BACK BAY FISHERMAN ISLAND PLUM TREE ISLAND NATIONAL'WILDLIFE REFUGES Virginia Beach, Virginia BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Virginia Beach, Virginia
ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983
U. S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM PERSONNEL
1. Glen W. Bond, Jr. * - Refuge Manager GS-12 PFT EOD 09/17/77 2. Douglas L. Parr Assistant Refuge Manager GS-11 PFT EOD 02/10/80 3. Richard D. Poetter Assistant Refuge Manager GS- 7 PFT EOD 01/27/80 - • 4. Daniel R. Dinkier Outdoor Recreation Planner GS- 9 PFT EOD 03/28/81 5. Edna M. Ford Administrative Clerk GS- 6 PFT EOD 01/18/65 6. Ernest Maddron Maintenance Worker WG- 8 PFT EOD 02/26/73 7. Andrew Orsargos Maintenance Worker WG- 7 PFT EOD 03/27/77 8. George A. Batie Lead Guard GS- 5 PFT EOD 06/09/74 9. William S. Farrer ** Guard GS- 4 PPT EOD 07/04/76 (35 hrs/wk) 10. Lester W. Walizer Guard GS- 4 PPT EOD 05/09/76 • (35 hrs/wk) 11. Teresa M. Cherry Clerk-Typist GS- 2 700 - hour EOD 03/23/78 * Transferred to Carolina Sandhills Refuge, McBee, S.C., effective 11/13/83 Resigned effective 06/25/83
YCC ENROLLEES 12. David S. Bridges EOD 06/13/83 Terminated 08/08/83 13. Margaret C. Causey EOD 06/13/83 Terminated 08/29/83 14. Sheryl A. Klein EOD 06/13/83 Terminated 08/08/83 15. Jerry W. Pratt EOD 06/13/83 Terminated 08/14/83 Review and Approvals
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Regiona Review Date TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
A. HIGHLIGHTS 1
B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1
C. LAND ACQUISITION
1. Fee Title Nothing to report 2. Easements Nothing to report 3. Other Nothing to report
D. PLANNING
1.- Master Plan Nothing to report 2. Management Plan 2 3. Public Participation Nothing to report 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates 2 5. Research and Investigations 2
E. ADMINISTRATION
1. Personnel 3 2. Youth Programs 3 3. Other Manpower Programs Nothing to report 4. Volunteers Program Nothing to report 5. Funding 3 6. Safety 3 7. Technical Assistance Nothing to report 8. Other Items 6
F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT T
1. General Nothing; to report 2. Wetlands 6 3. Forests Nothing to report 4. Croplands Nothing to report 5. Grasslands 6 6. Other Habitats Nothing to report 7. Grazing Nothing to report 8. Haying Nothing to report 9. Fire Management 6 10. Pest Control Nothing to report 11. Water Rights Nothing to report 12. Wilderness and Special Areas Nothing to report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring Nothing to report Page
G, WILDLIFE
1. Wildlife Diversity Nothing to report 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 7 3. Waterfowl 9 4. Marsh and Water Birds 11 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species 12 6. Raptors 13 7. Other Migratory Birds 13 8. Game Mammals 13 9. Marine Mammals Nothing to report 10. Other Resident Wildlife Nothing to report 11. Fisheries Resources Nothing to report 12. Wildlife Propogation and Stocking Nothing to report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to report 14. Scientific Collections Nothing to report 15. Animal Control 14 16. Marking and Banding 14 17. Disease Prevention and Control Nothing to report
H. PUBLIC USE
1. General 15 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students . ; 17 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers 18 4. Interpretive Foot Trails 18 5. Interpretive Tour Routes 19 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations 20 7. Other Interpretive Programs 21 8. Hunting 21 9. Fishing 21 10. Trapping 21 11. Wildlife Observation 22 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation 22 13. Camping Nothing to report 14. Picnicking 23 15. Off-Road Vehicling " 23 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation 24 17. Law Enforcement 24 18. Cooperating Associations Nothing to report 19. Concessions Nothing to report Page
I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
1. New Construction 2. Rehabilitation 3. Major Maintenance
4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement . . ••••••••• 5. Communications Systems 6. Energy Conservation 7. Other
J. OTHER ITEMS
1. Cooperative Programs 26 2. Items of Interest Nothing to report 3. Credits 26
K. FEEDBACK
Nothing to report BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
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MYRTLE ISLAND Gardens, 'MiH-^Seaford x . / ^^urrowav^ j ^r—t _ L , 1600! SMITH ISLAND f |5|\6 : ,548) Scotland CT Hog island . '5 r /CabinX>^\[spring Grove ^yl Game Befuje . ^ pKiptopeke p/um Tree Islantl , / Office Location - Back Bay Complex Manned Stations Unmanned Stations A. HIGHLIGHTS The sinking of the Marine Blectric impacted Back Bay and Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuges; 39 oil soaked common loons were found in the vicinity of the refuges. Efforts to resolve differences between the State of Virginia and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service concerning access to False Cape State Park through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge continues. There still is a long way to go before agreement is reached. Nine pairs of osprey are using nests on the refuge. Four units of about 1»000 acres each were opened for trapping. Three indi viduals bid on the four units; bids totalled $818.04, Results were not as high as expected but the trapper that bid two units did not extend much effort, i.e. 465 nutria, 330 muskrats, and 35 raccoons. The cooperative effort of searching for sea turtle crawls on our beaches and those of False Cape State Park have been successful. A nest located two miles south of the refuge boundary was uncovered and relocated; it contained 93 eggs. Only 35 hatched and were released, A new office/visitor facility is a reality. Efforts to clear the site were initiated. Public access and conveniences will be strained until the new facility is completed. Project Leader Bond delivered to Virginia Beach City Council two revenue sharing checks totalling $114,358, Project Leader Glen W. Bond, Jr. departed Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge November 13 for his new assignment at Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina. Legislation once again amended eligibility criteria for vehicular access privileges across Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The table on page 2 is compiled from on-site readings at the Official Weather Bureau Station maintained at the refuge. 2 Precipitation (inches) Temperatures (F0) TOTAL Variance From Rain Snowfal1 Normal Normal Maximum Minimum January 3.14 3.37 - 0.23 59 20 February 5.78 3.81 + 1.97 59 25 March 5.55 T 3.69 + 1.86 75 34 April 5.83 3.97 + 1.86 84 31 May 3.43 3.48 - 0.05 84 44 June 5.36 • 3.59 + 1.77 '91 55 July 1.59 5.14 - 3.55 98 60 August 1.99 6.30 - 4.31 96 59 September 7.58 5.05 + 2.53 95 49 October 3.03 4.39 - 1.36 85 51 November 2.52 2.97 - 0.45 77 34 December 4.68 2.90 + 1.78 66 05 50.48 T 48.66 + 1.82 D. PLANNING 2. Management Plans Techniques for Marsh/Water Management and development of a Fire Management Plan are being prepared this year. We hope to implement these in 1984. 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates On January 11 of this year the final EIS entitled Proposed State • Federal Land Exchange Involving Portions of False Cape State Park and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge was issued to address issues related to the need to enhance public access to Virginia's False Cape State Park. No action was taken this year to implement the preferred alternative due to a reluctance by the state to trade lands for a right-of-way through the refuge. 5. Research and Investigations Special Use Permits were issued to the below named individuals for research and investigations as described. Thomas R. Nichols - Vehicular access privileges to band migrating peregrine falcons, and storage of pigeons and fuel to facilitate activity. Jim Perry - Access to all refuge areas, and collection of plants as necessary to prepare vegetative map of the refuge. 3 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel A summary of on-board personnel over the past five years is as follows: Permanent Temporary Full-Time Part-Time FY 84 9 1 1 FY 83 8 2 1 FY 82 7 3 1 FY 81 7 3 2 FY 80 7 3 3 The organizational chart is included to show division of responsibilities of various positions. Significant personnel actions during the year included the following two actions: * Project Leader Glen W, Bond, Jr. transferred to Carolina Sandhills NWR, McBee, S.C., effective 11/13/83, ** Guard Farrer resigned and this position was converted to a Park Techni cian, GS-026-5/6/7 and recruitment efforts were started during this calendar year. 2. Youth Programs Back Bay hosted a four-person YCC Camp in 1983. Enrollees assisted in a variety of maintenance tasks and management surveys. The YCC program without staff is an awkward program for us to administer properly. With our office location and other constraints, we have to put these young people under the day-to-day guidance of maintenance personnel, a situation with which no one is really happy, and consequently lessens the effectiveness of the program, .• 5. Funding The five-year funding situation is reflected in the chart on page 5. Please note that the figures are actual and do not necessarily reflect beginning year funding later withdrawn. 6. Safety The first accident for the year occurred February 11, 1983 when Guard Farrer slipped on wet steps at the guard house. This resulted in lost time of ten days. 4 ORGANIZATION CHART BACK BAY NWR CV 83 400,000 en CO 350,000 300,000 O o o o o o o o o 00 250,000 CO t^T w CNJ o CNJ CNJT—I CNJ 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 80 81 82 83 84 Fiscal year Maintenance Worker Ernest Maddron became the second casualty of the year on March 21, when he was injured while replacing a wheel on the refuge motor grader. A lug wrench slipped and struck him across the nose, drawing blood and creating a severe bruise but X-rays were negative for fractures. Although medical attention was required, there was no lost-time recorded. 