Road construction near Munson Pond. Is it affecting wildlife?

Road construction by Munson Pond.  Some of the birds I photographed there yesterday.

They said they were going to build a road along the right-of-way last year and, sure enough, they were hard at it yesterday when I visited Munson Pond.  The good news is that they are over 100 feet away from the pond's edge - not a tremendous distance, but certainly not adjacent.  And, from what I could see, the wildlife continues to exist and thrive regardless of the presence of the machines.

I suppose part of the reason for that is the fact that the whole area is surrounded by urbanization.  Vehicles in the surrounding area are nothing new.  Then there is the fact that they are a modest distance away.  I noticed that a black fabric barricade was put up (you can see it in front of the machines) along the whole distance.  That serves the purpose of preventing runoff and debris from heading towards the pond and prevents ground-dwelling organisms from straying too far in the other direction.  I just hope they put up a turtle barricade when they are finished.

I did see a reasonable number of birds; lots of yellow-rumped warbles and Brewer's blackbirds, a modicum of various ducks (not to mention the northern shoveler I photographed), and a few white-crowned sparrows.  I even saw, a first for me at Munson, a yellow-headed blackbird.  

What will the long-term effects be of the road?  It's hard to say without doing before-and-after surveys with statistical analysis.  The best method would involve longitudinal studies by certified biologists, but that won't happen.  Opponents of the road will say they have noticed a distinct downturn in wildlife, while proponents would argue it has stayed the same or even improved.  

One thing is sure.  Wildlife will continue to exist at Munson Pond.  We're just not happy with the lack of respect awarded it.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com