Prairie Lane
Calla, Graham, their niece, and chickens in the cold frame (photo by Graham Steinhauer).
My experiences at Goose Pond began long before my full-time employment here, and the first cannot be dated as I was too small. Massive metal peacocks (now I know them to be Dr. Evermore’s sculptures) passed my back window on the return trip from my grandparents’ house. Their bizarre character would catch the eye of any passerby. Some years later, my brother and I crisscrossed Arlington and Leeds in search of ducks during late summer and noticed dozens of salamanders crossing the road. We witnessed this for a number of years and dubbed this event “the great salamander migration.” I worked as the Goose Pond summer intern in 2017. Maddie, the land steward at that time, generously allowed me to eat lunch at the Prairie Lane house and take a quick nap on her couch if time allowed.
Eastern tiger salamanders (photo by Calla Norris).
After being hired as the new land steward, Calla and I moved into the Prairie Lane house in the spring of 2018. That makes almost eight years for me, and Calla has worked at Goose Pond in a variety of temporary capacities for seven of those years. We’ve had the opportunity to make the house into our own home by building gardens, a greenhouse, raising chickens, and inviting friends and family. It has been a great honor to live in a space where one can be so intimately integrated with the plants, wildlife, and land itself.
Life
Summer in Jill’s Prairie (photo by Graham Steinhauer).
’Nadoes: Living and working in the same place helps to ensure that you don’t miss the big moments. If there’s enough water, waterfowl number in the thousands or even tens of thousands during spring and fall. Massive flocks return from feeding, and there are often so many that they tend to spiral downward while finding space to land. There are goose-nadoes, duck-nadoes, and the more rare swan-nado. While Calla and I have seen these many times, the various ’nadoes never fail to strike awe and majesty.
Amphibians: Sometimes, the amphibians are so abundant that they simply cannot be ignored. In 2020, Calla and I noticed several salamanders milling about by the house, so we donned headlights and a small spotting scope. After walking less than a mile we counted over 300 of the young salamanders crossing the road, and found what I can only describe as a pile (at least 40) of them in a nook of the house when we returned. The much more conspicuous treefrogs often stick to our windows near a lamp. On a single night we took a lap just around the house and found 58 toads, 36 tree frogs (mostly on the house), 55 leopard frogs, 4 chorus frogs, 9 green frogs, and 5 salamanders. Although they make driving significantly more stressful, these little creatures will always be welcome.
Treefrogs on Prairie Lane at Goose Pond Sanctuary (video by Graham Steinhauer).
Plants: I’d be hard pressed to find a square meter at Goose Pond that Calla and I have not explored. Folks versed in grassland ecology know that most prairie plants are long lived with some lasting over a century, and we’ve gotten to know many specific and special individuals. Just a few of these include a hybrid prairie dock X compass plant in Hopkins Road Prairie, each cream baptisia near our house (known as “Wynn Prairie” but which we call “Calla and Graham Prairie”), and of course the biggest bur oak (“Caslavka Oak”) at Goose Pond.
People
A crew of seed-collecting volunteers, interns, and staff in summer 2024 (photo by Graham Steinhauer).
The community at Goose Pond is filled with enthusiastic, dedicated, and sometimes charmingly eccentric individuals. Office staff, sanctuary staff, and volunteers create real positive change for our ecosystems, and real human connection. Not enough can be said of our volunteers. I’m hesitant to name anyone because there are just so many valuable and friendly people out there that listing them all here might make this article too lengthy to comfortably read. But know that if you think I’m talking about you, I probably am. Thanks so much for your interest and time with seed collection, prescribed fire, citizen science, and everything else!
Calla cross-country skiing through the sanctuary in winter (photo by Graham Steinhauer).
Mark and Sue have been at the heart of Goose Pond for almost 50 years. We appreciate their ongoing support and mentorship to us, but also the many dozens of employees that came before. Since I started at Goose Pond, I’ve had the privilege of supervising almost 40 interns, seed collectors, and other seasonal employees, some of whom are now accomplished in the conservation field. A few are lifelong friends. We were lucky enough to create the full-time ecological restoration technician position and hired Emma Raasch back in 2023. I have no doubt that she’ll be a capable land steward after I leave. With the help of Mark, Sue, Emma, other SoWBA staff, volunteers, partners, and any who may join in the future, we’re confident that Goose Pond will continue to provide a meaningful place to gather for both wildlife and people. We’ve had an excellent time here, and hope to see you all again!
—Graham Steinhauer and Calla Norris
Cover photo by Graham Steinhauer. A view of the Prairie Lane house at Goose Pond during sunset.
