What can or should be done to educate the public, now that we know that Fuertes' name was attached to the swan pond area, not the woods south of Stewart Park?
* Website: It ought to be easy to get the City of Ithaca Website changed from Fuertes to Renwick.
* Arch: As part of the Cayuga Bird Club centennial we could repair or at least paint the arch to cover the graffiti and accentuate the original lettering.
* Signage: The Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative and Cayuga Bird Club are designing kiosks about birding for Stewart Park and the adjacent woods. Rick Manning, Linda Orkin, Jane Graves, Lynn Leopold, and I have been working on this. Planned locations include on the boardwalk between the suspension bridges, near the swan pond, and along the lakeshore (perhaps more than one spot, or perhaps just one a short distance east of the swan pond). There are apt to be some place names on the panels which will spread the word on what to call them. We plan to include historical information about how these areas were saved, geographical and ecological information about why they are great places for birds and birding, information about and pictures of some of the birds we find there, and information about the habitats they use and need, so that those habitats will be appreciated.
Some habitat features which I think are in particular need of appreciation & education include:
* Thickets: shrubs which reach the ground to meet ground plants below, and fruiting vines above: In the past few years nearly all shrubs in Stewart Park have bottomed out and wood chips put below. The result is a dearth of sparrows in most of the park, and Northern Mockingbirds are pretty much gone. I think the people who view parks as places only for lawn with discrete trees would love to clean up the swan pond area entirely (you may have noticed that the path has been greatly widened and straightened in the last few months), so I want to emphasize its habitat features which give birds cover and food. I think it's worth pointing out that the swan pond area is a bird sanctuary, even though it now serves different species than in the original plan.
* Logs along the shore and in the water: Driftwood accumulation is a natural process which has been going on at the head of Cayuga Lake since the last glacier retreated and the first trees returned, and it's not about to stop. The City can spend lots of money and energy fighting it, as they did a few years ago by hauling out and grinding every log they could get ahold of during winter's low water. There are still calls for hauling away logs and weed-whacking the shoreline. Or perhaps more people can be shown to appreciate the beauty and the wildlife they serve. The logs provide (photogenic) resting places for numerous species of water birds along the shore and out in the lake while protecting the shoreline from erosion. And the shoreline plants serve as cover for additional foraging species. Similarly the silt and aquatic plants along the shore can attract some incredible shorebirds in the fall.
* Undisturbed shoreline: The more people walk along every stretch of shoreline, the fewer species of birds we have. In recent years the north end of Renwick has had a path formalized, and the shore has been used by more anglers. As a result it's getting harder to see Wood Ducks, Green Herons, and even Great Blue Herons which used to use the lagoon and the Renwick side of its shoreline tolerating people in Stewart Park proper. I think it's important to leave stretches of shoreline planted and less inviting to people walking, while a few access points and viewing areas can serve people's desire for access to the water and the views of birds as well as general beauty.
* Snags and nest holes: Not every tree with a hole in it is dangerous, and not every dead tree is in a bad spot. They are worth appreciating and keeping whenever possible. It would be interesting to display a collection of photos of cool birds perched on snags around Stewart Park - Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, Ospreys, Double-crested Cormorants... For that matter maybe there should just be a website devoted to photos of birds at Stewart Park so people can get a sense of what we've found here.
* Goose habitat: The more lawn for grazing and easy access to the shore, the more the Canada Geese have loved Stewart Park and defecated on it. There used to be more little hedges blocking the march of the geese. I think the resident geese serve an interesting birding function in that they attract rarities in passage and wounded birds after hunting, but I don't think we need so many Canadas. At any rate I think the public should be aware of where the geese came from (the rare midwestern maximus race now thoroughly saved from extinction) and the habitats which attract them. And I think there are ways to diversify Stewart Park's habitats and bird life which would reduce the goose-crap problem.
The Cascadilla Boathouse is owned by the City but used by the Cascadilla Boat Club, with no recent plans for a birding museum, but if the balconies could be repaired they would make good observation areas. That building is historical and in need of expensive repairs.
Anyway, those are my thoughts.
--Dave Nutter
If you buy a map of Ithaca, you see those woods clearly marked as
Fuertes Bird Sanctuary.
However it came to pass, Fuertes is the de facto name of those woods
as far as the city and population is concerned.
Jane's fine articles and research show that this is erroneous (I
assume due to a clerical error or some such), but "the truth" is
irrelevant if we don't do something about it (e.g., make corrections
in the city records, publicize the matter more widely, etc.).
I think the important question is: do we want to do anything about it?
Getting it "right" may be an uphill battle for minimal gain, causing
nothing but confusion along the way. Maybe it's just best and easiest
to stick with the "wrong" name.
Speaking pragmatically, one might consider the potential impact on
conservation of both the wildwoods and the swan pen. Both places look
to many people like messy unkempt places that could benefit from being
replaced by nice neat gardens or apartment buildings (I'd like to
think this is less true of Ithacans -- but remember the clearing of
Salt Point a few years back? It only takes a few ill-informed people
in power to make huge mistakes). Does attaching the Fuertes name carry
more weight with potential conservation discussions in the future?
Which parcel needs it more?
The swan pen looks messier, and the boathouse (which I guess was
slated to house a birding museum) is in bad disrepair. After reading
about this "Fuertes Bird Sanctuary" last fall, I *ahem* may or may not
have snuck upstairs to the balcony of that building, to be amazed by
the view it gave of the ponds -- it's a fantastic spot for birding.
But the floors are uneven, the wood looks weak and on the verge of
collapse, and I assume the boat club blocks off that stairway for
safety reasons. (Which is to say -- don't go upstairs; and if you do
and fall, don't sue me or the boat club :-D). Sooner or later we'll be
faced with having to do something about that building, and that could
impact the future state of the swan pen a.k.a. the "real" Fuertes Bird
Sanctuary.
Suan
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