state-wide public lands wood duck
project sites.
Much behind the scenes activity is occurring and the project work calendar
is being formulated. Volunteer opportunities during the February – April
will be posted by the end of January.
Please see the January 3rd Activity Report
for more details.
MWDI’s Focus
If you have a public habitat site you’d like to manage, please contact us.
MWDI can set you up with everything you’ll need. We have also helped many
private program sponsors with cost effective access to predator guards, box
materials and box kits. As time and logistics permit, MWDI or one of its
collaborating professionals can review your site remotely, conduct a habitat
tour or provide recommendations about your particular program plans as
appropriate. However, MWDI does not sell nest boxes or predator guards. MWDI
has periodically arranged for others to assemble prepaid box kits for
private programs under special arrangements. If we are able to do this, we
will publicize the service – its cost and timing in our activity reports.
If you would like to be added to MWDI’s email Activity Report list, please
contact us. Anyone can support MWDI. There are no dues, just come join us
outdoors for your “Total Wetland Experience”.
2007 results were very rewarding and we are most appreciative of the more
than 11,000 volunteer hours that have been invested in the
Initiative since MWDI began in late 2004. Residual impacts of the continuing
drought on several of Maryland’s wetlands will be noticed this spring. We
are hopeful that nesting conditions will improve.
The embroidered hats and shirts are now being distributed to volunteers,
public officials and others who ordered them. We’ll consider another
aggregated order this summer.
Thank you for your continued interest and support.
Sincerely,
Cliff Brown
Executive Director
Maryland Wood Duck Initiative
The Maryland Wood Duck Initiative is an all-volunteer wildlife
conservation effort started in late 2004. Our objectives are to
enhance Maryland’s wood duck population and to generate a greater
appreciation of the wetland habitats in which they live by
advocating and demonstrating the merits of a “best practices”
approach in managed nest programs.
Leveraging these focused efforts on the wood duck, we seek to
provide a
Total Wetlands Experience for our volunteers
and the “next generation” through the development of complementary
educational programs, internships and research projects. |
|
