Wings-News from the Coastal North Carolina National Wildlife Refuge
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service News from the Coastal North Carolina National February 2020 Wildlife Refuges Complex Volume XXIII Alligator River, Pea Island, Pocosin Lakes, No. 1 Roanoke River, Mackay Island, Currituck, Mattamuskeet, Swanquarter and Cedar Island Saying Goodbye to Miss Cindy At her retirement party The refuge bought a tram in August 2019, friends during Cindy’s tenure. She and co-workers of Visitor developed a tram tour for Alligator Services Specialist Cindy River that has been offered Heffley, celebrated her 20 weekly during the summer and years of service with the monthly during U.S. Fish and Wildlife the rest of the year. The refuge Service, 11 of those years also built the Gateway Visitor on the refuges in North Center and Cindy developed Carolina. a preschool program that she conducted every Friday and other programs for visiting children. Both the tram tour and visitor center programs USFWS not only educated, but attracted new audiences to the refuges. Cindy was an excellent trainer, mentor, and supervisor to the interns that work on the refuge every summer. She Inside this Issue: organized the tours and programs that they led and monitored their progress as Pea Island Refuge Biology Notes ............2 they became proficient. Volunteer Neal Moore ................................2 She’s always been willing to assist all of the refuges in the area as they developed Bio Intern Elizabeth Piña .........................2 their own programs. Her dedication USFWS and enthusiasm towards her work has Education/Red Wolf Interns .....................3 Cindy arrived at a momentous time in inspired everyone with whom she worked. the evolution of the refuges. She was Thank You to Refuge Supporters .............3 instrumental in re-establishing wildlife In retirement, Cindy education in the local classrooms and Partners Assist Pea Island NWR .............4 developing good relationships with the will spend more time teachers in the Dare County school with her family and 2019 Wings Over Water Festival ..............5 system. She also developed programs for continue to work in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge 2020 Wings Over Water Festival ..............6 that served to draw more visitors to the wildlife education and refuge. interpretation. Swan Days Festival ....................................6 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pea Island Refuge Biology Notes – Looking Back at 2019 To protect sea turtle nests, refuge staff, and coordination of volunteer efforts of interns, and volunteers participate in the Turtle Watch program. Historically, daily monitoring of nesting activities volunteers began monitoring nests on on Pea Island daily beginning in late Day 50 until nest emerged (typically May. Hatchlings begin to emerge from between Days 55-65). Using these models, nests early to mid-July, when volunteers we limited the nest watching window monitor active nests nightly though to approximately three days for each the Turtle Watch program. If there nest. Data loggers can be reconfigured is no activity observed at nests they and deployed repeatedly so we will be are excavated approximately 80 days continuing to use the equipment in future after they are discovered. In North seasons. Special thanks to John Cece and Carolina, the refuge participates in Margaret Janes with NEST and Karen the state network of turtle monitoring Clark at NCWRC for all their assistance! organizations coordinated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Turtle Watch efforts began July 15 and (NCWRC). We compile and report data ended October 9. Beginning in the end of through seaturtle.org. August, beaches were impacted by nearly back-to-back storms including several It was a busy turtle nor’easters and Hurricane Dorian. Many turtle nests experienced overwash and season everywhere! inundation due to storm surge/tides/ wind events. We lost four nests and Nesting activities began early with were unable to inventory eggs. Of the Refuge staff observing the first nest nests inventoried, we estimated 3979 USFWS / Harrison on May 20. In total, we observed 75 eggs hatched. We observed an average nesting sea turtle activities including clutch size of ~110 eggs (range 81-157). Thank you Elizabeth! 