8. Other Items A refuge revenue sharing check in the amount of $114,358 was delivered on March 7 to the City of Virginia Beach for payment in lieu of taxes for Back Bay NWR properties. F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 2. Wetlands Major revision of the refuge Marsh/Water Management plan was initiated and planning efforts to rehabilitate the impoundments and convert them into more manageable units were begun. The degree of slope in the three existing pools creates a variance of available water depths over the pool areas ranging from zero water to two-foot depths. The new ARM's funding has made $48,500 available for a land leveling project to create flat-grade pools where a more consis tent water depth can be achieved and maintained. No burning was accomplished this year due to excessive and untimely rainfal1. 5. Grassland Ten of the sixty acres of old-growth Kentucky-31 fescue on Long Island was broken up this fall and planted to winter wheat to try and attract birds for the goose-banding project. Although geese quickly found it, they just as quickly stripped it. They had help from the excessive population of deer now on Long Island. Most waterfowl grazing was from snow geese. 9. Fire Management The fire management plan was drafted this year to cover prescribed burn ing procedures and wildfire response/procedure for the station. No prescribed burning activities nor wildfires occurred this year due to wetter than normal weather conditions during the fire season. 7 G. WILDLIFE 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species Species which were observed utilizing the refuge this year include the peregrine falcon, brown pelican and the Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle. The Annual Bald Eagle Midwinter Survey was conducted during'the period of January 2-16. The staff kept a watchful eye for any eagles during daily operations both on and off the refuge, but no sightings were made. There were no eagle sightings reported this year for the refuge and adjacent areas. On April 17 a dead bald eagle was recovered by Assis tant Refuge Manager Poetter after it had washed up on a private lawn A/83 RDP Dead! off Little Neck Creek, which is a tidal extension of Linkhorn Bay in northeastern Virginia Beach, The eagle had been dead for 3-4 days. It was banded with a metal FWS leg band and also supported an orange wing tag with white numbering. After a little research it was found that the eagle was banded by South Carolina state biologists five miles south of White Hall, South Carolina on March 27, 1979 as a fledgling of unknown sex. Detailed photographs were made of the wing tag and the associated feather damage and area of hyperkeratosis caused by the tag. 8 Since an exact age of the bird was known, head and tail feather pictures were also taken to show the extent of the white coloration for comparison with birds of unknown age. The carcass was sent to the Madison Wildlife Health Lab where it was determined that it had died of natural causes. One peregrine falcon was observed on May 5 and two were observed on September 15. The spring and especially the fall migrations bring other peregrines through the refuge along the beach and dunes, but unless someone spends extensive time watching you won't know how many there were. There has been a substantial increase in the sightings of brown pelicans just offshore of the refuge this year, During June through September groups of 3 to 60 pelicans could be seen intermittently. In October a peak of 140 were observed at one time. Two years ago it was very rare to see even one brown pelican during the year. On January 6 officials of the False Cape State Park found a live 15 lb. sea turtle on their beach, approximately 2 miles south of the refuge boundary. Refuge personnel were contacted and the turtle was brought to the refuge shop. The turtle, a Kempls ridley, was turned over to officials of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science for proper care. It was held in a 1,000 gallon tank and treated with antibiotics. In May, after a full recovery, the ridley was fitted with a radio trans mitter and released into the Chesapeake Bay, Knowledge of its movements has provided valuable data for researchers. This year, in keeping with an annual June 15 to September 1 search for sea turtle crawls/nests, a cooperative agreement was struck with the staff of False Cape State Park. On Mondays thru Thursdays the Back Bay Refuge staff checked the refuge beach and the state park beach, which extends from the south refuge boundary to the North Carolina line. Then on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays the False Cape staff checked both beaches, At 4:00 a.m. on July 13 one of the State Park Rangers located a sea turtle crawl on the park beach, two miles south of the refuge's southern boundary. The nest was uncovered and relocated to a protected location on July 14 by 0RP Dinkier, with the help of the four YCC enrollees. There was a time delay in the reporting of the nest to the refuge staff, but the nest was finally moved to prevent it from being crushed by vehicles travelling on the beach. The nest contained 93 eggs, of which 35 hatched out and were released on the beach on September 14 (62 days of incubation). As in the past, before releasing the hatchlings they were weighed and measured. Measurements include carapace length and width, plastron length, overall thickness of the turtle, and scute counts. The hot dry summer was con- ditsive to a "good" hatch. It is not known for sure what caused 58 of the eggs to not even develop embryos. There are a multiple of possibilities. In Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay and adjacent marine waters serve as a major summer feeding area for subadult loggerheads which feed on the abundant horseshoe crabs. Throughout the summer, dead sea turtles wash 9 up on the area beaches. This year a total of three loggerheads were found on the refuge beach. This compares with nine loggerheads and one leather- back found last year. Causes of death include disease, drowning by entangle ment in fishing nets, and being struck by rotating ship propellers. As in p%vious years, the turtles were measured and reported to the local data gathering agency for sea turtles - the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point, Virginia. Occasionally, when a fairly fresh specimen is washed up, it is picked up by VIMS for necropsy. 3. Waterfowl Back Bay Refuge is a nesting and feeding area for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Very little nesting by ducks occurs on the refuge and there is no swan or goose nesting. Waterfowl censusing techniques used at Back Bay Refuge are designed to cover the major portion of the land and water areas. The impoundment areas are surveyed by land vehicle utilizing the network of roads surrounding these areas. The bay, which includes open water and marsh islands, is surveyed by boat if water levels and ice conditions permit. During the year, water fowl surveys were conducted bi-weekly, except during winter months when they were done weekly if manpower demands permitted. Usually, they didn't! During the higher waterfowl use periods, aerial flights were made once a month to facilitate and improve earth-bound survey figures. Waterfowl population trends, in the form of peak population numbers, are presented for the past twelve years in the table on page 10, Ducks - Back Bay Refuge is not open to waterfowl hunting, but adjacent areas of Back Bay and Currituck Sound are heavily hunted, Prior to the hunting season the refuge holds approximately 35 to 50% of the area's total duck population. When hunting commences, up to 30% of the total population leave the area completely, and 80 - 90% of the remaining ducks can be found on the refuge. Once the season closes in January, the ducks tend to disperse again, thus reducing the refuge population. Species of ducks which comprise the majority of the refuge population, con sist of black duck, wigeon, mallard, pintail, blue-winged'teal, gadwall, and green-winged teal. Species which normally do not exceed 200 individuals are the shoveler, wood duck, redhead, ring-necked duck, canvasback, bufflehead, ruddy duck, common merganser, hooded merganser, common goldeneye, and the scaups. Other species of ducks which can be seen beyond the surf of the beach include the scoters (black, surf, white-winged), oldsquaw, and red- breasted merganser. Unseasonable warm weather persisted through December which allowed the ducks to remain to the north. This warm weather is probably the main reason for the decline in population as compared with previous years. The thirteen wood duck boxes, located throughout the refuge, received little use this year. A brood of six and a brood of five woodies were produced. DUC KS WHISTLING SWANS GREATER SNOW GOOSE CANADA GOOSE AMERICAN COOT CY Peak Pop. Month Peak Pop. Month 3eak Pop. Month Peak Pop. Month Peak Pop. Month 1972 47,030 Jan. 2,500 Jan. 20,000 Dec. 6,100 Nov. 10,000 Jan./ Feb. 1973 34,085 Oct. 4,000 Dec. 20,000 Dec. 4,000 Nov. 10,000 Oct. 1974 37,365 Dec. 6,000 Dec. 20,000 Dec. 4,130 Nov. 25,000 Dec. 1975 28,265 Dec. 8,000 Dec. 25,000 Jan. 4,000 Dec. 12,000 Feb. 1976 22,280 Dec. 4,000 Jan. 15,000 Jan./ 1,500 Jan. 10,000 Jan./ Feb. Feb. 1977 13,135 Dec. 3,380 Dec. 32,000 Jan. 3,000 Jan. 32,000 Jan. 1978 17,430 Nov. 7,400 Nov. 1,500 Jan./ 1,200 Nov. 5,000 Nov. Dec. 1979 22,390 Nov. 3,465 Dec. 2,525 Dec. 1,040 Nov. 9,700 Nov. 1980 20,150 Nov. 10,000 Dec. 13,000 Jan. 2,000 Dec. 1,000 Nov. 1981 15,089 Jan. 8,550 Jan. 12,600 Jan. 1,530 Jan. 25 Mar. 1982 12,722 Nov. '1,280 Dec. 6,250 Jan. 1,240 Dec. . 