|
|
|
|
|
|
About BioHavens: Testimonials |
|
|
SUCCESSES
"I have been waiting for this for twenty years!" Bernie Masters, former Member of Parliament and environmental consultant, Perth, Western Australia
"Congratulations. What you have done is wonderful! I respect and admire the ability, energy and commitment it takes to do what you have done." Joe Beck, Property Developer
"We have some exciting news to report: a pair of loons has chosen to nest and lay eggs on the island that we deployed on Fire Lake!!! ... I really can't overstate our excitement. No loons have ever been known to nest on Fire Lake." Dean Premo, Principal, White Water Associates
"Everything looks great! The new floating islands are already a hit with wildlife. Seen on or around the islands are killdeer, spotted sandpiper, teal, mallard and Canada goose, frogs, turtles and muskrats." John Schweizer, CFC
"The otters are now sleeping on the island and we had a zoo expert in the field of river otters at ZooMontana last week and he is extremely impressed. The daisies are blooming again! So, now we have yellow, purple, white & the grasses. It's beautiful. We just might have to do this again next year." Jill Blackford, Kalispell, MT customer
"Bruce,
We have recently completed restoration on two spring creeks at the (name supplied)residence for cutthroat trout spawning and habitat. These streams
had been run down and flattened by over a hundred years of cattle grazing.
When we applied for the permits with the Army Corps of Engineers, we were limited to filling no more than 1/3 acre and no more than 1000 linear feet with a general permit. In order to fill more than this amount, we would have to apply for a nationwide or individual permit that would would be very costly, timely and would require hydrological analysts, wetland delineation, etc...
Due to these restrictions we ended up with a small shallow pond, in the middle of a pristine spring creek, that does not provide much in the way of function for the fish.
The next step was to find enough cover for the fish in this large slow moving pool to protect them from prey. This is where the floating cut-bank comes in. It will allow large area of cover for fish, visibly complete the stream (this pond is at highly visible view point), and help the water quality.
Attached is a diagram and dimensions of the cut-bank. I would like tohave a walk built into it, so that guests can walk out on it. We will plant
it with wetland sod to match the surroundings.
I have a floating island just outside my living room and there is trumpeter swan cygnet that has made this his home for the past few weeks. He loves the floating island to stand on and preen. It gives him safe footing and deep enough water to throw his whole neck in and be able to washhimself up.
I also started a small island with lettuces in the greenhouse. Two weeks ago, I put it in the pond with a plastic cover that has holes for releasing hot air, making it a mini greenhouse itself. The plants on the island are now double the size of the greenhouse plants.
Thank you."
Mike (Wheeler), Jackson Hole, WY
From Zoo Montana
"Bruce,
I just wanted to give you an update as to how the islands have done at the zoo since their launch one year ago.
As you may recall we had a number of issues with our ponds here at the zoo ranging from a total lack of clarity to loss of inhabitants such as turtles and water fowl. The water in the lower pond was so poor it actually turned dark purple. Zoos are to be leaders in conservation matters such as protecting our natural resources so this was more than a little concerning to our staff and myself.
Thankfully for us you and your amazing islands came along. In a matter of a few months the water clarity did a complete turn around. For the first time in several years we could actually see the bottom of the ponds and this summer we once again have turtles calling the ponds home as well as nesting water fowl. This is exciting to the staff as well as our visitors whom recall not being able to see the bottom of the pond.
The islands offer so many benefits to the zoo I don't know where to begin. My staff spends little to no maintenance time on the ponds where before they were having to drain, clean and refill at least once a month (which still didn't result in restoring wildlife to the ponds). We also noted a benefit in the cleanliness of our paved trails around the ponds as the water fowl are no longer spending all their time on the trails but are now happily occupying the islands (so our staff no longer spends each week power washing the paved trails). The largest benefit to our zoo is the conservation message we are able to share in the restoration of a wetland, which once again offers a home to wildlife.
Being able to watch the transformation of the ponds was so exciting and having it done in a natural way without the need for chemicals is something we want to continue. We look forward to a long relationship with you as you are committed to the protection, preservation and restoration of our natural resources which is part of our mission and together I know we can make a difference."
Sincerely,
Jackie Worstell
Executive Director, ZooMontana
"Bruce,
We have some exciting news to report: a pair of loons has chosen to nest and lay eggs on the island that we deployed on Fire Lake!!! I live on Fire Lake and checked the FII island on the evening of Monday, May 30 and observed a loon in the vicinity of the island. No bird was on the island, but when I approached (via kayak), I observed two loon eggs in the nest. The island is in an excellent setting for viewing from shore as it is about 60 feet offshore and the riparian area is a fairly steep wooded hill that offers a "bird's eye" view and relatively good concealment. Given this advantage, I returned to the island yesterday morning at about 0730 hours hoping to photograph the loon(s). The sun was already over the horizon and hitting the island. No loon was observed.
