Bureau of Land Management Environmental Education Homepage

"Whole lotta quackin' goin' on":

Wyoming's Duck Swamp Classroom Whets Public Appetite

Watching an environmental education area in the making is a wondrous thing. And, in the case of the Bureau of Land Management's Worland (Wyoming) District, a very heavy thing, too: try nine tons' worth, and growing! When BLM-ers and local contractors installed a nine-ton footbridge across an irrigation canal there, they linked wildlife explorers to a marshy world they might otherwise have passed by.

Travel just three miles north of Worland, on State Highway 433, and you'll find the "Duck Swamp Environmental Education Area." It's hidden from sight, beyond the informational sign for "Jim Bridger Trail," once the main local attraction for tourists. While reading the sign, they'd learn that close by was Duck Swamp, a haven for wildlife. But public use of the area was limited because there wasn't an easy way across the canal.

Volunteers come prepared for a day of trail building.

Last year, the new 80-foot-long bridge put this waterfowl habitat within reach. It is the first visible evidence that an environmental education area is being developed in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin. The Duck Swamp's been the subject of talk for some time. Only in the past three years, however, have BLM-ers and community volunteers gained the necessary funding and momentum to turn this 80-acre spot into an ideal recreation and wildlife-viewing area.

One notable early project was completed when area students, Scouts, and Scout leaders joined BLM in a 1996 National Trails Day celebration at Duck Swamp. It was one of the hottest days of the year; yet, some 30 people were ferried by raft across the canal. With shovels in hand, they painstakingly dug out the beginnings of a trail system, spreading gravel afterwards to encourage its permanency.

Interest mounted with the arrival of the new, steel-arched footbridge. In the fall of 1996, crews started the laborious task of building the bridge's footings and abutments into the canal banks, some three weeks before the bridge was to go in. Once the cement foundations were ready, even near-zero wind chills didn't hinder progress: by midafternoon on the day of bridge installation, the project was already being hailed as a success. Anyone who wished to could now easily make passage to the other side.

A giant crane and backhoe combined efforts to carefully secure the footbridge over the canal. The smaller, but stronger, backhoe handled 75 percent of the weight of the bridge as it was being positioned.

Work at the Duck Swamp continues. Last summer, a sweet-smelling toilet was added to the area. A pavilion and picnic tables will be erected once winter snows clear. Benches will also offer rest to those walking the trail, which has been transformed into a scenic interpretive pathway along the sandstone bluffs overlooking the Duck Swamp. It's less than a half-mile long, but the trail's design offers an expansive view of not only the many resident wood ducks, but an assortment of songbirds and four-legged critters, too. Plans are in place to blacktop one of the loops so all users can access one overlook easily, and to leave the other loop of the nature trail graveled. Either way, birders can follow their favorite swamp bird making its way to its habitat or while it's out for a mealtime excursion.

Local Scouts were proud of their achievement on National Trails Day at the Duck Swamp.

Other planned improvements include expanding the parking area to hold about ten family-sized vehicles, as well as comfortably park a couple of busloads of inquisitive schoolchildren or sightseeing vacationers. While visiting the Duck Swamp, one can learn a bit of its history, and the importance of low-lying wetlands to healthy ecosystems.

When Duck Swamp is completed this spring, this conveniently-located outdoor classroom promises to be not only an educational experience, but a place where visitors can take a break from life's hectic pace and spend time enjoying Wyoming's great outdoors.

This page was created by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Education & Volunteers Group, 1849 C Street, Room 406-LS, Washington, DC 20240. Send comments or questions relating to accessibilty of documents to Kevin_Flynn@blm.gov Number of visitors since July 15, 2003:[an error occurred while processing this directive]

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