On Saturday, July 13th and Sunday, July 14th, the Indiana chapter put in some serious work at the Willow Slough FWA, a 10,000 acre property near Morocco, Indiana. This property borders Illinois, so it was fitting that we had two members from the Illinois chapter join us.
The property manager, Mike Schoof, is in the process of changing the boundaries of the waterfowl resting area in order to create better conditions for migratory birds. We helped out by removing signs from areas of the property that will now be open to hunting, as well as replacing old, damaged signs and signposts. For one section of the property, this required hiking a mile or so into the woods to remove old signage.
Recently, there have been some exciting things happening at this property. On May 31st of this year, Indiana DNR and Indiana Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever (PF/QF) announced the acquisition of a 172.58-acre addition to the property, acquired via PF/QF's Build a Wildlife Area (BAWA) program and Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds.
The property manager, Mike Schoof, is in the process of changing the boundaries of the waterfowl resting area in order to create better conditions for migratory birds. We helped out by removing signs from areas of the property that will now be open to hunting, as well as replacing old, damaged signs and signposts. For one section of the property, this required hiking a mile or so into the woods to remove old signage.
Recently, there have been some exciting things happening at this property. On May 31st of this year, Indiana DNR and Indiana Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever (PF/QF) announced the acquisition of a 172.58-acre addition to the property, acquired via PF/QF's Build a Wildlife Area (BAWA) program and Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds.
IN PF/QF is an organization we collaborate with regularly, and we are honored to be able to contribute our stewardship and volunteer hours to further improve this beautiful property. Because of IN BHA' efforts (with a little help from our BHA friends in IL), our combined 70 volunteer hours from the workday will result in a 2-1 match from Pittman Robertson dollars. As a result, the property will receive over $4,000 that will also go toward conservation efforts.
What our members love about BHA are opportunities to get out and get involved in stewardship projects on our public lands. We had one new member join us for his first BHA event, and the opportunity to volunteer is what attracted him to our organization.
Since this was a two-day event, we had a group campout at the property camp site. After a full, hard day's work, we cooked wild game and brats around the fire, discussed conservation and chapter plans going forward, plans for fall hunts, tags drawn (or not), and bird dogs.
Our events near the Illinois border have consistently drawn Illinois members, and we are excited about the possibility of collaborating on some stewardship events with the Illinois Chapter in the future. We can always use the help on these workdays, and we would love to see you at one in your area!
Our events near the Illinois border have consistently drawn Illinois members, and we are excited about the possibility of collaborating on some stewardship events with the Illinois Chapter in the future. We can always use the help on these workdays, and we would love to see you at one in your area!
Coming up, we have our Indiana BHA Chapter State Rendezvous at Rockville Lake Park! Be sure to check out the details at the
About Indiana BHA
Our chapter is dedicated to serving the interests of conservation and access to clean public lands and waters. Through planning, collaboration, and dedication, we will make a difference.