(Photo credit – Susan Kirt; photo provided by Save the Dunes)
In northwest Indiana, Save the Dunes says the thousands of sandhill cranes stopping at the Great Marsh at Indiana Dunes National Park this month are “an incredible reminder of what habitat restoration can achieve”. The nonprofit says during the 20th century much of the 4,000 acres of the Great Marsh wetland complex was dug up, drained, or otherwise destroyed but since 1998 the National Park Service and its partners have done extensive restoration work in the Great Marsh, and in recent years sandhill cranes have started to return. A news release from Save the Dunes says sandhill cranes recently “gathered in staggering numbers to use the marsh during migration, filling the wetlands with their unmistakable calls” Save the Dunes said, and “sweeping flights overhead.” To learn more about the restoration work, visit the Save the Dunes website at https://savedunes.org/great-marsh/ . Anyone who sees the cranes is asked to please remember to give them plenty of space and stay on designated trails and viewing areas, keep noise low, and use binoculars or a zoom lens rather than approaching the birds. “The cranes are relying on the marsh as a place to rest and refuel during their long journey,” Save the Dunes said. Here is a link to the Save the Dunes website – https://savedunes.org .
