GREENE CO. – Love watching birds? Come to Marsh Madness, a community-based birdwatching festival held in Linton. The event celebrates the migration of sandhill cranes and waterfowl at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA).
Marsh Madness is led by the Friends of Goose Pond through a partnership with the Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival is a community-based event timed to coincide with the peak Sandhill Crane and waterfowl migration at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Greene County. Festival headquarters are at Humphrey’s Park in the nearby city of Linton. The Festival takes place in early March. Events include a kick-off banquet, craft fair, live birds of prey on display, informational and educational presentations, bus tours, self-guided tours, kids’ activities, and much more.
Marsh Madness 2022 will kick off on Saturday, February 26, at Humphrey’s Park in Linton, Indiana. Come celebrate safely outdoors with us, with events including:
- Pick up maps for self-guided driving tours (7:30am – 7:00pm)
- Day-of tips where bird guides are posted
- Nature scavenger hunt with prizes
- “Wonderful Whooping Cranes of Indiana” with Whooping Crane Naturalist Lizzie Condon (9:00am – 4:00pm)
- Build a birdhouse (10:00am – 2:00pm)
- Hands-on nature learning table
- Marsh Madness cool merchandise available
- Wilkes Food Truck on-site for breakfast and lunch (8:00am – 4:00pm)
Wildlife Art Exhibition
Bruce Neckar, an American fine artist who was born and raised in Noblesville, Indiana will be the wild featured artist.
Neckar was an honor graduate and earned his B.A. from Ball State University in 1971. While at Ball State, Neckar was a Graduate Teaching Assistant to Thomas Minkler. Minkler was a well-known artist and printmaker and served as the Chair of the Art Department and a Master Printer. Minkler served as an inspiration and mentor to Neckar.
The artwork will be on display February 1 through March 12, 2022 (open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. with special hours Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Carnegie Heritage and Art Center at 110 East Vincennes Street in Linton.
Neckar is the recipient of multiple local and national awards, including Best Publication National Design Award from the Kansas Graphic Guild, Special Contribution to Graphic Design, Indiana Society of Architects, Evansville Regional Fine Arts Best of Show, Central States Regional Premium Award, Best Drawing Category, Swope Gallery, National Exhibition, Terre Haute, Indiana, and many more. He also has several pieces of work purchased for private and museum collections, internationally and has been involved in numerous group and one-man exhibitions.
For many years, he was the Creative Director, Art Director, and Senior Designer for a large Mid-western print firm. Neckar has also developed and assisted in workshops and lectures. He opened the Neckar Gallery in 1980, located in his hometown, Noblesville, Indiana.
Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, and Jasper Johns are artists that Neckar sights as influences, but his greatest influence is nature itself, and is most often the subject of his work—though he does not consider himself to be a “nature artist.” Neckar has a strong affinity for nature conservancy and belongs to many nature-oriented organizations. Active in local and national environmental issues, Neckar also serves as the Artist in Residence for Casting For Recovery Indiana, a not-for-profit organization devoted to the physical therapy and support of breast cancer survivors.
A lifelong musician, Neckar is also a founding member of the Poison River Boys, a bluegrass group that has performed all over central Indiana. He lives in Noblesville, Indiana with his wife, Karen also an artist, along with his dogs.
Marsh Madness 2022 would not be complete without stopping by the Goose Pond wetlands and the Visitors Center:
- Visitors Center inside exhibits open
- New aerial flyway and wetland functions displays
- Naturalists on hand to answer questions
- Enjoy beautiful panoramic views from the highest elevation in Goose Pond
