Jasper-Pulaski

Yesterday I went to Jasper-Pulaski Fish and
Wildlife Area. It's a 8,000 acre refuge of marshes
and forests about a half hour south of my parent's
house. It's also home to one of the largest
migration destinations for the Sandhill Crane.
Each fall, over 10,000 Sandhill Cranes (95% of the
world's population of Sandhill Cranes) stop here
on their way to nesting sites in Florida. I was
a couple weeks early, but there were still about
50 cranes hanging out, apparently getting the place
ready for all of their friends. They're bigger
than I expected and when you watch them walk around,
you can see why some think that birds evolved from
the dinosaurs.


Also at the park is a small fishing area where my
Grandpa Hamann took us when we were little. We
never caught much, but it was fun to fish with all
of my cousins and brother and sisters. I'm not sure
how he kept an eye on all nine of us at the same time,
but somehow we all survived without falling in. The
trees and bushes have all grown a lot since then, but
it was nice to see the pond is still there.


As for the rest of the park, they keep it in pretty
good shape. When I was in first grade, we took a
field trip here and the teachers pretty much let
us have the run of the place. There used to be a
large fire watch tower but I see that it's now
been replaced with a cellular tower. The more things
change, the more they stay the same I suppose. One
nice thing about going to places like this in the
off season is that you have the place to yourself.
I saw a woman walking on her lunch break and a couple
of hunters. Otherwise it was empty. I don't suppose
there's much call for nature during the middle of the
week.