Marshy Blogging

Our Very First Make Friends With The Marsh Program!

2012-01-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Our very first "Make Friends With the Marsh" program will be next Saturday (February 04) from 9:00a.m. - 12:00p.m.! The theme of Saturdays program is.......Animal Tracking!!!
During this program we will be learning about and enjoying the wildlife. The session will begin with a brief presentation on furbearers with the opportunity to touch some our pelt collection. The Friends along and members of Nahant staff will lead a hike to search for and ID animal tracks.

So, join us out here at the marsh for some winter animal tracking fun!

Winter Happenings at Nahant Marsh

2012-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since we have posted but now as we reach the end of January, we have a lot of new events happening down here at the Marsh for this new 2012 season, we will have something for all ages, old friends and new, please check them out below! Also while you are here, please take a look at our winter Newsletter, it has a lot of interesting articles and a new winter maze puzzle!

Master Conservationist Program with Iowa State University
Scott County Extension, and Nahant Marsh Education Center.

This program uses field experiences and classroom trainings to cover a broad range of conservation issues and topics. Participants receive at least 32 hours of indoor and outdoor hands-on education led by trained professionals in their field. The range of topics provides information that can be useful in service to the community and in their own backyards. Each participant will be asked to contribute at least 32 hours of conservation and/or natural resource related service to their local community.Some of the topics will include biodiversity, Iowa geology, wetlands and waterways, organic gardening, invasive species, and sustainable energies. Once classroom and volunteer hours are complete, participants become "Certified Master Conservationists".

Class Size: maximum 25

Minimum Age: 18

Registration Fee: $150

Registration Deadline: February 3, 2012

Where: various locations throughout Iowa

Make Friends with the Marsh Serve and Learn Saturdays

The Friends of Nahant Marsh is a non-profit group set up to support and supplement the goals of Nahant Marsh Education Center. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. This program will start on February 4th with an Animal Tracking session and continue with once monthly sessions focused on different environmental topics. Some will include bird migration, native plants, and a forest survey.

Learn to Provide Care in Remote Areas Lacking Immediate EMS Response

Learn to respond in situations involving head, neck, and spinal injuries, heat-related emergencies, hypothermia, allergies, burns, wounds and wound infections, and more!

When: Friday March 9th and Saturday March 10th, 8:00am-5:00pm

Where: Nahant Marsh Education Center

Cost: $130

**Both sessions must be attended to receive certification. Must have current certification in adult CPR/AED.

Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing at Nahant Marsh

Enjoy the beauty of the wetland in the winter! Experience the marsh trails lit by luminaries followed by hot beverages by the fire. Separate trails will be available for skiers and snow-shoers. If there's no snow, we can enjoy a winter hike.Bring your own skies/show-shoes and mug. Equipment may be available for rental, but please check back with us for details.

When: February 4th, 5:30-7:30pm

Cost: free!

All levels of experience welcome!

Toddler Tales

Our story and craft time at the marsh continues with a different nature-related theme on the third Thursday of each month.

Dates:

March 15th- Theme: Fish!

April 19th- Theme: Fish Scale Girl

Time: 10:00-11:00am

Cost: $3/child, free for members

Nahant Marsh Winter Hike

February 8th, 8:30-10:30am

Free for members, $5 for non-members

WHEW......That is A LOT of activities! But we hope to see you all there!

Please take a look at out website for more information: http://www.nahantmarsh.org/

Toddler Tales

2011-09-26T11:35:00.001-07:00

Join us for story and craft time at the marsh! Every third Thursday of the month we will introduce a new, nature-related theme and all of the stories and crafts will center on that theme. It will be a great way to stimulate your child's imagination while allowing them to learn about nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors!!

Date: October 20, 2011
Time: 10:00am-11:0am
Location: Nahant Marsh Education Center
4220 Wapello Ave.
Davenport, IA 52802
Cost: $5 per child, $3 per child if member
Ages: 3-5

To Register: call 563-323-5196 or e-mail nahantmarsh@eicc.edu

Autumn Cornucopia Native Harvest

2011-09-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Come join Nahant in preparing and enjoying a fall feast featuring edible native vegetables and fruits. The day will include a wild edible plant hike, indigenous skills activities, food preparation, and a meal. Join us for corn grinding, apple pressing, cider making, butter churning, solar cooking, and more! The meal will also include bison, Jerusalem artichokes, and wild berry jam!

