2022 Marsh Madness 

As you may recall, we had to cancel the in-person version of the  2021 festival. Our schedule for that event

is included here to give you an idea of what goes on during our festival.

Guide to the 2021 Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival

Presented by the Friends of Goose Pond

Please click here join us for the Virtual Marsh Madness event!

        mail@friendsofgoosepond.org & on Facebook

A festival such as this doesn’t happen without the support of the community. The planning committee wishes to thank the following for their support in the past.Welcome to the 2021 Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival. Marsh Madness is a community-based bird festival celebrating Greene County’s abundant natural resources, especially the annual spring migration of Sandhill Cranes and waterfowl to the area.

 

           McDonalds Restaurant of Linton

Sullivan County Community Hospital

Greene County General Hospital

First Group Engineering

Crane Credit Union

   Timothy K. Meek - Edward Jones

Benefits 7, Inc.

 Welch & Cornett Funeral Homes 

McHenry Homes

First Financial  Bank

Mainstay Suites and Sleep Inn at Crane

Mike and Jane Steward

 Graves Plumbing

Duke Energy

Taylor Oil

Wolfe Construction

Key Associates

Greene County Tourism Grant

Dick's Sporting Goods

Capital Planning

 

  In addition to financial support, it takes an army of volunteers and other contributors to make Marsh Madness happen. They include:

Friends of Goose Pond       City of Linton    LaMar Printing   Discount Copies Noblesville IN

Sassafras and Indiana Audubon Societies   

Linton First Christian Church

Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources Div. of Fish & Wildlife

A special thanks to Linton Elks Lodge 866

for their hospitality.

Most importantly the planning committee wants to thank you, the festival attendee, for your interest and support.  We hope you enjoy the 2021Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival.  Thanks again.  Enjoy your visit to Greene County Indiana.  We hope to see you again.

Marsh Madness Planning Committee

 Bus Tour Schedule (Saturday Only) - 

All buses arrive and depart from the East Cabin in Humphreys Park.  There will be exhibitors set up in the East Cabin. Stop in and check them out while waiting on the buses.

Bus                Departure      Return

1                     8:30               10:00

2                     9:30               11:00

3                    10:30              12:00

1                    11:00              12:30

2                    12:00              1:30

3                    1:00                2:30

1                    1:30                3:00

2                    2:00                3:30

3                    3:00                4:30

1                    3:30                5:00

 

 Schedule of Events:  

Friday February 26th, 2021

Venue: Carnegie Heritage & Arts Center

110 East Vincennes St. Linton, Indiana

Reception for Marsh Madness 

2P-5P in the East Gallery.

(Exhibit will continue through March - Carnegie Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11A-3P)

Venue:  Linton Elks  SR 54 E.

2021 Marsh Madness Kickoff Banquet 

5:00PM                 Doors open.

Cash Bar open / Silent Auction Items Available.

5:50PM  Welcome comments – Nyle Riegle

President, Friends of Goose Pond

6:00PM                 Buffet dinner line opens.

8:00PM                 Live Auction with                                      Auctioneer Brian woods.

9:00PM                 Closing remarks and                                      auction checkout

Saturday February 27th, 2021  

Venue: Linton Cinema

11:00A - Goose Pond: The Story of a Wetland and Its Neighbors a film by Bill Barnes documenting the Goose Pond FWA restoration. (Admittance by wristband. These may be purchased at the theater or at the Roy Clark Bldg., Humphrey’s Park)

Venue:  Roy Clark Community Building in Humphreys Park

7:30AM – 7:00PM              Self-guided                                         driving tours (see map)

8:00AM – 4:00PM       Fish King Concessions                                 by Trent Wilkes

9:00AM – 4:00PM              Art & Craft Fair

10:00AM – 4:00PM           Live Birds of Prey                                            Program

10:00AM – 10:45AM        Hardy Lake Birds of Prey Program

10:00AM – 4:00PM           Wabash Valley Herpetological Society Live Reptile & Amphibian Display

1:00PM-1:45PM     Wonderful Whooping Cranes of Indiana

2:00PM – 2:45 PM             Hardy Lake Birds of Prey Program

 

THE FOLLOWING GIRL SCOUT CABIN PRESENTATIONS /ACTIVITIES ALSO REQUIRE PURCHASE OF A FESTIVAL ADMISSION TICKET/WRISTBAND

Venue:  Girl Scout Cabin in Humphreys Park

11:00AM – 11:45 AM       An Owl Pellet Activity for Kids Young and Old. Amy Kearns. Join Amy for a hands-on investigation of the diet of the barn owl. Become a bio-detective as you dissect an owl pellet and identify their favorite prey.

12:00PM – 12:45 PM         Monarch Butterfly Conservation - How You Can Help. Join Suzie Ronk as she discusses her work with the Linton Miner Monarchs directed toward the conservation of the Monarch Butterfly. Learn how you too can become a helpful partner in this effort .

Venue: Roy Clark Building Humphrey's Park

1:00PM – 1:45PM             Wonderful Whooping Cranes of Indiana. Lizzie Condon, Outreach Coordinator for the International Crane Foundation, will talk about the history of the whooping crane in North America. She will also explain how and why we now see this extremely rare bird in Indiana. You will also have a chance to meet Hope the ICF's whooping crane mascot.