354 Dec. 1983 5,677 Dec. 825 Jan. 4,000 Dec. 1,318 Jan. 360 Jan. 11 Other known hatching successes included broods of nine, six and five young mallards. Black duck production included one brood of eight and one of six. Geese - The year began with the refuge holding 4,300 geese of which 3,000 were snows and 1,300 were Canadas. By the end of January the population had decreased to 320 and 135 respectively. In mid-March the last goose, a snow, departed the refuge for the northern breeding grounds. The first Canada geese to arrive in the fall were observed on September 30 and consisted of fourteen birds. By the end of the year the population had reached 350. On October 23 the first major influx of 1,000 snows moved into the impound ments, but the majority of the geese moved out of the area the next day. On December 6 the population had peaked at 4,000 birds for the year. Swans - The year began with 825 whistling swans using Sand Bay and the impoundments. This turned out to be the peak population for the year. By mid-March all but two of the swans had left the refuge. One swan remained in the refuge impoundments all summer, and was last seen on November 10 when it was lost in the newly arrived flock of 17 swans. Few whistling swans returned to the refuge in the fall. The peak popu lation for the end of the year was 145 birds in December. American Coots - As one can see by the table on page 10, coot numbers on the refuge have dropped substantially. In February - March, 1975 over 24,000 coots died during an avian cholera outbreak on Back Bay. There have been no outbreaks since then. Large rafts of coots could be seen on the bay in years past, but are no longer seen. The total population of coots on the refuge this year have been utilizing the impoundments. The beginning of the year started with a peak of 360 coots and in the fall ended with a peak of 36 coots, 4. Marsh and Water Birds Marsh and water bird populations on the refuge vary greatly during the year, being most abundant during the migrations. A peak -of over 9,000 birds, (8,300 of which were double-crested cormorants) representing 18 different species and over 68,000 use-days, were recorded on the refuge in the last quarter of the year. It is suspected that a few species of marsh and water birds do nest on the refuge, but no nests were discovered during everyday operations. No specific nest searches are conducted. The sinking of the Marine Electric off the coast of Chincoteague NWR in February resulted in an oil spill that affected the Atlantic Coast from Assateague Island in northern Virginia to Cape Hatteras on the Outer 12 Banks of North Carolina. Patrols of the beaches for oil and oiled birds were conducted by the refuge staff. The area covered included just north of the refuge, south to the Corolla Lighthouse in North Carolina, These patrols resulted in the picking up of 23 live and 18 dead common loons that had received from light to heavy oiling and washed ashore. Eighteen of the live loons were taken to the Lafayette Zoological Park in Norfolk, Virginia, where a volunteer clean-up and rehabilitation program was at tempted. Of the eighteen only two were banded and released, the rest died. Five of the loons were relieved of their misery due to their very poor condition. Some of the dead loons were saved for evidence research. 3/83 RDP One of the "lucky ones" to get another chance. Oil samples taken from feathers were used by the Coast Guard to trace the oiling back to the Marine Electric. The carcasses were then sent to the Madison National Wildlife Health Lab to be used as a control sample against those loons that were dying along the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of causes other than being oiled. After the Madison Lab was finished, the remains were sent to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center for collection of further research data. See Section G-2 for a narrative of brown pelican activities, 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species In the April through June period the largest use for the year was recorded. Over 189,200 use-days were recorded for a peak population of 5,254 individ uals consisting of 29 different species. 13 The only known production consisted of seven kill deer being fledged this year. The beach remains hostile to any nesting. 6. Raptors Fourteen species of raptors were observed on and over the refuge during the year. These consisted of the Cooper's, sharp-shinned, red-tailed, broad-winged and red-shouldered hawks, the northern harrier, merlin, kestrel, osprey, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture, great horned owl, barn owl, and screech owl. The largest number of use-days occurred in the July through September quarter of the year. Endangered species listed above are discussed in Section G-2. Great horned owls are known to nest on the refuge, but no nests were located this year. Three pairs of screech owls nesting in wood duck boxes produced eight young. Nine pairs of osprey made nesting attempts on the refuge this year. Only one nest was built on an offshore waterfowl blind, It was located on the north refuge proclamation boundary. This nest did not produce any young or eggs because it was abandoned after a month's use due to the pressures of sport fishermen around the blind. Twelve artificial nesting platforms have been erected in the marshes, during past years, to help prevent such losses due to disturbance. No new platforms were erected this year but time was spent straightening and bracing up lean ing platforms. After repairs, sticks and twigs were fastened to the top of the platforms to provide a secure nest base on which the returning ospreys may be enticed to build their nests. Seven of these platforms were used this year by ospreys, and one other nest was constructed in a dead pine snag on the west refuge boundary. Seven young were fledged from six successful nests of the nine attempted nestings. 7. Other Migratory Birds The annual Christmas Bird Count was conducted on December 27, This year, as in the past, count participants were transported by refuge personnel to the south refuge boundary where the count began and proceeded north through the refuge. Other participants are usually taken-to Long Island by boat to count that area and then the bay waters, but this year it was cancelled due to the bay being frozen. Temperatures during the count ranged from 27° to 450F and was overcast. 8. Game Mammals On February 22, Managers Bond, Parr and Poetter met with Virginia Game Commission Biologist Don Schwab and Otto Hal stead, Manager of Pocahontas- Trojan Waterfowl Management Area located on the western shore of Back Bay, to discuss the possible need of implementing a deer hunting program on the refuge, especially on Long Island, An on-site inspection of Long Island 14 was scheduled and completed on March 8 by Mr. Schwab and Assistant Manager Poetter. An obvious browse line at an average height of five feet above the ground was observed, along with other indicators of an over-populated deer herd. A collection and field necropsy of ten white-tailed deer was accomplished on September 9 by Refuge Managers Parr and Poetter, and Virginia Game Commission Biologists Schwab and Taylor. On October 24 and. 25 the aboma- sal parasite counts (APC) were accomplished at refuge headquarters. The APC values for deer collected in 1980 averaged 1,534 worms for the four deer collected on the refuge. The values for the five deer collected this year on the mainland portion of the refuge averaged 2,273 worms and those five deer collected on Long Island averaged 4,220 worms. In Eve and Kellogg (1977. Management implications of abomasal parasites in southeastern white-tailed deer. J. W. M., 41:169-177) it is stated that a count greater than 1,500 worms indicates that a herd is most likely exceeding the habitat's carrying capacity, and the higher the value above 1,500 worms the greater the risk of mortality. It is obvious that some means of herd reduction is necessary and the most likely solution will be to have a public hunt. The furbearer trapping program is discussed in Section H-10, 15. Animal Control Feral swine range freely on the refuge, rooting up marsh and occasionally dikes, creating a series of small deep holes. The animals are decendents of once domesticated stock in North Carolina. In accordance with an ap proved control plan, they are eliminated by refuge personnel whenever a discrete opportunity presents itself, When numbers grow to a point that damage becomes totally unacceptable, concentrated efforts are made to reduce the population. Eradication is impossible due to dense habitat and a continuous supply migrating from the bordering False Cape State Park, where no controls are undertaken. An approximate total of 43 hogs were eliminated this year and there are plenty more to be had. Back Bay, for some years now, has hosted trespass horses/ponies on an ' intermittent basis - and removed them as the opportunity might present itself. Now, however, publicity and other factors have prevented the use of certain options to remove the current "herd" of seven animals. These animals show no interest in alfalfa pellets or bales of timothy hay, and certainly no inclination to enter our fenced maintenance area so they can be hauled away. 16. Marking and Banding Post-season duck banding efforts were fairly successful this year. A quota of 100 black ducks and 100 mallards with a 50/50 sex composition was assigned to this station. All the ducks captured, except two black ducks, were caught via the cannon net. The net was fired a total of 15 five times, four of which caught birds. Two misfires occurred due to rain getting the plastic-cased charge damp, To solve this problem a layer of at least 1/4" thick butyl caulking was put in over the paper wadding of the open end of the shell. The wires out the back of the shell run through a rubber grommet, but extra protection was added by applying caulking there also. Masking tape was also placed over the cannon openings. The system was proven effective when the set-up was left out in the weather for over 17 days, which included several heavy rain showers, and fired perfectly. Birds banded include 56 male and 54 female black ducks, 19 male and 19 female mallards, 9 male and 9 female mallard x black duck hybrids, and 5 male and 4 female American green-winged teal. Capture of previously banded birds consisted of 3 foreign recaptures (2 black ducks, 1 mallard) and 9 local recaptures (7 black ducks, 1 mallard, 1 mallard x black duck hybrid). In September a minimum quota of 200 Canada geese was assigned. Cap