Sweetened Water Preserve
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Short Cove Preserve West Tisbury, Massachusetts L A N D R D A BA Y N E K N I C V O M S M ' I A S H S T I O R A N M * * E S 8 6 T . 1 9 Management Plan November 18, 2013 Approved by the West Tisbury Town Advisory Board () Approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission () Approved by the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs ( ) Julie Russell – Ecologist Maureen McManus Hill – Administrative Assistant Matthew Dix – Property Foreman Andrea Brendalen – Ecology Intern Executive Summary Short Cove comprises 12.9 acres located in West Tisbury, situated on a south-facing peninsula directly on Tisbury Great Pond. The land encompassing the preserve has been part of Flat Point Farm since its founding in 1848. Prior to that, the land was incorporated into the Athearn family’s farming endeavors of the 1700s followed by farming practices of the Manter family and then the Look family. Few families have owned the land and farming has always been at the heart of its purpose. The preserve includes mixed-oak woodland on the northern boundary, agricultural grassland to the south, and a narrow shoreline along Short Cove and Tisbury Great Pond, a coastal salt pond that is manually opened to the ocean via a cut. There is an agricultural preservation restriction on the adjacent farm field to the west that protects the agrarian tradition of the area and provides attractive views of Tisbury Great Pond without obstructions from the preserve. Vegetation and wildlife inventories revealed one commonwealth-threatened Lepidoptera species, Eacles imperialis, and one commonwealth-special concern plant species, Setaria parviflora, on the preserve. The moth was observed in the mixed-oak woodland and the graminoid species was observed in the bordering vegetated wetland along the cove shore. This management plan proposes creating approximately 605 linear feet of new trail and maintaining 2697 feet of existing old farm roads on the preserve; maintaining view channels of Short Cove and Tisbury Great Pond through periodic tree trimming and mowing as necessary; maintaining existing pastureland through its incorporation into an agricultural lease and through annual mowing as necessary; removal and control of the invasive exotics Celastrus orbiculatus, Rosa multiflora and Elaeagnus umbellate in the fence row around the grassland; creating a two-vehicle trailhead for handicapped and senior visitors; allow waterfowl-only hunting; and using a portion of the existing structure as a wildlife blind. All planning goals, objectives and strategies are outlined in detail in the final section of this management plan. To be implemented, this plan must be presented at a public hearing and approved by the land bank’s West Tisbury town advisory board, the Martha’s Vineyard land bank commission and the secretary of the Massachusetts executive office of energy and environmental affairs (EOEEA). Additionally, a notice of intent and Massachusetts endangered species act (MESA) review will be filed with the West Tisbury conservation commission and Massachusetts natural heritage and endangered species program (MA-NHESP) for activity proposed in estimated and priority habitat for rare species and activities proposed in and around wetland resource areas. Aquinnah Headlands Preserve, Aquinnah, MA North Head Site Management Map About the authors Julie Russell is the primary author and has been the land bank ecologist since August 1999. She is certified as a Wildlife Biologist by the Wildlife Society and holds a Master of Science in zoology from the Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and a Bachelor of Science in wildlife biology from the School of Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. Property Foreman Matthew Dix has worked on land bank properties since 1990. He attended the School of Natural Resources at the University of Vermont and has extensive knowledge of the region’s agriculture, natural history and local geography. Maureen McManus-Hill has been the administrative assistant since July of 2006; she has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Lafayette College. Andrea Brendalen was an ecology intern for the 2013 summer field season and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2013 with a degree in Environmental Science. Short Cove PRESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN Table of Contents I. Natural Resource Inventory ........................................................................................................ 6 A. Physical Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 6 1. Locus ................................................................................................................................... 6 2. Survey Maps, Deeds and Preliminary Management Plan Goals ........................................ 6 3. Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................... 6 4. Topography ......................................................................................................................... 6 5. Hydrology .............................................................................................................................. 7 6. Ecological Processes ........................................................................................................... 7 B. Biological Characteristics ..................................................................................................... 10 1. Vegetation .......................................................................................................................... 10 2. Wildlife Habitat ................................................................................................................... 11 C. Cultural Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 12 1. Land History ....................................................................................................................... 12 2. Planning Concerns ............................................................................................................. 14 3. Abutters ............................................................................................................................. 15 4. Existing Use and Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 15 II. Inventory Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 15 A. Constraints & Issues ........................................................................................................ 15 1. Ecological Context .............................................................................................................. 15 2. Natural and Cultural Resource Concerns .......................................................................... 16 3. Sociological Context ........................................................................................................... 17 4. Neighborhood Concerns .................................................................................................... 17 B. Addressing Problems and Opportunities ............................................................................. 17 1. Land Bank Mandate ........................................................................................................... 17 2. Goals at Purchase .............................................................................................................. 18 3. Opportunities ...................................................................................................................... 18 4. Universal Access (UA) ....................................................................................................... 19 III. Land Management Planning .................................................................................................... 19 A. Nature Conservation ........................................................................................................ 20 B. Recreation and Aesthetics .............................................................................................. 23 C. Natural Products ............................................................................................................. 26 D. Community Interactions .................................................................................................. 26 E. Land Administration ........................................................................................................ 27 IV. Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................ 29 Appendix A. Locus, Topography and Site Management Maps .................................................... 31 Appendix B. Surveys, Deeds and Preliminary Management Plan Goals ..................................... 34 Appendix C. Soils Maps and Descriptions .................................................................................... 45 Appendix D: Historical Maps ......................................................................................................... 48 Appendix E: Vegetation ................................................................................................................ 50 Appendix F. Wildlife .....................................................................................................................