40 nests (three greens, 37 loggerheads) Observed mean incubation duration of and 35 false crawls (seven greens, 28 nests was ~56 days (range 46-71). Total Elizabeth Piña joined our Biology team loggerheads). We were just one nest observed mean egg hatching success was for the second summer in a row. It was so short of tying our all-time record of nests approximately 82% and mean emergence great that she was able to be a Bio intern observed on the Refuge (41 in 2016)! success was approximately 76%. again. Elizabeth returned on very short notice after we became unexpectedly short-staffed in the middle of the field Special thanks to all our season. Elizabeth was such an asset to Turtle Patrol and Turtle our team, helping with everything from Turtle Patrol coordination, Turtle Watch, Watch volunteers — shorebird banding and monitoring, trail maintenance, to assisting with Wings thank you for a great and Over Water. We are grateful for all her busy 2019 season! efforts and eagerly await to learn about her next adventure. USFWS In Memoriam The refuge community lost a In 2019 we deployed data loggers in the nests to track nest temperatures valued volunteer in March when during incubation. Partners at NCWRC Neal Moore passed away. Neal and Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) provided field and and his wife Pat led bird walks and configuration protocols and assisted worked in the Pea Island National with data management and analysis. NCWRC developed two different Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center for prediction models which use the day of over 15 years. Neal contributed first observed activity to predict the nest emergence day. Both models performed more than 5,000 hours of service to well, predicting nest emergence events the refuge. Neal was a very user- within an average of one to three days of observed emergences using temperature friendly birder who made visitors readings. Overall, these data significantly feel at ease and was very patient helped with nest emergence prediction as they tried to identify birds. USFWS 2 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Two Education/Red Wolf Caretaker Interns A BIG Thank You to Lillian Turner Refuge Supporters! I graduated from Salisbury University We greatly appreciate donations in honor in May of 2019. I’ve been trying to or in memory of those who loved wildlife explore different entry level fields of and wild places. environmental jobs to see what type of research and topic I’m passionate about. In 2019 the following people were This job is exciting for me because I’ve remembered by a variety of caring folks been visiting the area since I was little, including friends, colleagues and family, but never got the chance to deeply all supporting Alligator River and Pea understand the environment here. Long- Island National Wildlife Refuges. term, my goals include graduate school and joining the Peace Corps. For now, Alan M. Klide, VMD I’m incredibly happy to be working so closely with the red wolves and promoting Earl Moore environmental education. Neal Moore Larry Muzik Robert R. Rose Barry Trusel C.E. Woodruff We thank the dozens of people who Morgan Paige Lewis / Raptor Trust contributed. Sometimes, donations are the only way Since then I’ve travelled around the to get national wildlife refuges projects country to work with birds, assisted with completed. Giving in honor and memory bobcat research in my own back yard, of loved ones is a special way to give your and have now come to the wetlands of support. North Carolina to help contribute to the management of Alligator River and Pea Donate to Northeast North Carolina Island National Wildlife Refuges and National Wildlife Refuges in honor, in the conservation of a species I am very memory, or as a supporter by going on- passionate about—red wolves. line and clicking DONATE button to see your payment options. I consider myself very lucky, not only https://www.coastalwildliferefuge.com/ because I’ve found a field of work I love but also because I know that my efforts can make a positive and lasting impact Wings for our planet and the wildlife that Alligator River & Pea Island inhabits it. While working outdoors, I’ve found that my passions lie heavily in the National Wildlife Refuges study of anthropogenic (human-made) PO Box 1969 (mailing) factors, such as climate change or habitat 100 Conservation Way (physical) Lillian Turner / L. Turner degradation, and the impacts they may have on a species population dynamics. I Manteo, NC 27954 Morgan Paige Lewis am looking to pursue these interests with I have always known that my life research in related fields and completing Phone: 252/473 1131 and career would revolve around the a master’s program in wildlife biology Fax: 252/473 1668 outdoors. When I graduated Rutgers, and conservation management. E-mail: [email protected] The State University of New Jersey with a B.S. in Environmental Policy At Alligator River and Pea Island http://www.fws.gov/refuge/alligator_river/ and Institutions I had goals, but they National Wildlife Refuges, I look forward weren’t fully developed. I knew I wanted to bringing engaging wildlife programs to contribute to something meaningful, to the youth, maintaining the refuge so that people such as myself can enjoy motivating, and challenging, but I wasn’t Follow us on Facebook: sure how. In my uncertainty, I went out it, assisting Service biologists with on a whim, took an interning position the management of red wolves, and Friends of Alligator River and Pea Island banding birds in the heart of Alaska, and building connections with the community National Wildlife Refuges and USFWS found myself bewitched by the wildlife surrounding the refuge.