tured geese were to be fitted with plastic neck collars, weighed, specific measurements taken and leg banded. By the end of the year, not one goose had been captured. Ten acres of permanent fescue on Long Island were converted to winter wheat in an effort to increase Canada goose usage on the refuge. On the average a peak of only 100 - 200 Canadas could be found on the refuge this fall, and they were usually utilizing the bay waters. The field and corn bait received heavy use by snow geese, deer, crows, and blackbirds. Logistics of getting out to the island by boat made monitoring of the baited site time consuming and difficult. H. PUBLIC USE 1. General The Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located on the southeastern fringe of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, placing the refuge within driving distance of hundreds of thousands of people. Total visitation for 1983 was estimated at 112,329, representing a 27% increase in public use compared to figures for 1982. The economic recovery rand stabilization of fuel prices no doubt contributed to the increase in visitation. The most significant event concerning public use in 1983 was the develop ment of plans for the construction of a combined administrative office/ visitor contact station on-site. Currently, and for the last several years, the lack of an on-site presence has hampered public use manage ment, in addition to operations in general. The new building, expected to be completed in late 1984, will go a long way toward filling the void created by having the office and professional staff 22 miles off-site. Specifically, the 20' x 40* room designated as a visitor contact facility with audio/visual accoutrements will greatly enhance the refuge's infor mational and interpretive capabilities, although the small size and multi purpose nature of the facility will probably create some cramped situations. 16 The lack of an on-site presence is somewhat offset by the refuge's informational structure, or kiosk. The structure, with eight smaller panels and two larger panels, offers over 120 square feet of display space. A wide variety of information ranging from refuge regulations to special interpretive exhibits are displayed in the kiosk panels which are backed with exhibiloop fabric. Display subjects are mounted on foam core board and affixed to the exhibiloop with small, self- adhesive strips which function like hook-and-loop velcro material. Two of the smaller kiosk panels were designated for use by neighboring False Cape State Park in 1983 as part of an ongoing cooperative effort between the refuge and state park. Other cooperative activities included the refuge providing interpretive tours for state park volunteers, per sonal appearances at the park's Wash Woods Environmental Education Center, and cooperative tours of both the refuge and park, A growing number of visiting groups which have the time are taking advantage of the potential to take in a tour of the refuge and utilize the state's Wash Woods E E Center, which has the capacity to sleep about two dozen visitors. An ongoing snag in the cooperative association with the park is the romantic status which the state affords local feral pigs and trespass horses by referring to these animals as "wild" in their slide/tape program and on an interpretive sign. The attitude at the refuge is that calling such livestock species "wild" confuses and misrepresents their status and detracts from the appreciation of native wildlife species. The Birds of Back Bay, the refuge's out-dated and almost out-of-stock bird list, was updated and submitted for publishing in .1983, Although consideration was given to developing a single, inclusive "wildlife list", the revised edition is "for the birds", only. Of real benefit in developing the revised edition was the new format check list produced by the Regional Graphics Unit. The new format, which lists all potential species in the region in proper taxonomic order, should go a long way in simplifying the development of bird lists while providing needed stan dardization to Service publications. All you do is line out the species you don't have, show the occurring species' relative abundance symbols, and you have your list. Add a few paragraphs of salient:information, and you have your text. If other regions haven't developed/adopted this format, we recommend they do. Acquisitions to the refuge media library in 1983 include the slide/tape programs "Know the Black Duck" and "This Land is Your Land", in addition to the 16 mm film "America's Wetlands". An ongoing challenge at Back Bay (and undoubtedly at other high use refuges) is adequately signing the refuge while not over-signing. Many problems re lating to non-compliance with refuge regulations and related signing involve non-wildlife oriented beach use. Although no shortage of "No Parking", "Do Not Enter Dunes", or similar signs exists, there are always those 17 visitors who choose to ignore signs. For the most part, an informational approach is taken in contacting dune trespass cases, dogs off leash, etc., which often keeps enforcement personnel very busy on nice weekends when the crowds really turn out. "Say what you mean and mean what you say" is certainly a desirable slogan to pursue in signing and enforcement. Performing enforcement duties or providing what is known as "visitor pro tection services" on peak summer season weekends can be an "enlightening" experience which provides insight into signing and related visitor compli ance. After a few dozen "informational" contacts and receiving no shortage of "I didn't see any sign. . ." or "It doesn't say you can't. . ."responses from visitors, it makes you wonder about signing in general and positive signing in particular. v Positive signing, although theoretically desirable, has its drawbacks. For example, "leashed pets permitted" does not technically state that unleashed pets are prohibited, nor does "The dunes are priceless. . . please avoid them" have the same meaning as "No walking or driving in the dunes". Some times it seems that if you don't have a "negative" sign prohibiting some activity, someone will take advantage of the situation. However, there is always that certain percentage of visitors which do not read or comply with signs, no matter what they say or how many there are. Although the "perfect" sign may not exist, something along the lines of "No Turkeys Beyond This Point" would seem to come close. The problem is that, as usual, the real turkeys wouldn't read or obey the sign anyway. So, with the realization that signing and compliance are imperfect pur suits, we will have to continue to maintain adequate signing and be "fair but firm" in enforcing regulations. Another signing-related concern is the continued acquisition and mainte nance of signs manufactured with 3-M™ sheeting. These fancy, expensive signs, which are made using a vacuum/heat process which cannot be dupli cated in the field, present some difficulties when it comes to repairs because of the nature of the S-K™ sheeting and related problems in per forming patchwork repairs. You can't beat the convenience and appearance of mending damaged signs with some woody putty and matching paint. 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students A total of 1,241 students participated in 3,210 Outdoor Classroom activity hours at Back Bay NWR in 1983. Twenty-six different groups of students, ranging in size from small, single classes to large, multiple class groups, visited the refuge for hands-on activities which reinforced their curricu lum. Student totals for 1983 represent a 90% increase over the 653 students participated in Outdoor Classrooms in 1982. 18 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers Seventy teachers were involved in 171.5 Outdoor Classroom activity hours on the refuge in 1983. Although a few teachers organized and conducted their own on-site activities, most Outdoor Classrooms were organized and conducted, at least in part, by the refuge ORP. Efforts were made to segment multiple class groups consisting of two or more classes into smaller and more manageable learning teams consisting of students and preferably an accompanying parent or two. Learning teams were rotated between activities at stations where the ORP or a teacher were leading activities at that activity station. In situations where teachers had not previously participated in Outdoor Classroom activities, the ORP met with the teachers to review the objec tives and activities involved, prior to their visit. Nine of these "mini- workshops" were conducted for teachers by the ORP, usually off-site at schools, in 1983, It was found to be ideal to have two classes segment into three learning teams or to have one class split into two learning teams. The smaller student/activity leader ratio associated with these smaller groups proved beneficial to everyone involved. 