Date: October 8th, 2011
Time: 9:30AM-1:30pm
Location: Nahant Marsh Education Center

Cost: $16 for adults, $9 per child

To Register
Call: 563-323-5196 or
E-mail: nahantmarsh@eicc.edu

We hope to see you there!

Nahant Marsh on The Cities

2011-08-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Nahant Marsh was recently highlighted on the show The Cities. Brian Ritter, Nahant's facilitator, talked about Nahant's history and what the marsh has to offer. To watch the show, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67AcUt-gwpQ&feature=share. The section on Nahant starts about 19 minutes in.

AmeriCorps is here for the week!

2011-03-07T06:50:00.001-08:00

AmeriCorps is here for the week!! We are hoping to build some trails out at Carp Lake and also some of our property. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can get this done. If not, we will be repainting our building! We are looking forward to a fun week with them!

Successful Bald Eagle Days 2011

2011-01-20T07:26:00.000-08:00

Bald Eagle Days 2011 was a huge success!! We had a lot of people stop by the booth and go in our large "dead" tree. The kids really loved it! Thank you all for supporting us. We hope to get a newletter out soon explaining more about what is coming up in the future for us.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

It's almost Christmas! If you haven't finished your Christmas shopping, a membership to Nahant Marsh is a wonderful idea for both adults and children! Happy Holidays!

Bald Eagles are back!

2010-12-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

The bald eagles are back in the area! A lot of them can be found along the Mississippi River. You should come to the Marsh and see if you can find any here.

2010-12-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

2009-2010 Nahant Marsh Restoration Project

By: Bob Bryant

Wetlands are one of the most complex, diverse and the most difficult ecosystems to manage because you are dealing with water. They are difficult to access, easily disturbed, and management activities are greatly effected by weather conditions. Nahant Marsh Education Center received a restoration grant from River Action, Inc. to aid in the recovery and restoration of the marsh following the floods of 2008.

The rains and floods (including a storm with 80 - 90 mph wind) effected Nahant Marsh both negatively and positively. The negative effects greatly outweighed the positive. The low prairie areas and sedge meadow areas were positively effected by the flood. The sedge meadow areas improved due to increased wet conditions which temporally helped retard the growth of reed canary grass (a highly invasive grass) and cottonwood and allowed an increase in sedge meadow species. At the same time, the flood had minimal effect on the native willows and silver maple in the sedge meadows.

The lowland prairie areas came through the first flood as they normally would following a flood, flowering as expected. However, the second flood was higher, lasted longer and came at the worst time, when many of the plants were developing buds or already blooming. Many prairie species did not tolerate the severe wet conditions. Increased moisture conditions for invasive species such as reed canary grass and phragmites favored their establishment on the normally drier prairie areas.

Both floods scattered debris and trash throughout the low areas of the marsh, especially in the lowland woods and along the north facing slopes overlooking the marsh. Major deposits of cattail debris were deposited along the high water lines after each flood. Depth of cattail debris was as much one foot in some areas, choking out most of the existing ground vegetation. Numerous invasive species such as curly and pale dock, thistles, wild parsnip, dogwoods, sweet clover, mares-tail, giant ragweed, and Queen Anne’s lace increased in areas covered by the cattail debris and silt, or in areas where vegetation had been reduced by the wet conditions. In addition, there was the trash and debris that was deposited by the floods. The severe thunderstorms with high winds toppled or damaged many trees, especially some of the large catalpa trees in the Carp Lake area. Many of center’s trails had downed trees or limbs blocking or hanging over them. Many of trails couldn’t be mowed to the end of the summer.

Two conservation crew leaders and a resource manager were hired for the summer of 2009 through the River Action restoration grant. Six conservation aides were provided by the Iowa@Works Program. A resource manager and three crew members were hired for the summer of 2010, since Iowa @Works Program enrollees were not available.

