Daubenspeck Community Nature Park
(DCNP)

Park Information

Wetland and Mosquito Control

The Daubenspeck Community Nature Park invites you to come and observe the gradual development of a healthy wetland eco-system. The 1.5 acre wetland is located in the southeast corner of the park, facing Ditch Rd. With the help of The Home Depot, volunteers built a boardwalk and bench for the wetland, so visitors can enjoy it up-close, without disturbing the aquatic balance.

This section of the park was selected to be a wetland because it was a naturally-occuring low area containing hydric soils where water had always ponded for long periods of time. The area was excavated (an average of only six inches) according to City permits, and carefully sloped and banked so that the water may look close, but not spill onto, Ditch Road.

The wetland will be seasonal, which means it could dry up in the summer if there is little rain. It is not meant as a year-round pond and will not be stocked with fish. Fishing and/or releasing non-native species in the wetland is not permitted. Please see our Native Species Plan.

The Marion County Health Department's Mosquito Control Division encourages the design and installation of properly constructed wetlands as a method of controlling mosquito populations naturally. In fact, MCHD-MCD staff personally helped to construct the wetland, along with our wetlands professional from Environmental and Civil Consultants.

When it was only a bare, low spot in a mowed field, the standing water had the potential to allow mosquitos to breed. Now, it has been sloped, and planted and seeded with wetland vegetation that will attract mosquito-eaters like wetland birds, frogs, dragonflies and other insects, bats, and others.

A biologically-balanced wetland -- with a diversity of native plant and animal life -- actually consumes more mosquitos than it produces. Spraying chemicals will not be necessary, and we will continue to develop the wetland so that it reduces the need for spraying in the larger area.

Volunteers planted water-loving trees around the wetland edge and placed plugs of wetland grasses and flowers, just last fall at two volunteer events. The larger plants were dug up and transferred from the thriving wetland at Indiana's School for the Deaf. Smaller native plugs were donated by Spence Nursery in Muncie. Greg Gerke of Civil and Environmental Consultants donated and planted seeds.