4. Interpretive Foot Trails Twenty-seven conducted tours were provided for a total of 725 visitors in 1983, Tours were provided throughout the year for civic and school groups in addition to a series of "open to the public" Saturday evening tours in the spring. A series of tours were also organized for the Smithsonian Institute's Associate Programs. Three different groups made weekend bus tours from Washington, D.C, to Back Bay in combination with visiting other National Wildlife Refuges in the area (Mackay Island, Fisherman Island, and Great Dismal Swamp NWRs). Another tour of particular interest was an experimental tour for handi capped persons involving a variety of disability types. It was determined that there is potential for providing tours for the disabled in the future, particularly after the new handicapped-compatible restrooms and other facilities are completed in 1984. The Bay Trail was converted to a self-guided interpretive trail on April 1, largely through the efforts of an Eagle Scout candidate. Nine of the standardized, self-guided, trail signs found in the Sign Manual were ordered from the Service sign shop and installed by boy scouts for an eagle project. An estimated 2,760 visitors took the self-guided Bay Trail in 1983. i 19 One drawback of the standardized signs from the Sign Manual is that they were developed in the prairie pothole region and therefore don't focus specifically on subjects in this region of the country. The paved entrance road and east dike are designated as the Bike/Hike Trail, representing part of a cooperative effort between the State of Virginia's neighboring False Cape State Park and the refuge. Since the State Park is located on a peninsula extending southward below the refuge, park visitors must hike or bike through the refuge or take some form of watercraft on Back Bay to reach the park. Although the Bike/Hike Trail is not an interpretive trail, as such, a few interpretive signs are being developed by the state for use along the refuge's portion of the trail, which continues into False Cape State Park. The signs were originally ordered through the State of Virginia in 1980 as part of a cooperative agreement for the Back Bay/False Cape Natural Area. In 1981, after the signs were not received, the wording was changed and the signs were reordered through the state. As of this writing in 1984, the signs had still not been received from the State of Virginia. To help fill the need for more on-site, wildlife/wildlands-oriented activities for visitors, an additional self-guided trail route was developed. The Habitat Trail, consisting of numbered posts and a leaflet, was meant to better provide visitors with an interpretive experience on the refuge. However, the Habitat Trail has as yet not been implemented for several reasons. With the construction of new public use facilities planned for 1984, including a visitor contact station and boardwalk trail, the time has come to comprehensively review and update visitor-oriented facilities, like signs and trails, to provide facilities which are complementary and well-coordinated. For example, instead of maintaining three dif ferent types of self-guided trails (The Bay, Bike/Hike, and Habitat Trails) it may be worthwhile to take a good look at trail signing and perhaps develop and invest in having some new trail signs custom made for the refuge. Although such signs are expensive, they would go a long way towards providing visitors with meaningful information/inter pretation of wildlife-oriented subjects. It is felt that if such costly, one-of-a-kind signs are purchased, it would be wise to protect the invest ment from vandalism by shielding the signs with a sheet of polycarbonate, which is many times stronger than plexiglass. 5. Interpretive Tour Routes - Motorized No tour routes, per se, exist on the refuge. However, during the course of the year a few groups which are afforded motorized transportation to False Cape State Park are provided with an interpretive tour in the course of travelling through the refuge, A total of 117 visitors received such motorized tours in 1983. 20 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations Several exhibits were displayed by Back Bay Refuge in 1983, The refuge provided an exhibit for the National Ducks Unlimited Convention held in Williamsburg, Virginia, May 2 -6. An expoframe modular display ($770) was purchased from Expo Communications for use at the convention. Display subjects dry-mounted by the ORP featured sections on sink boxes and "Know The Black Duck". Additionally, the National Wetlands Inyentory display, obtained through Beth Fodor.in the RO, was exhibited at the Ducks Unlimited Convention. The station's System 70, although outdated, inadequate, and lacking any Service or station "identifyers", was used in providing displays for two local elementary schools' science fairs. It would be nice to see some new panels developed for the "System 70" for use in the '80s. Another off-site exhibit was developed for Old Donation School for the Gifted and Talented. The exhibit was on display throughout the month of March in commemoration of National Wildlife Week. 3/83 DRD Federal Lands Support Wildlife display exhibited at Old Donation School, 21 The refuge kiosk (information structure), located adjacent to the parking lot, has provided a means of presenting informational and interpretive material to the visiting public where often no other source of information is available. Special materials exhibited in 1983 included displays en titled "America's Wetlands - A Vanishing Resource", "Know the Black Duck", and a section on loggerhead sea turtle nesting and egg relocation on the refuge. Two wrinkles developed in 1983 concerning the kiosk. The 'first involved the "cooperative" use of a portion of structure by False Cape State Park. It seems that, contrary to all the written and verbal dialogue on the subject, the state decided to develop graphic and narrative segments for display in the kiosk which differed in format from what was agreed upon. Although this did not present a big problem, it threw further doubt into how "cooperative" such agreements with the State of Virginia are. The second problem concerning the kiosk involved the location of the structure relative to the plans for the new visitor facilities. As a result, the kiosk has been removed for construction, but will be re located and rebuilt later. 7. Other Interpretive Programs A total of 24 personal appearances were made by refuge staff, primarily the ORP, in 1983. Presentations usually involved audio/visual aids and were given to a variety of civic groups, organizations,and schools. 8. Hunting No hunting is currently permitted on Back Bay Refuge. Plans for imple menting a deer hunt to manage the overpopulated white-tail herd are in the developmental stages. The hunt may be implemented in 1985. 9. Fishing . , An estimated 4,926 visitors participated in surfifishing from the refuge's beach in 1983. Although the brackish waters of Back Bay afford some of the best large- mouth bass fishing in the region, the refuge does not own any portion of the bay itself and, therefore, such activity is off the refuge proper. 10. Trapping The refuge trapping program for furbearers, resumed in 1981 after being dormant since 1977, was continued in 1983, The refuge is divided into four trapping units which are approximately 1,000 acres each. Target species include muskrat, nutria, and raccoon. 22 A public bidding system was again used this year. Bids from four indi viduals were publicly opened on January 13. Three of the four bidders were awarded trapping units. The awarded bids for each unit were; Unit I - $250.13, Unit II - $121.00, Unit III - $356.91, and Unit IV - $90.00. Trapping began on January 16 and ended for raccoon on February 28, and for muskrat and nutria on March 10. A total of 465 nutria, 330 muskrats, and 35 raccoons were taken off the refuge by the three trapping permittees. In-the-round pelt prices for nutria ranged from $.50 - $1.00, $2.25 - $3.75 for brown muskrats, $3.75 - $5.00 for black muskrats, and $15.00 - $18,00 for raccoon. Trapping re sults should have been 30 - 40% higher, but one of the trappers which had two of the four units appears to have spent a lot of his time commercial fishing out on the bay rather than trapping. Since he was trapping Long Island, he was allowed to keep his boat at the refuge boat dock. As time went on he was observed more and more tending fish nets. Little could be done about his fishing since fish are used for bait in trapping raccoon and nothing says he has to trap after being awarded the units. On his trapping report forms he reported no animals trapped for the last three weeks of the season. Apparently he determined it was more profitable to fish than trap. His total take from half of the refuge amounted to 57 nutria, 29 muskrats, and 24 raccoon. Next year things will be different. 11. Wi1dlife/Wi1dlands Observation An estimated total of 44,282 refuge visitors took part in wildlife/wild- lands observation in 1983. Included in this category are pedestrian and "land vehicle" traffic, the latter including bicyclists and vehicle-based visitors who don't leave their vehicles but are visiting to observe wild- 1ife/wiId!ands. Categorizing public use types (i.e., wild!ife/wiIdlands vs non-wildlife/ wildlands) can be a subjective, hair-splitting exercise. It is tempting to label all beach-going visitation as non-wildlife oriented recreation. However, some percentage of those refuge visitors who frequent the beach are undoubtedly attracted to the refuge's beach because of the high degree of natural integrity which the area retains. In other words, some beach visitors are drawn to the refuge because of the "wildlaTnds" (if not wild life) found there, and such use could then be appropriately categorized as wildlands observation in nature, even though the use occurs on the beach. The problem comes in deciding where to "draw the line" and how to collect/generate data which accurately represents use types both qualitatively and quantitatively. 