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Habitats
MAN DO I HAVE HABITATS FOR YOU. There are plenty of habitats at the wildlife reserve which makes for a very diverse wildlife region.
Because there's so many different types of wildlife habitats, the reserve
supports lots of different creatures. With lots of different creatures there's
always ANIMAL WARS and it's a non-stop battle to
survive.
 Pond – The pond is roughly 4.5 acres of surface water. In some places it is 20’ feet to protect the aquatic life against any droughts that might pop up.
 Woodlands – There’s roughly 7 acres of woods. One is a 6 acre plot on the hill top and the other acre surrounds the pond.
Wooded Wetland – There’s roughly .75 acres of “wooded wetlands.” Just as its name implies, these are wetlands that are in the woods. You’ll know you’ve found a wooded wetland if you find the stinky weed called, “Stunk weed.” Believe me you’ll know it when you find it.
Wetland – There’s roughly .25 acres of pure wetlands. These are the areas you normally see cattails in.
High grass meadow – This is open pasture where the grass is tall. Rabbits like high grass pastures because they can feed and hide from hawks.
Low grass meadow – This is open pasture where the grass is cut short. Ground hogs, blue birds, and Canada geese like low grass pastures.
Treed high grass meadow – This is a meadow where the grass is allowed to grow tall and the area is populated with small crab apple and cherry trees. The trees do no touch one another and is not woods.
Treed low grass meadow - This is a meadow where the grass is cut short and the area is populated with small crab apple and cherry trees. The trees do no touch one another and is not woods.
Brush – There used to be around 8 acres dedicated to brush but I’ve removed it this year because it was getting out of control. These 8 acres will be turned into a treed meadow with medium sized grass. There are still brush lines along the woods and in various places. I also have a few brush piles composed of dead rose bushes.
Sunflower Patch – Each year we plant a 3/4 acre sunflower patch for food and cover.
Evergreen Patch – Each year we plant evergreen patches. These should someday be big trees which will provide all year cover for wildlife.
Corn Patch - A 1/4 acre plot of corn is built each year. Wildlife will utilize it for cover and food.
Crawfish Cove - We built an underwater city out of rock to form what we call Crawfish cove. We stocked the area with 200 crawfish of two different species. The crawfish have taken and are actively reproducing so that is a good sign.
 Bat Boxes - Around 9:00 there is one heck of a sight to see. At this time about 500 bats come out over the water to feed on insects. It is one of the more amazing things I have seen at the reserve. They live in the various bat boxes we have installed and in the coal mine entrance at Coal Mine Pass.
 Bird Boxes - Various bird boxes are attached to trees all over the reserve. If you look under the "animals we've seen" section you'll see some of the birds that I have seen over the years.
 Water Fowl Areas and Boxes - We are visited by mallards, wood ducks, and geese every year. We have various habitats (like this wood duck house) around the pond.
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