March 2020.
Joe’s Creek hosts a returning population of Mallards – a springtime sighting of a tiny brood of ducklings scurrying to keep up with their mother will delight kids of all ages. These birds and other wildlife are drawn to the creek for its benefits as a natural habitat, and add their own elegant aspect to the Creek.
Waterfowl represent a success story that contrasts with the long-term declining trend in North American Bird counts. Many species show a marked decline over the last 50 years, as noted in Scientific American last September. Waterfowl have made a resurgence since 1970, due in part to the efforts of conservationists in restoring wetlands. Whether we will continue to hear the sounds of Mallards in the Creek, and the call of wild birds in our own backyards depends upon sustained initiatives both large and small, local and regional, that will protect the environment, and hopefully avoid the “Silent Spring” that Rachel Carson wrote about 50 years ago.
Vince Punaro
For Creek Leaders Gary Barton, Doug Guiling, and Stu Pauley