The Arctic blast ripping across Indiana the first of March devastated the spring-longing hopes of many cabin-weary Hoosiers. With 40- to 50-mph winds, spurts and spasms of snow, Mother Nature showed her ugly side as March truly came in “like a lion.”

Despair not, though, as spring is fixing to “spring.” One of the true harbingers of spring is the buzzard. Nature’s sanitary engineers of the sky lay low in the south until the temperatures warm enough to unthaw the road-kill carcasses of the unwary in the animal kingdom.

I was amazed as on March 6, with a morning temperature in the single digits and an afternoon high of 29 degrees, I saw a buzzard munching away on a half-frozen raccoon carcass along State Road 244.

The phone has started to ring as people are spotting flocks of robins arriving in Indiana. I can’t help but think the robins might be a little optimistic, as I’m sure the worms and nightcrawlers are still frozen and as hard as pieces of uncooked pasta.

And even though a break in the weather is soon to arrive, keep your bird feeder filled. The next couple of months are an extreme challenge for our feathered friends, as most of the wild weed seed has been depleted and having insects to forage upon is weeks away.

They need as much protein as possible, especially considering they will soon be building nests and laying eggs. Keep the sunflower and thistle seed feeders full.

Expansion at Prophetstown State Park

Prophetstown State Park is expanding, under an agreement to purchase 134 acres of land on the southeast side of the park’s existing footprint. The land, part of the park’s original master plan, has been sought by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since the 1990s.

The property will be purchased for $1.1 million from the Trustees of the Opal Hatke Trust with funding provided through the Natural Resources Foundation from proceeds of existing sand and gravel mining leases at the park. The purchase allows the DNR to consider future relocation of power lines in the park, which have no direct customers, and currently run from a substation east of the park to the Battleground substation west of the park.

The DNR plans to eventually develop a lake on the property into a recreational facility for the state park. Duke Energy worked closely with the DNR to provide viable alternatives for the power line relocation, to avoid lines running through the lake.

Purchasing the Hatke land allows the park to avoid drawbacks presented by the other power line routing options, as well as allow for the development of a lake providing guests with water recreational opportunities previously lacking in the immediate area.

Prophetstown is the state’s newest park, created in 2004. In addition to traditional recreational opportunities, the park also provides hundreds of acres of restored tallgrass prairie and oak savannas, as well as abundant opportunities to learn about the Native people who once lived and traveled along the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers.

Prophetstown State Park includes The Farm, a 1920s farmstead focusing on life during the 20th century in Indiana and is a favored attraction of park guests. For more information, see on.IN.gov/prophetstownsp

AmeriCorps team assists in prescribed fires

An 11-person team from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps will help Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood state forests staff administer a series of prescribed fires to help restore oak-hickory forest ecosystems now through April 15, weather permitting.

Native Americans and European settlers routinely burned the forest. The type of forest management spanned thousands of years, shaping Indiana’s oak-hickory ecosystems of today. “These forests are currently changing over to a different species composition dominated by American beech and maples,” said State Forester Jack Seifert. “Doing such burns promotes biodiversity.”

Public outreach events about the prescribed-fire season will be held at the property office on March 29 and April 18, at 6220 Forest Road in Martinsville, Ind. Call 765-342-4026 for details.

New interpretive exhibits for Goose Pond FWA

Thanks to a partnership with Duke Energy Foundation and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF), guests of Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area can expect to see new interpretive displays at the property’s visitor center by spring 2020. Recently, the Foundation awarded the INRF a $20,000 grant to create such exhibits to educate visitors about Goose Pond FWA’s wetland, grassland, and agricultural habitats.

Angie Haywood, director of Education and Outreach for the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife, says the exhibits will improve guest experiences. “Goose Pond is a unique natural area with two of the most imperiled habitats in the state. Thousands of visitors stop by each year, and we want to provide them with the opportunity to learn more and get outside to enjoy all that this public property has to offer.”

More than 260 bird species have been documented at Goose Pond, attracting birders from across the country. Each year, thousands of Sandhill cranes stop by during their annual migration. Whooping cranes, a federally endangered species, are also regular visitors. In addition to birding, the multi-use property provides hunting and hiking.

Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work, and provides more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts.

Replacing the Lake Lonidaw dock

Visitors to Pokagon State Park will be able to enjoy a new dock on Lake Lonidaw this summer. The new dock is scheduled for completion by Memorial Day weekend and will extend further into the lake, which is a kettle lake surrounded by fen wetland, providing habitat to many plant and animal species.

Until completion, the dock and a portion of the trail leading to it will be closed to the public. Visitors will still have access to the Lake Lonidaw boardwalk and Trail 3 in Angola.

Master Naturalist classes at Salamonie Lake

Outdoors lovers can register for Indiana Master Naturalist (IMN) classes the Upper Wabash Interpretive Services is hosting at the Salamonie Nature Center beginning April 2. Salamonie Lake’s IMN program offers a chance to learn from nature-resource specialists and gain an understanding of Indiana’s plants, water ecology, soils, and wildlife, while promoting volunteer service in local communities.

At the completion of the classes, participants will gain the title of Indiana Master Naturalist. Classes will be Tuesday and Thursday evenings from April 2-25, 6-9 p.m. in Andrews. There will also be two Saturday sessions from 9 a.m.-noon. Participants must attend the orientation meeting on April 2, eight of the 10 class sessions, and complete a final exam and 30 volunteer hours to obtain the certification and a pin from the state.

Class size is limited to 30 participants and spots will fill quickly. The $85 registration fee needs to be paid at time of registration. Applications are available by visiting Salamonie Nature/Interpretive Center or by emailing Teresa Rody at trody@dnr.IN.gov

Call 260-468-2127 for more information.

Redbird SRA closing for upgrades

Major upgrades and overhauls are coming to Redbird State Recreation Area (SRA), which became the DNR’s first property for off-road vehicles (ORV) nearly 15 years ago.

The property is closed to the public until early summer. Originally, the project wasn’t going to start until spring but the earlier start will allow for earlier completion. Among the improvements are new trails, major trail repair and reroutes, and paved access from County Road 350 N to Whitetail Shelter.

While Redbird is closed, property staff will add approximately five miles of new dirt bike trail, reroute trails 0 and 3 to avoid conflict with traffic on the new pavement, and rebuild the sustained damage on multiple trails occurring during the wet 2018 season.

Staff will also add amenities such as trail-side rest areas at scenic vistas. Other plans include increasing signage and adding new trail designations to help visitors better navigate the property and avoid areas beyond their skill levels. The projects will not adversely affect visitors’ favorite features, but will improve parking and dust control at Power Line Hill and Whitetail Shelter.

During the shutdown, user groups are encouraged to volunteer at the property. Anyone interested should call Redbird SRA at 812-847-0146.

While Redbird is being worked on, ORV enthusiasts may want to explore the DNR’s other ORV riding property, Interlake SRA, just over an hour south, near Lynnville. Interlake offers 3,500 acres and more than 100 miles of ORV trails.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.