The greatest threat to the Nahant Marsh’s natural areas and its diversity is invasive species. Because of this, over the two summers, 70-80% of their time was spent on invasive species. Other projects included trail maintenance, beaver management, turtle-nest site restoration, natural area inventories (plants, fish, and dragonflies), cutting up downed trees, picking up trash and junk and water-level management. Rainy day projects included: remounted pegboard in garage, organized office and put up new bookshelves, organized garage, GIS mapping, inventory data entry, installed pumper rails on new boardwalk and cleaned newly acquired taxidermy mounts. A lot of work was accomplished the past two summers and visitors have commented how nice the prairies are looking without as many weeds. Restoration work, especially the control of invasive species, is an necessary ongoing management practice, and we will back at it next summer.

2010-12-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

News from Nahant Marsh

By: Brian Ritter

Over the past year, Nahant Marsh has been an extremely busy place. Many new and exciting programs and projects have been implemented over the past year, therefore pushing the attendance to record levels, over 5,800 during FY2010, with thousands more being reached through festivals and special events offsite. Also, several “discoveries” over the past month have added strength to the argument that the Nahant area is a special place worth saving.
In September 2009, Nahant implemented a monthly science program for homeschooled children. The program, for kindergarteners to 9th graders, focuses on teaching students about the environment and new technologies in the natural setting of Nahant Marsh. Each month, there is a different theme, to reflect the changes in the natural world.
Also in 2009, Eastern Iowa Community College District agreed to re-start their Conservation Technology and offer classes at Nahant Marsh. The program has grown in popularity since last fall, with over 20 students now enrolled. In addition, the program has partnered with Western Illinois University to create a unique 3-year fast-track option for students interested in completing both there A.S. and B.S. degrees in a short amount of time.
During the summer of 2010, over 130 children took part in Renewable Energy and Conservation day camps at Nahant Marsh. With activities ranging from solar boat building and solar cooking to canoeing, children from around the Quad Cities metro area had a chance to experience a variety of activities that they would not normally have access to. Hundreds of more children were reached through other special events at the marsh. In addition, children were able to observe the construction and installation of a new greenhouse that will be fully powered by a wind turbine and solar panels. The greenhouse project will also be a teaching area for adults interested in learning about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Teachers also had the opportunity to take part in educational activities at Nahant Marsh this past summer. Several Davenport Community School District Science teachers took part in a new project with ATEEC, Nahant Marsh, and the University of Iowa in which they are developing hands-on experiential learning techniques to implement into their classroom curriculum.
Finally, over the past month, researchers and workers at Nahant have re-discovered some rare species in the area. Turtle research being conducted at the marsh confirmed that there is a population of the rare Blanding’s Turtle still surviving in the area. Also, a population of the rare earleaf false-foxglove was observed blooming on site. In addition, at neighboring Credit Island, another rare plant, the rose turtlehead, was found in bloom.

Fall at Nahant Marsh

2010-11-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

It's a great time to visit the Marsh. Fewer people around means more animal sightings, chance to explore on your own, migratory birds, etc.

Geocaching at Nahant Marsh

2008-08-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

Check out the Nahant Marsh (Earthcache) at:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=7c69b7f0-a517-44f3-9cf9-ad352e899ba8

Flooding over

2008-07-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

Water levels are back to normal at the Marsh, just a few soggy spots here & there.

Nahant Marsh on TV

2008-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

View a local news video of Nahant Marsh during the June flood.

Iowa flooding

2008-06-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Unless you're living in a bubble somewhere, you probably know about the record flooding in Iowa this month. Right now, the marsh is doing one of the things marshes are supposed to do--acting as a kind of holding pond to help with natural flood control. If there were more marshes or other wetlands along the rivers, flooding wouldn't be as drastic.

Check back here in the next couple of days for a photo of the flooding at Nahant Marsh. The intrepid Marsh Monster (aka Brian) waded through the flood waters in hip boots to get to the education center and took photos along the way.

Want to know more about wetlands? Download a free slideshow presentation, Connected by a River, from the ATEEC Web site.

Computers & Internet Access

2008-02-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned!! New computers and Internet access at the Education Center are coming soon to make the marsh even more learning friendly for teachers and students.

New Web site

2008-01-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Visit the new Nahant Marsh Web site at www.nahantmarsh.org.

Bald Eagle Days at the QC Expo Center

2008-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

The Nahant Marsh Education Center has a booth at the Bald Eagle Days show at the QC Expo Center in Rock Island, IL. Come and see us and find out more about the Nahant Marsh.