By Erin Gleason
Waterfowl Health Biologist with Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana was once home to one of the largest inland wetlands in the United States. Nicknamed the “Everglades of the North,” a thriving ecosystem covering more than 500,000 acres supported one of the richest wildlife habitats in North America, including bountiful waterfowl populations. Before the expansive settlement and “taming of the West,” an eyewitness account stated that, “ducks were so thick they blotted out the sun.” On his famous journey with Meriwether Lewis, William Clark wrote in 1805, “Rained all of the after part of last night; rain continues this morning. I slept but very little last night for the noise kept up during the whole of the night by swans, geese, white and gray brant, ducks, etc., on small sand island close under the port side; they were immensely numerous, and their noise horrid.”
This abundance of resources led to its downfall, as human intervention in the late 19th and early 20th centuries resulted in significant alteration and exploitation of natural landscapes for industrial and agricultural expansion. In addition to a significant loss of habitat, market hunting and overharvesting of waterfowl and other birds for meat, fashion, and trade decimated populations, driving some species to the brink of extinction. These trends mirrored a broader national pattern, with approximately 50% of wetlands lost in the lower 48 states since the late 1600s, significantly impacting waterfowl populations.
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Waterfowl conservation and management was born out of necessity in the early 1900s. Today Indiana has a robust waterfowl monitoring and management program. Because waterfowl are a shared resource across borders, effective harvest management of migratory gamebirds requires coordinated efforts across state, provincial, and national jurisdictions. Indiana is part of the Mississippi Flyway and works cooperatively with representatives from 14 states, three Canadian provinces, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and multiple other federal agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The Harvest Information Program (HIP), mandated by federal law for hunting migratory gamebirds, also plays a vital role in ensuring sustainable waterfowl management. By registering, hunters enter a pool to be selected to provide crucial data on their hunting activities and bird harvests. This information helps wildlife managers set hunting seasons, zones, and bag limits to maintain healthy waterfowl populations and optimize hunting opportunities. HIP data also supports habitat conservation efforts by guiding resource allocation to protect and improve wetlands for waterfowl.
Annually, the Indiana DNR conducts breeding population surveys during peak nesting season in the spring. Approximately 200 randomly selected plots are surveyed by helicopter, and roughly 60 urban road surveys are conducted in areas where it is unsafe to fly. During these surveys, all Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Sandhill Cranes, and Mute Swans observed within the designated plot area or route are recorded. These data are then analyzed and used to develop statewide breeding population estimates.
Another monitoring effort is the weekly waterfowl inventory, in which staff from Fish & Wildlife areas, state parks, and state reservoirs count all observable waterfowl from September to April, providing crucial data on annual waterfowl migration throughout the state.
Finally, each year DNR staff bands around 2,000 Canada Geese (Figure 1) as well as a variable number of Wood Ducks and Mallards. Banding provides valuable information on migration patterns, survival rates, and population trends. Banding is a crucial facet of waterfowl monitoring, and one in which the public can easily participate by reporting bands. Anyone who encounters a banded bird when hunting, finding the bird dead, or even seeing and being able to read the band number with binoculars or a spotting scope, should report the band at www.reportband.gov.
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In late 2021, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was introduced to North America from Europe. Waterfowl are natural reservoirs of avian influenza, so various strains naturally occur in wild populations. Typically, they carry low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) strains that are usually mild or asymptomatic. Indiana was hit by this novel strain H5N1 in early 2022, resulting in a number of wild bird deaths. The last two years were relatively uneventful, but a new outbreak began in December of 2024. Since then, reports have increased via the sick and dead wildlife reporting tool on the DNR’s website. This virus is primarily affecting waterfowl and domestic poultry, but birds of prey and a variety of wild and domestic mammals are susceptible. Since December 2024, the DNR’s Fish & Wildlife Health team has collected and submitted samples from more than one third of the counties in the state. The risk of avian influenza to the general public is low.
One of the most common questions is what to do with carcasses of dead birds, which are not only unsightly, but also are a source of disease as scavengers that feed on infected meat may contract the virus. A list of Wildlife Control Operators (WCOs) is maintained on the DNR website, listed alphabetically by county. People can hire WCOs to remove carcasses or do it themselves. The DNR recommends that people who do it themselves wear gloves and a mask when picking up the carcasses, double bag them, and place them in the garbage. Most important, people should wash their hands thoroughly after handling any sick or dead animals.
The DNR continues to monitor mortality events closely. Last year a new research project was begun to better understand the effects of environmental pollutants on infectious disease, particularly HPAI, in waterfowl. The DNR asks the public to continue to report sick and dead wildlife via the reporting tool on its website. While birds in counties that have already been sampled probably will not be tested, these reports help monitor the distribution of the virus across the state.
Figure 1. Band returns from Canada geese banded in Indiana and shot or found dead from 1960-present (over 36,000 returns in over 40 states and provinces).
Sources
https://www.in.gov/idem/wetlands/importance-of-wetlands/
https://www.ducks.org/conservation/national/the-birth-of-wildlife-conservation
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/avian-timeline
https://www.hoosiervalley.org/history/local-history/grand-kankakee-marsh-forgotten-natural-wonder