Anybody who may have doubts that the swampy, wooded area just north of Ellis Park is valuable as more than a graveyard for junk cars would do well to visit there sometime in the company of somebody interested in birds.

The 127-acre tract is located north of Ellis Park on Waterworks Road, east of U.S. 41 and south of Interstate 164. Four conservation groups — the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, Four Rivers Resource Conservation & Development Area, Wesselman Nature Society and The Nature Conservancy — are working together to preserve it as an area for wetlands conservation and public education.

Although the effort is still in its fledgling stage, supporters already have big ideas for the area, including an easily accessible trail leading to a large lake at the north end of the property where a deck could be built to observe waterfowl.

But local birders aren't waiting for those plans to come to fruition. Already, members of the Evansville Audubon Society have identified 30 bird species there in one morning.

Among the expected chickadees, wrens, robins and grackles on the list compiled by Steve Heeger, the group's president, were a colorful array of other birds not commonly seen in town, such as blue-gray gnatcatchers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, blue-winged teals, double-crested cormorants and ruby-crowned kinglets.

The group even identified a prothonotary warbler, a bright yellow migratory bird that evidently decided to make a stop at the relatively tiny haven near the Ohio River. Heeger said he expects even more migratory birds to begin showing up in May, and Audubon Society members will be keeping a running list.

"I think it is going to be ideal for birders. It is a neat environment," he said.

Eventually, the various groups involved in developing the area hope it also will attract people interested in observing nature a little more closely, whether it is for birding, class field trips or just a quiet hike.

However, to get the area to that stage will take work. The groups already have sought public input, but they need more than ideas. The project needs good old-fashioned muscle, too.

Anyone interested in pitching in is invited to join a cleanup day later this month. Volunteers are being asked to meet at the Ellis Park parking lot at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 26. Be sure to wear long sleeves and pants and boots or old shoes. Everything else will be provided.