12. Other Wildlife-Oriented Recreation Use types in this category include photography and picnicking associated with wildlife/wiIdlands-oriented use. A total of 965 estimated visits focused on photographic pursuits and 1,961 estimated visits involved picnicking in 1983, the latter figure consisting largely of Outdoor Classroom students that picnicked on-site. 23 14. Picnicking Although non-wildlife oriented picnicking is permitted on the refuge, no tables are provided so as not to attract this use type. More than adequate facilities for non-wildlife oriented recreation exist directly adjacent to the refuge,at Little Island City Park. 15. Off-Road Vehicling All off-road vehicling on the refuge occurs on the beach as permitted by Federal regulations governing vehicular beach access through the Back Bay NWR and is therefore not "recreational" in nature. An esti mated total of 19,291 ORV visits were recorded for 1983 on the refuge. Use of the refuge's beach as an access corridor between the Hampton Roads area and the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a long standing and continuing subject of controversy. Congressional inquiries con cerning access are frequent, if not routine. The access controversy was fueled in 1983 by, among other things, a bill sponsored by North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms. The Helms bill, which passed as a "rider" attached to another unrelated piece of legislation, eased the geographic and chronologic criteria for qualifying for a beach access permit. As a result, up to 15 addi tional permits could be issued to qualified, "permanent" residents of the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks, although only 9 were actually issued. For most of 1983, 39 access permits were in issuance to qualified commercial fishermen, resident employees of False Cape State Park, and supposedly permanent residents of North Carolina. The authen ticity of some peoples' claims of maintaining a primary place of domicile on the Outer Banks is doubtful, but providing substantiat ing proof that such claims are false is difficult and time consuming. It is desirable to determine the authenticity of residency claims not only from the standpoint of demonstrating the Service's ability to affectively manage access through the refuge, but also from the stand point of gaining public respect for our ability to manage access, since all applications for access permits are signed under an oath of perjury. Beach access (i.e., ORV use) is normally monitored by three refuge personnel (guards) with primarily enforcement responsibility, supple mented on occasion by other refuge staff. Due to personnel changes, only two guards were on duty for about half of 1983, which significantly reduced the amount of time during which access was monitored and for which data was obtained. Estimated totals for ORV use were generated by proportionally expanding figures recorded during periods when beach access was monitored. 24 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation Use types in this category include swimming, surfing, sunbathing, and vehicle based visits which are non-wildlife oriented, most of which occur during the summer tourist season. An estimated total of 29,404 visits were recorded in this category in 1983. 17. Law Enforcement The enforcement program at Back Bay centers around the vehicular access program for the beach, with the majority of other violations (pedestrian dune trespass, dogs off leash, etc.) handled with verbal warnings and educational efforts by the staff. Public Law 96-315 was amended by enactment of Public Law on October 1, 1983, changing eligibility criteria for motorized vehicular access through Back Bay NWR. Subsequently nine new permits were issued to Outer Banks (NC) residents. The highlight of the year occurred on June 7, 1983 when the United States Court of Appeals upheld the thirty convictions of Ernest Milliard Bowden involving violations of terms of his vehicular access permit and trespass charges that resulted after suspension of his permit. Another significant occurrence in the enforcement program was the resig nation of Guard William S. Farrer on June 25, 1983. This created a real "hole" in our coverage of the beach that was not filled for the remainder of the year. At year's end, the selection of Michael Panz, from the National Park Service, had been made to fill the newly created position of Park Technician to replace Mr. Farrer, A summary of cases disposed of in 1983 is as follows; Number Cases Violation Disposition 1 Trespass with motor vehicle $100 8 Trespass with motor vehicle $ 25 each 13 Trespass with motor vehicle T $ 50 each 4 Trespass with motor vehicle Dismissed 1 Trespass with motor vehicle _ Not guilty 4 Park motor vehicle in restricted area $ 25 each 1 Park motor vehicle in restricted area No pros 1 Pass on double yellow line $ 25 1 Fishing without valid state license $ 25 1 Fishing without valid state license $ 37.50 1 Fishing without valid state license Dismissed 1 Unauthorized camping $ 25 1 Operate motor vehicle without license plates $100 1 Operate motor vehicle without operator's license $ 50 1 Operate motor vehicle without operator's license $ 75 25 I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement Screening and acquisition of excess property has provided this station with needed and valuable equipment and supplies again this year. The Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Property Disposal Service has been the source of most of the items obtained. The local offices at the Norfolk Navy Base and associated Camp Allen Marine Base has yielded over $19,000 worth of items including: rope (manila, wire, and cotton), steel plate and angle iron (3,920 lbs.), large pipe for culverts, con duit, large springs for water boundary posting, a 30 ton porta power, masking tape, cleaning solvent, rubber sheeting, copier paper, sanding belts, asphalt shingles, toilet paper, paints (antifouling, primer, enamel, and latex), and oils (gear, automotive, and heavy equipment). With the aid of the helpful folks at the GSA Area Utilization Office in Norfolk, the refuge was able to replace its 1951 Caterpillar D-7 dozer, with a 1967 Caterpillar D-7E acquired from the Corps of Engineers. The only repairs required to make it fully functional was the replacement of the starter solenoid and attaching the blade. A good cleaning and painting will improve its aesthetic value. Improvements over the old dozer include; hydraulic operated blade vs cable, automatic transmission vs back breaking manual, improved age of the machine, and especially more power. Items picked up from other stations in the FWS include a flail mower, wood chipper, telephone answering machine, and a dump-bed four-wheel drive (PUG) ATV which works well for picking up shot hogs and transporting them out of the marshes to burial sites. Total acquired value of the items was $14,000. If you are not hooked on always having to buy new equipment and supplies, one staff member putting in as little as two or even one day a month in screening excess property can pay for his/her wages for an entire year and more, and you don't have to be that close to one of the many Property Disposal Offices throughout the country. In addition, Tthink of the sav ings if one person screened for more than one station. The money saved can then be spent on things more closely associated with the production and maintenance of waterfowl and habitat. During hard times with low budgets this is especially true. 6. Energy Conservation Station efforts at energy conservation resulted in savings of 8,250 KWH of electrical usage and 772 gallons of gasoline, for a cost savings in excess of $1,500, over 1982 usage, Diesel consumption was up significally, from 190 gallons to 1,175 gallons, as we ran out of "free" diesel this year. 26 J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs In cooperation with the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Beached Bird Survey Project, directed by Malcolm M. Simons, Jr., any dead birds found on the refuge beach are reported quarterly to them. Data such as species, age, sex, oiling, extent of decomposition, band number if present, and other observations are recorded. This data is combined with data from hundreds of other reporters up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. 3. Credits The narrative sections of this report were compiled as follows: Stairs (Acting Project Leader) - A Parr - B, C, D, E, F. H(17), I, J Poetter - G, H(10), 1(4), J(l), Fisherman Island NWR, and Plum Tree Island NWR Dinkier - H (excluding parts 10 and 17) Photos are credited as they appear. The charts on weather conditions, personnel and funding were prepared by Ford. The final draft of various sections was presented to Cherry for compila tion and typing. The final report was proof-read by Ford and Keel, our new project leader. FISHERMAN ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Northampton County, Virginia ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983 U. S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM TABLE OF COKTENTS Page A. INTRODUCTION 1 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Nothing to report C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title Nothing to report 2. Easements Nothing to report 3. Other Nothing to report D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan Nothing to report 2. Management Plan Nothing to report 3. Public Participation Nothing to report 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates 1 5. Research and Investigations 1 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel 3 2. Youth Programs Nothing to report 3. Other Manpower Programs Nothing to report 4. Volunteers Program Nothing to report 5. Funding 3 6. Safety Nothing to report 7. Technical Assistance Nothing to report 8. Other Items 3 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT T 1. General Nothing to report 2. Wetlands Nothing to report 3. Forests Nothing to report 4. Croplands ' Nothing to report 5. Grasslands . Nothing to report 6. Other Habitats Nothing to report 7. Grazing Nothing to report 8. Haying Nothing to report 9. Fire Management Nothing to report 10. Pest Control Nothing to report 11. Water Rights Nothing to report 12. Wilderness and Special Areas Nothing to report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring Nothing to report Page G, WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity Nothing to report 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 3 3. Waterfowl 3 4. Marsh and Water Birds 4 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species 4 6. Raptors 6 7. Other Migratory Birds 6 8. Game Mammals Nothing to report 9. Marine Mammals 6 10. Other Resident Wildlife Nothing to report 11. Fisheries Resources Nothing to report 12. Wildlife Propogation and Stocking ...... Nothing to report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to report 14. Scientific Collections Nothing to report 15. Animal Control Nothing to report 16. Marking and Banding Nothing to report 17. Disease Prevention and Control Nothing to report H. PUBLIC USE 1. General 7 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students 7 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers 7 4. Interpretive Foot Trails- Nothing to report 5. Interpretive Tour Routes Nothing to report 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations