As most of you know, Lancelot and Elaine are the swans on Iowa State University’s Lake LaVerne.

Photographs of the swans have traditionally been used in various publications for the university, as well as personal photographs taken by many of you.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Council (the group in charge of Lancelot and Elaine) decided to replace the European mute swans residing on Lake LaVerne with the native Trumpeter Swans when the lake was dredged and restored in 1995.

They worked with the Iowa DNR and the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Committee as part of the statewide effort to establish wild nesting pairs and to promote the values of wetlands for wildlife habitat and water quality.

This was an experiment to bring two environments together, wild swans and an urban community.

Trumpeter swans are very different from the mute swans they replaced.

Trumpeters are one of the largest waterfowl in the world.

Their wingspan can reach seven feet across, they stand four feet high and weigh between 20 to 30 pounds each.

Besides size, everyone near the ISU campus quickly realized another difference of Trumpeter swans: They like to wander.

It wasn’t long before the wandering habit of the swans led them onto roads and as far across campus as the Parks Library!

Although patrols were assigned to watch the swans and a temporary pen was constructed, the problem persisted.

It wasn’t long before the swans were locked up permanently.

Now? It is OK that the swans are locked in a cage.

All of the Trumpeter swans in the restoration program are fenced and cared for until a wild population is established.

The problem is that the cage on Lake LaVerne isn’t in proportion to the birds’ size.

You only have to look at the west end of the lake to see that the habitat is too small. Garbage infiltrates their beds, and the ground is worn bare where their large feet have paced restlessly.

Trumpeter Swans are wild animals.

They are one small part of a larger wetland ecosystem.

Wetlands and their entire structure are important to Trumpeter Swans.

Trumpeters’ diets consist of wetland plant species like pond weed, milfoil, arrowhead, bulrush and sedges.

The swans nest in shallow wetlands and need emergent vegetation for security to produce young.

Their young (cygnets) depend on the insects and aquatic invertebrates found in these wetland shelf environments.

Lake LaVerne is not meeting these basic needs of food and shelter.

There have been numerous meetings attended by ISU planners, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Council, the Trumpeter Restoration Committee, the lowa DNR, aquatic systems professors and maintenance personnel.

These meetings presented various alternatives for Lancelot and Elaine.

One is to remove the swans entirely from the lake.

Another is to relocate the swans to a nearby lake off-campus.

If the swans produce young in the next year, there is an option to take no action.

An alternative overlooked is the extension of a larger swan habitat.

We at the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Committee would like to see Lancelot and Elaine remain on Lake LaVerne and remain Trumpeter swans.

We feel that the swans raise awareness to statewide efforts of restoring native wildlife and wetlands in Iowa.

We would like to see a native habitat of adequate size for the swans.

There have been plans in the past to create wetlands on the southwest side of Lake LaVerne.

This would not only benefit the swans but the health of the lake as a whole.

In addition, the system would serve as a living classroom.

The restoration of an entire ecological community would be an example for all academic communities to follow.

And, the traditional Lake LaVerne you all remember would still exist on the eastern side of the lake with lush wetland vegetation as a backdrop.

An immediate action of extending the fence-line is extremely important for the future of Lancelot and Elaine.

It does not mean that we can’t perform the same activities we currently participate in.

We can share the lake and the land.

The toughest part is making the decision to do so.

It is up to all of us whether we wish to continue learning.

Tell the university what you think.

This short article is a broad overview of a real problem.

It may not contain all the answers. It can, however, raise this question in your conscience: What action is best for the future?

For the future of Lancelot and Elaine, for Lake LaVerne, for Iowa State University, for the community of Ames, for the community of lowa, for the community of generations yet to come.

It is up to us whether we wish to teach a community or to deprive one.

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Jeanie Hau

President

The ISU Trumpeter Swan

Restoration Committee