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| Merry Lea Homepage | Information about Merry Lea |
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In this program, undergraduates at Goshen College gain experience in scholarly research during the summer break. Merry Lea is a popular location for environmental studies majors who are awarded research assistanceships under the Maple Scholars program.
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Bird Banding
Many are aware of concerns about declining populations of songbirds in North America.
For the past two summers, field assistants under the direction of Dr. David Miller have trapped and banded birds at Merry Lea as part of a nationwide effort to collect data under the MAPS program (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) sponsored by the Institute for Bird Populations. The procedure involves suspending a large net made of fine cord called a mist net in the habitat being studied. When birds become active at first light they fly into the net and are trapped. Investigators quickly remove the birds, make note of any banded birds that are trapped, and then attach bands to selected unbanded birds. Information about the size, condition, sex and species of each bird is recorded and then the birds are released.
Re-introduction of the American Chestnut
Bill Minter, Director of Land Management, is into his second year of a joint project with the American Chestnut Foundation. The American Chestnut, a native tree commonly found in our woodlands at the beginning of the 20th Century, was virtually exterminated by the early 1950's. Their demise resulted from blight accidentally introduced from northern China. Since that time, plant geneticists have been working to breed a tree that is resistant to the blight, and a recently developed strain appears to be resistant. Merry Lea is one of the sites selected for field trials. Minter has planted about 30 young chestnut trees on the western part of Merry Lea and he will regularly report their progress the American Chestnut Foundation.
Accidental introduction of alien plants and animals is an increasing problem given our modern means of transportation, and alien garlic mustard threatens the spring flora of our woodlands including those at Merry Lea. Maple Scholar Jason Kauffman surveyed our populations of garlic mustard in 2003, and determined the kinds of insects that live on it. That's important, because use of natural predators to control undesirable pests is the method of choice so long as the organism introduced does not become an even greater problem. An insect predator for garlic mustard may be available in the next year or two, and Merry Lea will consider introducing it once we have a better understanding of our local insects.
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Merry Lea is the site of a unique, long-term study of forest growth that was begun in 1972 by the late Dr. Alton Lindsey, Professor Emeritus at Purdue University. In 1972, Lindsey established permanent transects in the oak-hickory forest on the west side of Merry Lea. He measured the circumference of every tree in each transect. The surface area in a cross section of each tree could then be determined. This measurement is known as the basal area, and the total area of all the trees along the line will give an aggregate, basal area for the growth in that location. |
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| In 1982, Lindsey called on Goshen College student Steve Yoder to repeat the study. With the help of a grant from the Indiana Academy of Science, Yoder located Lindsey's transects and carefully repeated the measurements. From his measurements Yoder could determine how much wood had been added during the decade. | ||||
 Eric Nord,
who served as Lindsey Fellow during the 2002-2003 academic year, is shown
conducting the 1992 study while he was a student at Goshen College. |
In 1992, Dr. Mary Linton and her students again conducted the study, and they compared the amount of wood added in the first decade of the study with that of the most recent ten years. The rate of wood growth was about the same. | |||
| During the winter of 2002, Goshen students Rachel Jackson and Jolyn Rodman measured the woodland for the fourth time. They worked under the direction of Eric Nord, 2002 Lindsey Fellow, a position named in honor of Dr. Lindsey. The research team measured and tagged nearly 600 trees during the course of their work. |
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Analysis of the data may show whether factors such as weather patterns or levels of air pollution are affecting growth in the forest. Also, increased deer populations and the invasion of garlic mustard have changed the ecological landscape in our region since the study began. Information from previous decades may shed light on the impact of these more recent changes. |
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The Lindsey study is the longest study of this type in Indiana. According to Nord, such a project "takes the pulse" of the same place over a long period and establishes an invaluable base line. |
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Past Research
Spotted SalamanderMerry Lea has also been a location for studying the spotted salamander. This work took place over the past decade while Dr. Mary Linton, now at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, was Lindsey Fellow. Populations of amphibians have been declining in many habitats, and Linton and her students gathered substantial information about the situation at Merry Lea. Last summer's drought followed by a prolonged winter placed considerable stress on these creatures that depend on shallow water for breeding and protective cover for winter hibernation.
Bog Restoration
Dr. Anthony Swinehart, now at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI, studied the bogs of Merry Lea as part of his graduate work at Central Michigan University and Purdue University
Publications and Presentations Related to Studies at Merry LeaBibliography
Rachel
Jackson left)
andJolyn Rodman demonstrate the techniques they used to repeat the Lindsey
study.