Nothing to report 7. Other Interpretive Programs 7 8. Hunting Nothing to report 9. Fishing Nothing to report 10. Trapping . Nothing to report 11. Wildlife Observation Nothing to report 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation. Nothing to report 13. Camping Nothing to report 14. Picnicking ' Nothing to report 15. Off-Road Vehicling Nothing to report 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation. . . . Nothing to report- 17. Law Enforcement 8 18. Cooperating Associations Nothing to report 19. Concessions Nothing to report V Page I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction Nothing to report 2. Rehabilitation Nothing to report 3. Major Maintenance Nothing to report 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement .... Nothing to report 5. Communications Systems Nothing to report 6. Energy Conservation Nothing to report 7. Other Nothing to report J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs Nothing to report 2. Items of Interest 8 3. Credits Nothing to report K. FEEDBACK Nothing to report Review and Approvals $Jiy s/rfAPt Regional Office Review Date FISHERMAN ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 'VV.'" NO.TMAI.PTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA .SrZn'i.v.c. 37007 3T0T 37*06 37'0a' a/ r A T L A LEGEND @ Refuge Property @ U.S. Navy Property Private Property VICINITY MAP M 40 tCAll IN Mills COMPIIIO IN THi OMICI OF IEAITV 7'V. FROM SURVEYS RY U S O S AND U.S.F AW.S. MIAN oaao peer DfCUNATION lose •OSTON, MASSACHUSETTS MARCH I4F* 1 MILE 1 POSYED: am SR VA 801 4 INTRODUCTION Fisherman Island Refuge is located in Northampton County, Virginia, and is situated at the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula on the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The refuge consists of approximately 1,000 acres which were declared excess by the U. S. Navy in 1969 and transferred to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established primarily to serve as a breeding ground and nursery for shore and water" birds that are found on the island in great numbers. D. PLANNING 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates The removal of the unsafe delapidated buildings, piers, and various other unsightly small piles of wood, metal and cinder blocks has been completed (See photos on following page). The Navy had built the facilities to support personnel stationed on the island for submarine detection during World War II. The clean-up was performed by Assistant Manager Poetter, who would work on it for a few days at a time when other duties would allow. Fuel for the dozer was supplied by 4,000 gallons of diesel found on the island in a bunker storage tank that the Navy had left behind back in the lOSO's. It proved to be of better quality than the diesel we buy today. The 1951 D-7 dozer used in the clean-up has been removed from the island by Chincoteague NWR for use in their maintenance programs. On March 28, Dave Hassrick of NWS International, an EPA contractor, was taken to the refuge to visually inspect the site of DDT contamination discovered in late 1981. All possible disposal sites are being looked at for possible inclusion under the EPA "superfund" clean-up program. 5. Research and Investigations Dr. Mitchell Byrd was issued a special use permit to operate three raptor banding stations on the refuge during the fall migration; Dr. Byrd reports that success has been very limited due to the resident pair of peregrine falcons. The pair has been "driving off" most of the raptors that are being attracted to the banding stations. It would be great if that pair of falcons would channel all that energy into nesting and produce some young. 11/69 CLM Before photo of "Old" naval installation. - 10/83 RDP After photo of the environmental restoration. In Narrative note that the towers remain because of heavy osprey nesting activity and the bunkers remain due to their size and structuring. 3 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel Fisherman Island Refuge is unmanned and is administered by the Back Bay NWR. 5. Funding The refuge is administered through the Back Bay Refuge office, and is not funded. 8. Other Items Project Leader Bond delivered two revenue sharing checks totaling $680 to the County Clerk of Northampton County for payment in lieu of taxes for Fisherman Island NWR properties. G. WILDLIFE 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species Peregrine Falcons - A pair of peregrine falcons continues to reside year round on the refuge, other than occasional absences of a few days. For the second year in a row they have displayed mating behavior and spent many continuous days at the hacking tower. Again, the pair did not pro duce even the first egg. Maybe next year. Other peregrines were observed migrating through the area especially dur ing the fall migration. The resident pair of falcons has been observed many times driving off migrant raptors that ventured over their island turf. Sea Turtles - A total of eleven dead loggerhead sea turtles were found on the beach this year. Eight of the eleven were found on May 31. Two of the turtles were found hooked by 4" long stainless steel hooks that had 1/8" nylon rope attached for line. One turtle was caught in the mouth and the other by the right front flipper. 3. Waterfowl Ducks ~ Known duck production consisted of three mallard broods of nine, eight and six; a gadwall brood of six; and a black duck brood of five. Geese - Canada goose nesting on the island has been suspected to occur due to the fact that the remnants of eggs have been found. This year Assistant Manager Poetter located a total of three nests. One was located on the north spit on the west side of the refuge. Another was located approximately 100 feet due east of the hacking tower and the third was on the private land near the easternmost pool of water that is trapped by the dunes. Two of the nests are suspected to have produced young, but they were never observed. 4. Marsh and Water Birds Pelicans - Relatively large numbers of brown pelicans have, for the second year in a row, been using the shoals and waters around the ref uge as a summer resting and feeding area. On June 29 the first concen tration of 68 birds was observed. By July 6 the number of pelicans using the area had risen to 109. A survey on August 11 produced a count of 123, approximately one-third being adults. On September 21 there were 150. On October 31 there were 143 utilizing the refuge. Another survey on November 6 revealed 150 brown pelicans still in the area. On November 13 only 52 remained. The last sighting occurred on November 20. A survey on November 30 resulted in no pelican sightings. Previous to the summer of 1982, only one or two brown pelicans could be found near the refuge at one time. In a few years there might even be a nesting attempt. 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species Known nesting on the refuge portion of the island for species not already mentioned includes the following; American Oystercatcher - 14 feathered young from 68 breeding adults Willet - 25 feathered young from 33 breeding adults No shorebird nesting occurred on the refuge portion of the island this year, but nesting colonies have been found in the past. A survey of the colonies on the private portion of the island was undertaken to collect data for any possible future land acquisitions. The following are the results of that survey: Royal Tern •1,196 feathered young from 1,200 breeding adults Herring Gull 435 feathered young from 580 breeding adults Black Skimmer 44 feathered young from 110 breeding adults Common Tern 39 feathered young from 58 breeding adults Laughing Gull 34 feathered young from 45 breeding adults Great Black-backed Gull 21 feathered young from 28 breeding adults On June 29, Dr. John Weske and a team of three other volunteers, conducted the annual royal tern hatchling "round-up" on the private portion of the island. Upon containing all of the young terns, each of the 1,196 birds were banded and released. (Nesting sites are shown on the following page). X> ^ - M D Light ' S: % l/i ttlacklskinmers 1^1 ^ ^Common Terns . // I"Jk-bacKed Gulls / y X= successful ^ hz^^^5tructu/ 9 (^>)= Coloniat Bird Nesting 6 6. Raptors Eagles - One immature bald eagle was observed on the refuge during the 1983 Bald Eagle Midwinter Survey held January 2-16. The eagle had been seen consistently during the previous November and December. Ospreys - The first few ospreys returning to the refuge to nest were observed on March 16. From a total of ten active nests, seven nests fledged eleven young. Five of the seven old Navy towers, ranging from 200*ft. to 45 ft. high, are still utilized extensively for nesting. Other nesting structures include what is left of old piers and refuge installed nesting platforms. 7. Other Migratory Birds Refuge heronry surveys were conducted in May and June, The following fig ures are "best estimates" from those surveys" Northeast Heronry Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 28 feathered young from 24 breeding adults Green-backed Heron - 12 feathered young from 10 breeding adults Southeast Heronry Black-crowned Night Heron 384 feathered young from 334 adults Glossy Ibis 106 feathered young from 92 adults Little Blue Heron 90 feathered young from 78 oreecung adults Yellow-crowned Night Heron 76 feathered young from 66 breedi ng adults Great Egret 23 feathered young from 20 breedi ng adults Snowy Egret 23 feathered young from 20 breedi ng adults Tricolored Heron 53 feathered young from 46 breedi ng adults Green-backed Heron 10 feathered young from 8 breeding adults Cattle Egret 9 feathered young from 6 breeding adults West Rookery Great Egret 161 feathered young from 140 breeding adults Black-crowned Night Heron 28 feathered young from 24^breeding adults Yellow-crowned Night Heron 18 feathered young from 16 breeding adults The annual Christmas Bird Count was conducted on December 27. The weather was cloudy with no precipitation and temperatures in the low SO's. The resident pair of adult peregrine falcons was sighted on the count. 