Kicking off the 2010 Season of our Urban Fishing Program

On Earth Day we kicked off the 2010 season of our urban fishing program with the planting of 1,500 rainbow trout into Manger Lagoon.

We reinstated the fishing program last April after the restoration of the lagoon was complete. To date, more than 10,000 fish have been planted in the lagoon.

The following is what you need to know about our program:

• Program is open to children ages 15 and under as well as handicapped or disabled adults
• Fish caught can either be kept or released back into the lagoon
• Children ages 15 and younger can fish without a license, but adult anglers will need a license and if they plan to keep any fish caught, will also need an inland trout stamp
• Sanctuary staff is on-hand on Sanctuary grounds, but the program is not supervised, so adults are encouraged to attend with younger children
• State urban fishing regulations and city ordinances are in place and will be enforced by State DNR wardens and by the Green Bay Police Department

We'd like to thank Don Renard, Renco Machine and the Green Bay Area Great Lakes Sportfishermen who have made the fish stockings and the urban fishing program possible.

We can't wait to see everyone fishing at the lagoon!

The Bald Eagle is doing great! She has been moved out of recovery to the flight pavilion so she can start building strength and muscle tone. She has to be encouraged to move at this point; at the end of the video clip there is a broom that gently moves toward her--that is simply part of the physical therapy session. She does not fly yet, but is gaining strength in her legs through running and flaps her wings to build flight muscle. This process will eventually involve her flying from one end of the enclosure to the other. We will continue to work with her and still have hope that she will make a full recovery.

OTHER NEWS from the sanctuary:

One of our volunteers photographed the first known batch of goslings this season on April 15!!

Trail Updates

SOME OF THE SPRING ACTIVITY ALONG OUR TRAILS:

April 2
-A pair of Eastern Phoebes catching flying insects
-Brown Creepers crawling up and down trunks

April 5
-Mourning Cloak butterfly fluttering through the woods
-Hermit Thrush bouncing around on fallen logs
-Wood Frogs calling along Hussong Marsh
-Tree Swallows swooping and diving for insects
-A Cabbage Butterfly fluttering around a patch of blue Scilla; an American Goldfinch singing up above see short clip below

April 8

-Wild Turkey tracks in the snow
-A pair of Sandhill Cranes standing together on a small patch of the trail not covered with snow
-A pair of mature Bald Eagles circling over Hussong Marsh
-A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker circling around a tree trunk
April 12
-A male Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Warbler) zoomed past and perched on a branch close by
-A pair of Song Sparrows in a small tree along a boardwalk
-An Eastern Comma Butterfly sunning itself along the back fence of the deer yard
-Virginia Bluebells ready to bloom along Hussong Trail
-Trout Lily leaves all over Hussong Woods