Venue:  East Cabin in Humphreys Park

8:30AM – 5:30PM              Bus Tours of Area (Refer to bus schedule in this guide)

Venue:  West Cabin in Humphreys Park

9:00AM – 3:00PM              Kids’ Activities, Bird House Construction. Open to kids 12 & under who are accompanied by an adult.

Presenter Biographies

Lizzie Condon. International Crane Foundation. Lizzie grew up in Glenview, Illinois and received her degree in biology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She then completed her master’s degree at University of Minnesota.While Lizzie enjoys outreach and education work, she also has a background in ornithological field work. She has participated in research studies in six states and in Brazil, and her master’s project focused on diversity and abundance of Neotropical migrant songbirds at urban stopover sites. Lizzie now works for the International Crane Foundation as their Whooping Crane outreach coordinator. Through partnerships, media outreach and education, Lizzie hopes to help make Whooping Cranes feel welcome in communities that share their landscape. In 2017, Lizzie accepted an award for the Whooping Crane Outreach Program on behalf of ICF from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
You can contact Lizzie at econdon@savingcranes.org.

Leslie Grow – Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources.  In 2009 Leslie became the Fulltime Naturalist at Hardy Lake after spending 3.5 years as the Assistant Manager at O'Bannon Woods State Park.  After completion of her BA she worked at the Louisville Zoo as a Zookeeper until receiving the appointment of Assistant Manager with the DNR. The Dwight Chamberlain Raptor Center is the only State owned wildlife rehabilitation center. The Center was named after a longtime supporter of the rehab. His family continues to support the Lake and the Rehab Center. The Center takes in well over 150 injured or orphaned Birds of Prey each year. Much of the money supporting the Rehab center comes from our very active volunteer group, "The Friends of Hardy Lake"..

Justin Guyer – Wabash Valley Herpetological Society. Justin is the President of the Wabash Valley Herpetological Society. This organization was founded in May of 2012 in order to bring reptile breeders, hobbyists, and enthusiasts living in south eastern Illinois and south western Indiana together. The WVHS focuses on education both within the members of the group and with the community in general. They are heavily involved in educating the members of the community on the role of reptiles and amphibians in our environment as well as providing education of high standards regarding captive reptile and  amphibian  husbandry. Businesses represented within the WVHS include Guyer Genetics, Taylor Made Morphs, Artistic Morphs, and Nick Boles Reptiles.

 Amy Kearns – Assistant Nongame Bird Biologist Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources. Amy Kearns is assistant nongame bird biologist for Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife. She enjoys poking around barn lofts looking for signs of (state endangered) Barn Owls, and puts up nest boxes to help these owls. Goose Pond FWA is one of her favorite places in the state, and you can often find her out hiking and exploring there with her husband, Noah, and their two children.

Suzie Ronk - Ms. Ronk is a 17 year old Junior at Linton Stockton High School. Suzie has been working in the field of monarch butterfly conservation since the 5th Grade. In 2015 she was awarded the Indiana Wildlife Federation's Conservationist of the Year Award.

Self-driving Tour Directions

Be safe. Be aware of the other vehicles around you.

1. Do not stop in the middle of the road. Leave room for other vehicles to pass.
2. DO NOT pull off the side of HWY 59 unless it is into a marked parking area.
3. Be respectful of private property. This driving tour passes through both public and private ground.  Do not go onto private property without permission.
4. If you stop to watch some cranes in fields, it is strongly recommended that everyone remain in their vehicle. Not only is this more safe, but the cranes are much less likely to become nervous and leave the field.
5. Be as quiet as possible. No horn honking, engine revving etc..
6. This driving tour is on State, County and City roads. All applicable traffic laws apply.
7. The majority of this tour is on gravel roads. You may encounter rough spots in the road.  Your vehicle will get dirty.

From the NW corner of Humphreys Park:

                Take E Street NE west approximately .7 miles to 4^th Street NE

                Take 4^th Street NE south approximately .25 miles to HWY 54

                Take HWY 54 west approximately .25 miles to HWY 59

Take HWY 59 south approximately 1 mile to county road 25S

Take county road 25S west approximately 2 miles to county road 1400W

Take county road 1400W south approximately 1.75 miles to county road 200S

Take county road 200S west approximately .6 miles to county road 1450W

Take county road 1450W south approximately 1.9 miles to county road 400S

Be sure to stop and check out the new Visitor Center. The office will be staffed throughout the day to answer questions.

Take county road 400S east approximately 1.5 miles to HWY 59

Take HWY 59 north approximately 3.0 miles to county road 200S

Take county road 200S east approximately 2.0 miles to county road 1000W

Take county road 1000W north approximately 1 mile to county road 100S

Take county road 100S west approximately .25 miles

Take county road 1050W north approximately 1.0 miles to Baseline Road

Take Baseline Rd. east approximately 1 mile to county road 1000W

Take county road 1000W north approximately 2 miles to SR 54. Go west to return to Linton/Humphrey’s Park.