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HISTORICAL and PRESENT RANGE of the DELMARVA FOX SQUIRREL

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HISTORICAL and PRESENT RANGE of the DELMARVA FOX SQUIRREL DELMARVA PENINSULA FOX SQUIRREL RECOVERY PLAN September 1979 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Number I. INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT 1 FORMER STATUS 2 HISTORICAL AND PRESENT RANGE, FIGURE 1 3 DEIJ.IAR\1A PENINSUIA FOX SQUIRREL CURRENT STATUS 2 REroVERY PIAN REASONS FOR DECLINE 2 LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS 4 HABITAT REQUIREMENTS 5 MORTALITY FACTORS 6 Prepared by: REFERENCES 7 '111e Delmarva Fox Squirrel Recovery Team I I. MANAGEMENT NARRATIVE RECOVERY PLAN OBJECTIVE 9 STEP DOWN PLAN SCHEMATIC lla Tean Members STEP DOWN PLAN NARRATIVE 12 III. ACTION IMPLEMENTATION AND ESTIMATED COSTS Bernard F. Hal.la, Team leader Maryland Deparbrent of Natural Resources SCHEDULE OF ESTIMATEO COSTS, TABLE I 22 Vagan Flyger, Member U'liversity of Maryland PRIORITY SCHEDULE, TABLE II 24 William H. Julian, Ment>er * U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service LEAD AGENCY AND COOPERATORS, TABLE Ill 25 IV. APPENDIX Gary J. Taylor, Member Maryland Department of Natural Resources LIST OF REVIEWERS OF DRAFT RECOVERY PLAN 27 Nelson Swink, Consultant U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Qiy Willey, MeJTt>er U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service * Replaced by Mr. Qiy Willey, Septen'ber 1979. /I- b~-1'1 ~ Date I. INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT This Recovery Plan is concerned with maintaining existing Delmarva Pen­ insula fox squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus) populations and with restoration of the squirrel to its former known range which extended from central New Jersey and the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania southward through Delaware, the eastern shore counties of Maryland and the two eastern shore counties of Virginia (that land area of Maryland and Virginia east of the Chesapeake Bay). The Delmarva fox squirrel was probably never numerous in its historic range, and at present is restricted to portions of four Maryland counties and one location in Accomac County in Virginia. Based on the most recent surveys, the largest populations of this squirrel are .located on National Wildlife Refuges and state owned or controlled properties. The reason for the decline of Delmarva fox squirrel population is probably due to major changes in habitat conditions and the increase in human populations throughout the range of the squirrel. The primary objective of the Recovery Plan is to restore the Delmarva fox squirrel to secure status throughout its former range, as described later in this plan. The plan includes the following actions to attain thjs objective: 1) Preservation and management of essential denning and feeding habitat; 2) Translocation of squirrels into suitable designated habitats where they are now absent; 3) Protection of squirrel populations through law enforcement, and; 4) Promotion of public support and understanding. The Recovery Plan narrative outlines the proposed time schedule showing actions, in order of priority, to be accomplished and agencies involved, as well as the projected costs through fiscal year 1983. The total cost for the five year period i~ $1,572,605. The largest single cost will be $500,000 for land acquisition. Initial efforts will be directed toward preparing and implementing inten­ sive habitat management plans, to transplanting new colony sized groups of squirrels into new habitats within its former range and to the rescue of threat­ ened squirrel populations for release at pre-selected locations. The Recovery Team will continue to be involved in the decisions regarding cooperative programming and implementation of the recovery plan. It is the firm belief of the Recovery Team that restoration of the Delmarva fox squirrel to its former range can and will be accomplished. l FORMER POPULATION STATUS FIGURE I Within historic times, the Delmarva fox squirrel was found in south­ r eastern Pennsyl vania (Poole 1932), Delaware (Poole 1944), New Jersey (Rhoads HISTORICAL and PRESENT RANGE 1903), and probably the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula (Figure of the DELMARVA FOX SQUIRREL 1). Prior to the turn of the century, Delma rva fox squirrels were hunted in southeastern Pennsylvania, where they were often referred as stump- eared squirrels. The type of locality for this squirrel was restricted to fJ!IElm HISTORICAL RANGE Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland by Barkalow (1956) - PRESENT RANGE The Delmarva fox squirrel was probably never as abundant as the gray squirrel . Although little is known about its former distribution, it seems l ikely that it occurred in scattered and discontinous fashion since habitat requirements are more specific than those of the gray squirrel. As woodland was altered for farming and forest products, Delmarva fox squirrel habitat gradually disappeared . By the turn of the century, this animal had disappeared from sout hern New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and re­ mained in Delaware until possibly the 1930's. CURRENT POPULATION STATUS PENNA