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Project Information
As of 2001, Harford Christian School has been participating in the Wood Duck Project at the Bosely Conservancy along Otter Point Creek. The goal is to maintain the current population of wood ducks and to provide the best possible habitat for their growth and reproduction. The two main causes for the recent decline in wood duck populations include urbanization and increasing predation during different stages of their life history. To prevent increased predations levels on the eggs, nesting boxes were installed on the edge of the marsh. When the nesting boxes were installed at the site, a PVC pipe was also placed with each box as a predator guard. To gain access to the nesting boxes, students must canoe out on the marsh to the various sites. Some areas in the marsh are too shallow or difficult to paddle, so the canoes are pulled or pushed by the students. The restoration work is tedious and physically demanding but always rewarding.To read personal reflections of the participants in this project, go to the "Personal Reflections" page.
The first task that HCS students tackled, during 2001-2002, was to number over 60 boxes, assess the boxes’ locations and condition, and begin taking data on nesting evidence.
In the second year, 2002-2003, HCS students made repairs to the damaged boxes and noted locations of irreparable boxes. HCS students also started recording the exact location of each box using global positioning system (GPS) and continued collecting data on nesting evidence. During spring 2002, HCS students built and painted 11 boxes to replace the badly damaged boxes that could not be repaired.
HCS students’ third year, 2003-2004, brought the new challenge of installing the 11 newly made boxes and completing the GPS mapping. Hurricane Isabel took a toll on many of the nesting boxes in the marsh. All 11 boxes were installed, GPS locations on 80 plus boxes were taken, and another 17 boxes were evaluated for removal. During HCS’s last outing on the marsh, a new lagoon was discovered and the students appropriately named it "Hidden Cove". Two years of nesting data has been collected to date, allowing comparisons to be made on which site locations the wood duck prefers. With the GPS locations on each box, a map was developed showing the location of all the nesting sites at the Bosely Conservancy. Improved nesting box design on the currently installed boxes will make access easier and standardization for each box. In spring 2004, another 17 nesting boxes will be made and painted by HCS students to replace those damaged boxes in the fall. It is HCS’s desire to continue working with the Wood Duck Project in the years to come to preserve this unique duck to our local area.
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