August 2011 Progress Report: Units A and B Renovation

On September 23rd, 2011 at 8:52am frank said:

I plan on including an image of the DU acquistions with future postings. We've already got one up from a post we did this summer.  Check out the July 13, "Short- term Fishing Opportunity" post.  The map highlights one area on the east side of Pool 2.  It encompasses the fish ponds and the "L" shaped fields to the west and south.

On September 22nd, 2011 at 5:09pm Bandtaker1 said:

Outstanding educational informative answer. So why did the person who was discing in the scours at Dark Cyprus cut the only willow along the edge of the 1st scour located on the east side going down the road? It was in a perfect location (the east side of the pool) to keep the early morning sun off a waterfowl hunter hunting that spot. It was 5 foot tall and several feet above the high water mark in that particular scour. Can you post a photo or aerial photo of the two new hunting positions recently donated by DU?

On September 22nd, 2011 at 10:59am cordek said:

Are willows a desireable plant species at Dark Cypress? Are they desireable in any seasonal wetland?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  The black willow (Salix nigra) is the most common willow we see in this region of the country.  It is a pioneering species and establishes itself very well on newly disturbed wetland pools. It grows fast and can quickly populate the entire pool if it is not set back with disturbance.  It is however, a natural part of the wetland plant community and has redeemable qualities.  Willow communities provide structure and windbreaks which can offer some thermal cover for waterfowl during harsh winter conditions as well as provide hiding places for waterfowl hunters.  Willows are a host speices to a wide array of invertebrates such as the pollinating insects (bees, wasps, flies, moths), a number of beetles, aphids, thrips and leafhoppers and many others.  The bugs, willow leaves and woody structure provide habitat for vertebrate species such as birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The birds associated with willows in wetlands are numerous.  They are very important to a number of warblers, vireos, blackbirds, grackles, sparrows, sapsuckers, turkeys and ducks.  Ducks often feed on willow buds and catkins in the spring when other sources of food are scarce.  Deer and snapping turtles occasionally browse on willow leaves and the Western Lesser Siren (an aquatic salamander) routinely aestivates (goes into a dormant state) beneath willow roots during the dry periods of summer.  Beavers rely on willow bark for food and branches for constructing their lodges. It is a struggle to balance the right amount of anything in wetland mangement and it is near impossible to keep the scales from tipping one way or the other.  The key is too never let them tip too far in either direction.

On September 21st, 2011 at 7:52pm Bandtaker1 said:

Do you consider willows a desirable plant species for dark cypress?

On September 19th, 2011 at 6:25pm cordek said:

Discing is a tool we use to set back natural plant succession which prevents perrenial plant species from outcompeting desireable annual plant species.  We often find ourselves balancing what management we would like to to get done with what we have time to get done.  More often than not, the weather dictates the window of opportunity we have to accomplish our objectives.  There was rain in the forecast and other projects which required attention later in the month so we took advanatge of the time we had the equipment on site.

On September 18th, 2011 at 2:12pm Bandtaker1 said:

Was it absolutely necessary to disk plow cultivate around the scours in Dark Cypress after the start of Teal Season? There was not enough water there to start with and the disking stole another 2 to 3 inches of depth. What purpose did that serve?

On September 8th, 2011 at 2:43pm frank said:

Yes and yes.  Dark Cypress will be self check during Teal and Early Goose Season.  We have a new box, but it is in the same spot at the first parking lot.  During the regular Waterfowl Season, positions will be administered through the morning draw.

On September 8th, 2011 at 2:32pm Bandtaker1 said:

Hi. Will Dark Cypress be self check in again this year? Will the sign in box be located at the first parking lot? Thanks in advance!!!

On September 8th, 2011 at 1:42pm frank said:

At the beginning of August we posted this fall’s hunting outlook for Duck Creek.  In the article, we mentioned the new wetland parcels donated by Duck Unlimited by Kinder.  This will add two new positions this fall.  If you missed the post, feel free to check it out.

On September 8th, 2011 at 1:42pm frank said:

Despite the dry conditions, there are some pockets of huntable water on Dark Cypress.  A few of the scours on the east side are still holding water and there is an area of water along the south and west levee.

On September 7th, 2011 at 1:46pm Bandtaker1 said:

Is there ANY water in Dark Cypress? East side west side???

On September 7th, 2011 at 1:21pm Anonymous said:

Will there be any new hunting positions this year, i seen flags in the field on 51 at kinder

On September 6th, 2011 at 5:48pm cordek said:

The blinds A1 and B1in Pool 2 will be repaired as needed and comouflaged later this month.  They will not be removed.

On September 5th, 2011 at 6:11pm Bandtaker1 said:

Hi. Can you tell me if the Pool 2 blinds A1 and B1 are being repaired replaced or removed?

On August 29th, 2011 at 12:06pm frank said:

As requested, we've added a couple more pictures to the slideshow to illustrate the work being done in Units A and B.  Thanks for the interest.

On August 27th, 2011 at 12:11am Hunter said:

Could you post more pics of the work in progress?

On August 26th, 2011 at 1:36pm frank said:

You may remember that last August during the drought we made a pretty good dent on the willows in Unit A around blinds 8 and 13 and along the borrow.  This work was in preparation for the current construction work.  By removing them last year we saved ourselves a step and allowed the dirt pans to get into the area faster.    The bulk of the remaining willows in this section haven’t been touched this year.  In Unit B we have removed several of the old tree lines that had grown up along the neglected field ditches.  This was necessary to fill in the old ditches, flatten adjacent spoil piles and tie the drainage into our restored slough system.  The willows were there because of the moist soil conditions and lack of disturbance.  We have no problem of getting them to germinate and grow on Duck Creek.  Granted, I understand your concern about cover.  As with any wetland construction work the plant community may take a little bit to respond.  However, we will be mulching and fertilizing the soil (Dirty Deeds post), planting aquatic plants and trees, and manipulating water levels to promote natural regeneration of plants to revegetat the pools both for waterfowl habitat and hunter cover in the following years.  Hope this answers your question and your concerns.  Have a good weekend it looks like it is going to be gorgeous.

On August 26th, 2011 at 12:20pm Darin said:

Were there any willow trees left in Unit A for cover?