According to a recent survey, the Delmarva fox squirrel (Taylor and Flyger 1973) is found only in portions of four eastern shore counties of Maryland adjacent to Chesapeake Bay and one location in Accomac County in Virginia (Figure 1). The animal is confined mostly to mixed stands of hard­ woods, often with mature loblol ly pines, and restricted generally to groves of trees along streams and bays and in small woodlots. Delmarva fox squirrels almost always occur with the gray squirrel. The total number of Delmarva fox squirrels in existence is unknown and any estimate of their numbers would be nothing more than a wild guess. The most stable populations probably occur on Blackwater and Eastern Neck National Wild­ life Refuges , Maryland. REASONS FOR DECLINE The decline of the Delmarva fox squirrel is probably due to changing habi­ tat conditions. This animal was confined to savannah or park like areas, forests bordering rivers and streams , and small open woodlots with little or no under­ story. As the forests were cut for agricultural purposes and forest products, habitat was destroyed. As the forest regrew, dense undergrowth developed at least during the pole and early saw timber stages. Before second growth forests were old enough to develop the open park like conditions they were cut again. Delmarva fox squirrel habitat was not recreated in the cutting cycle and Delmarva 2 fox squirrels declined and disappeared in mal'\Y areas. In the few areas that Fox squirrels are polygamous, and, after mating, the female raises the might have been marginal habitat(s), competition with the increasing numbers young by herself. of gray squirrel was more than the small number of fox squirrels could tolerate. Fox squirrels are more terrestrial then their counterparts, the gray Because of the present distribution of Delmarva fox squirrels along squirrels. Fox squirrels frequently range out into the open fields, sometimes Maryland's waterways and the preponderance of mature loblolly pine in these a mile away from a forest, something that the gray squirrel would seldom do. areas, many people today assume that loblolly pine is a necessary part of fox Indeed, fox squirrels sometimes come down out of a tree to run over the ground squirrel habitat. This is not the case, since much of the fonner range of this to escape from danger, just the opposite of gray squirrel behavior. subspecies was north of the present distribution of loblolly pine, the northern­ The food habits of fox squirrels appear to be identical to those of the most distribution of which is Kent County, Maryland. Loblolly pine seeds, however, gray (Smith and Follmer 1972). Both species feed heavily on the mast of are utilized as a food item by Delmarva fox squirrels. fruit trees, such as oaks, hickorys, beech, walnut, and loblolly pine. They LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS become fat during the fall when food is plentiful. As the season progresses, Life history and population dynamics of the Delmarva fox squirrel are and food becomes scarce, and winter conditions become severe, the animals will assumed to be similar to other fox squirrels. become thin or emaciated. At such times, mange (Cnemidoptes) , which is probably Fox squirrels belong to the species Sciurus niger, of which 9 subspecies are endemic, develops into a debilitation epidemic resulting in heavy mortality. found in the United States. The distribution of _h niger is almost the same as euring the spring, fox squirrels feed extensively on buds and flowers on trees, that of the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) except that the fox squirrels do and will consume large quantities of fungi, including some of the poisonous not extend quite as far north, but do occur slightly farther west in the prairie mushrooms, insects, fruit, seeds and occasionally bird eggs and young. states (Bakken 1952). Some subspecies of fox squirrel formerly occured in New HABITAT REQUIREMENTS England (Goodwin 1935), upper New York State, northern New Jersey and into central Throughout the range of fox squirrels, these animals are more adaptable Pennsylvania, but have disappeared (Rhoads 1903). The subspecies, Sciurus niger than gray squirrels to park like conditions. The latter will utilize larger rufiventer, has only recently started moving into western New York State and forests than do the former and seem to do well in forests with dense undergrowth. western Pennsylvania from Ohio (Hamilton 1957). When settlers first came to Fox squirrels, however, do not normally occur in areas with dense undergrowth Michigan, the state was populated almost entirely by gray squirrels but as land and are often found in savannah areas, oak openings, and in narrow belts of trees was cleared and farmed, fox squirrels moved in and became the dominant species along streams and rivers. {Allen 1943). In the 1930's, 95S of the squirrels shot by Michigan hunters Good fox squirrel habitat contains mature trees which produce a dependable were fox squirrels {op cit). Since that time, some of the land in Michigan was annual mast crop. A mixture of tree species provides insurance against food reverted to forest more suitable to gray squirrels, and, in such cases, fox shortage by failure of one or more species.
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