9. Marine Animals On January 24 the U. S. Coast Guard beached two 45-foot finbacked whales (Balaenoptera physalus) on the refuge beach. The whales were a hazard to navigation and the refuge provides a secluded area from the public where the whales can be necropsied by the Smithsonian Institution Salvage Team and then left to decompose out of olfactory range. On January 25, Assistant Manager Poetter assisted in the necropsy operations by operating the bulldozer 7 » that was on the island for the cleaning up of the old buildings. One whale was "boned out" and the skeleton has been put on display at Duke University in North Carolina, after its removal from the refuge several months later. The other whale was pushed up against the dunes to decompose. Another whale, an 8-foot common blackfish (Globicephala melaena), was also left on the refuge to decompose after necropsy. H. PUBLIC USE 1. General Fisherman Island Refuge is closed to all access by the general public. The refuge is open by reservation between October 1 and March 31 to groups from schools and organizations that have a bona-fide interest in wildlife re sources. Such groups are accompanied by a refuge staff member. The refuge is closed to groups between April 1 through September 30 to prevent distur bance to shorebirds, herons, and other birds during their nesting and brood rearing periods. Exceptions are made as you will note below. 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students A group including NMFS personnel and instructors and students from Michigan State University visited Fisherman on September 9, 1983. The main purpose of the visit was to collect fish and invertebrates of various forms for use at MSU. 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers See section H. 2. above. 7. Other Interpretive Programs A pair of interpretive tours were given to groups visiting Fisherman Island just prior to the April 1 closure of the refuge. Seventeen members of the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club toured the island on March 25 and a small but highly interested group of nine birders from the Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) visited on the following day. They were the first group from MOS to tour Fisherman Island. ^ A tour of Fisherman Island NWR was provided at the request of the Washington Office for a goup of four people on Sunday April 24. ORP Dinkier led the group, which included a program manager with BLM, on a walking/driving inter pretive tour featuring shelling and good views of osprey and the resident peregri nes. As an exception to the closure rule,, on May 19 Mike Erwin, a Wildlife Biolo gist at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, lead a group of 15 participants of the First International Workshop on Research, Management and Conservation of Migratory Birds in the Western Hemisphere on a field demonstration of census/ survey methods and effects of disturbance on waterbird nesting colonies. A 8 survey of a colony of over 800 individuals was used in the demonstration. The colony was comprised mostly of black-crowned night herons with other species present including yellow-crowned night herons, tricolored herons, glossy ibis, little blue herons, snowy egrets, cattle egrets, and great egrets. Other activities of the group included a brief talk about the refuge by Assistant Manager Poetter, a distant look at the resident pair of peregrine falcons, a disturbance experiment/demonstration on a small colony of common terns and herring gulls, and the unintentional collec tion of large numbers of ticks, and chiggers. In November three different groups visited the refuge. One hundred and thirty nine people participated in guided walking tours of the refuge. 17. Law Enforcement In November the question of whether or not the tidal waters of Fisherman Island can be legally hunted was raised by the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, following an apprehension of hunters. Unfor tunately for the wardens, the hunters were knowledgeable and had done their homework, as it was the position of FWS personnel that the waters involved were not controlled by the FWS, and could be legally hunted, although such activity could seriously compromise the values of the refuge. A solicitor's opinion has been requested, although the concern is that it may deteriorate our relationship with the state. J. OTHER ITEMS 2. Items of Interest In March a meeting was held on the eastern side of Fisherman Island to assess the possible impacts on nesting shorebirds from the Army (Ft. Story) conducting logistical exercises with air cushion craft during April and May in the area. Those in attendance included Project Leader Bond, College of William and Mary Professor Dr. Mitchell Byrd, the Nature Conservancy (owners of Smith Island) representative Rod Hennesy, and Ft. Story officials. The craft was driven through the inlets that will be utilized in the exercises while the group stood on shore to assess the noise level. It was determined that if the vehicles stayed in mid-channel there would be rio effect on the nesting shorebird populations. Phillip Cobb, of the Soil Conservation Service in Eastville, Virginia, and his assistant spent most of the day on April 13 taking soil samples and mapping the west side of the island. They were wrapping up a project of soil mapping the entire Eastern Shore, of which Fisherman Island is one of the last areas to be done. The eastern side of the island was sampled on April 27. As in the past, a special use permit has been issued to Walkley E. Johnson, Jr. and Guilford D. Ware for ingress-egress to their property which makes up the eastern one-third of Fisherman Island. Travel is authorized by land vehicle from October 1, 1983 to March 15, 1984. PLUM TREE ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Poquoson, Virginia ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM Review and Approvals Regional Office Review Date PLUM TREE ISLAND .NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE , POQUOSON, VIRGINIA T««wr " rtraer ra^a- PtUM TM« £ I SLA NO N.W.t. V ? CO»«»n.«B IN tx 01vi•Or* ««AtTV »v»ou awNvava av U.S.*.A *NO * w a. M«AN OCCUNATION 7 Uttmmttfr* I itro w*aNiw«TON. o.e. 5R VA. 342-404 PLUM TREE ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE The refuge is composed of 3,275 acres and is located in Poquoson, Virginia. The "island" is actually,salt marsh located at the tip of a peninsula bor dered by the Poquoson River to the north, the Chesapeake Bay to the east, and the Back River to the south. The City of Poquoson borders the refuge to the west, but a small area of salt marsh separates the refuge from any developable land. Due to the area's isolation, this area was to our knowledge never inhabited, and was primarily used for hunting and fishing prior to acquisition by the government for an Aviation Experimental Station in 1917. Air Force records indicate that the area was used for a gunnery and bombing range until the latter part of the 1950's. The island was transferred to the Department of the Interior on May 22, 1972. Langley Air Force Base, the busiest air base in America, maintains use of the island as an emergency jettison area and a restricted area for explosive ordnance disposal. The island is saturated with unexploded bombs and other ammunition which has made public use virtually impossible. Attempts have been made to clear the island of dangerous ordnance, but only partial success was achieved. A certificate of clearance was issued in 1959 but the island was never certi fied safe by the Air Force. The marsh interior still contains the more dangerous hardware. The majority of the area is under tidal influence as tidal flooding occurs twice daily on an estimated 1,000 acres of low-lying salt marsh. During severe storms and high tides an additional 1,500 acres are flooded. Hundreds of potholes created by intensive bombing dot the marsh terrain. Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge is unfunded, isolated, and unusable by humans except for waterfowl hunting and shell fishing in the numerous shal low tidal creeks and guts that feed the marsh. This station is basically only accessible by boat and even this is hampered by tides, weather, and time logistics since it is a two-hour drive to the closest boat launching facilities from Back Bay Refuge where the boats and equipment are kept. On November 8 Assistant Manager Poetter and Maintenance Worker Orsargos conducted the annual illegal waterfowl blind search. An extensive search of the tidal creeks and shoreline by boat resulted in the discovery of three illegal blinds. Two blinds that were disguised to look like bushes were found along the tidal creeks in the area behind Drum Point. The other illegal blind found on the north end of the refuge was built on stilts and covered with chicken wire and marsh grass. There were no blind licenses on the three blinds and since they were on refuge property they were dismantled with an ax and chainsaw and then scattered over the marsh. Four other blinds from past years were also removed. These were all located in questionable areas as far as being legal or not and since they had not been relicensed they were destroyed. 2 Fowl observed on the November 8 visit to the refuge include: brant - 170, black duck - 40, red-breasted merganser - 35, bufflehead - 34, mallard - 5, double-crested cormorant - 55, snowy egret - 4, tricolored heron - 2, great blue heron - 2, western sandpiper - 320, ring-billed gull - 40, great black- backed gull - 25, herring gull - 15, and northern harrier - 4. Aerial waterfowl surveys that have been conducted over the past few years have shown the refuge to have very little use by waterfowl during the day. But, information received from.our Special Agents in Richmond, Virginia, who have worked this area heavily during waterfowl seasons, indicates that the refuge receives considerable use by waterfowl (ducks and brant) from late evening to early morning. Use by illegal hunters is also considerable. On March 8 Project Leader Bond delivered two revenue sharing checks totaling $2,227 to the City Clerk of Poquoson.