This morning my son, Evan, and I returned with video camera (me) and high quality digital camera (Evan). This time we came early enough so that it was cool (mid 40s) and the sun was not shining on the nest. To our delight, one of the loons was incubating the eggs and allowed us to take a number of images and several minutes of video over the course of about 60 minutes. We were able to approach to less than 100 feet. I've attached some images (with the quality reduced for easier email conveyance). We have some excellent quality images and with care (I don't want to disturb the nest) can obtain some more. I also have some good video of the bird and its mate. As the sun came over the hill and hit the nest the loon slid off into the water (perhaps the sun keeps the eggs warm enough for the bird to feed).
I really can't overstate our excitement. No loons have ever been known to nest on Fire Lake. We see loons on the lake every year. The lake offers excellent habitat, EXCEPT for the absence of a suitable nesting island. Your island was apparently "suitable."
Three images are attached for your review. Dave Tiller examined the images and points out that in constructing the nest, the female loon pulled much of the organic material that Dave introduced during deployment into the middle of the island to form a raised nest. This is why the edges of the island look so barren of material. This was one of the thinner islands. We will plan to check the three other islands in the next few days. The one at Bannan lake is being monitored by the landowner and is not being used as a pair of loons were already nesting on a natural floating island. Next spring will provide an interesting test of their preference.
We will keep you posted on our observations of the nest and will provide information regarding the SCUBA-PHOTO field trip soon."
-Dean
Dean Premo, Ph.D., President
White Water Associates, Inc.
http://www.white-water-associates.com
"Hi Bruce. Thank you for your quick and kind reply. We are very excited about the island "launch" -and we continue to see enthusiasm for the product where ever we present it. I am so happy to work with such a new and exciting product. My best wishes to all of you there!"
:-) Deb
Freedom Ponds
From Livingston Science teacher
he [Floating Island research] project was fantastic for the kids, and I got numerous emails and comments from parents who were really impressed. Most of all, the students never viewed the daily testing as rote work - they felt the project had a purpose, and never considered that they were getting tons of practice at careful measurement.
I had the kids use my 8th-grade lab report, and as they are new at the task, it remains unfinished (they wrote protocols and other information separately, and it never made its way to the class form.) I think this first stab at data collection has to be viewed as a preliminary trial run. Plenty of error no doubt crept in, e.g., inaccurate sampling, conditions beyond our control, etc. One thing I noticed was that while nitrate measurements seemed to decrease steadily, phosphate measurements fluctuated for most groups. Am I correct to presume this is because nitrogen can leave the tank as a gas, and levels stay low even if the nitrogen-consuming bacteria die, while phosphorous re-enters the system if the bacteria die? In any case, the islands aided in removal, and there was less fluctuation (though statistically, this may result from there having been 6 with islands, and only 3 control. We never got to planting three islands, as we originally planned.)
Nonetheless, the kids did witness decreases in nitrate and phosphate levels over time; they understood the necessity of controls; and they experienced data averaging. They also thought really creatively about possibilities for uses of the islands. My plan is to get the study up and running with the newest batch of 7th-grade kids right away next year, as an introduction to controlled experiment.
Again, thank you both for this excellent opportunity to teach science in such a meaningful, practical manner. I'll keep you updated with our progress.
Sincerely,
Todd Wester
Science and Technology
Sleeping Giant Middle School
Livingston MT 59047
406 222 3292
twester@livingston.k12.mt.us
From Russell Smith
Partner of Aquatic Design & Construction, Inc.
We had a backyard pond that had no vegetation, was full of algae, and wasn't very productive for growing our koi fish. We didn't want to use fish food because of the problems with excess nutrients and the hassle of remembering when to feed. We weren't always around to look after things and wanted a relatively easy solution to our challenges.
After deploying a BioHaven Wild Floating Island we noticed several things happening. The pond cleared up as a result of the island's bio-filter matrix with its plant roots and beneficial microbes. Shade from the island also helped cool the pond. But most of all, the plants were going crazy with growth! It looked awesome. In a pond that had looked pretty dead, we now had a water feature that came alive.
By far the biggest surprise was how quickly the koi grew. One of them doubled in size in a span of about six weeks just from nibbling plant roots and without any supplemental feeding. We couldn't believe it! Also, we originally thought that the fish would always hide under the island and we wouldn't be able to enjoy them but we found that they only sought the protection of the island during the hottest, brightest days, and came out to swim around when it was not so bright or when clouds came by, and in the morning and evening. Needless to say we haven't lost any to birds, which is great because we live on the Yellowstone River where there are lots of predatory birds.
We're extremely happy with our BioHaven Floating Island and are planning to put two more in our new pond in the front yard!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
