Significant Habitats in the Town of Clinton, Dutchess County, New York
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SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK C. Graham © 2012 Report to the Town of Clinton, the Hudson River Estuary Program, the Millbrook Tribute Garden, and the Dutchess Land Conservancy By Christopher Graham, Kristen Bell Travis, and Gretchen Stevens December 2012 Hudsonia Ltd. P.O. Box 5000 Annandale, NY 12504 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON CONTENTS ‐ I ‐ CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION Background........................................................................................................3 What is Biodiversity? ........................................................................................5 What are Ecologically Significant Habitats?.....................................................6 Study Area.........................................................................................................6 METHODS Gathering Information & Predicting Habitats .................................................11 Preliminary Habitat Mapping & Field Verification ........................................13 Defining Habitat Types ...................................................................................13 Final Mapping & Presentation of Data............................................................14 RESULTS Overview .........................................................................................................17 Habitat Descriptions: Upland Habitats Upland Forest ............................................................................................21 Red Cedar Woodland ................................................................................27 Crest/Ledge/Talus......................................................................................29 Rocky Barren.............................................................................................32 Upland Shrubland......................................................................................35 Upland Meadow ........................................................................................37 Orchard/Plantation.....................................................................................39 Waste Ground............................................................................................40 Cultural......................................................................................................40 Habitat Descriptions: Wetland Habitats Swamp .......................................................................................................42 Acidic Bog.................................................................................................46 Circumneutral Bog Lake ...........................................................................48 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON CONTENTS ‐ II ‐ Intermittent Woodland Pool/Pool-like Swamp/Heath Swamp..................50 Buttonbush Pool/Kettle Shrub Pool...........................................................52 Marsh.........................................................................................................54 Wet Meadow .............................................................................................57 Calcareous Wet Meadow...........................................................................58 Fen .............................................................................................................59 Springs & Seeps ........................................................................................61 Open Water................................................................................................63 Constructed Pond.......................................................................................64 Stream, Floodplain Forest, & Riparian Corridor.......................................65 CONSERVATION PRIORITIES AND PLANNING......................................71 Planning for Biodiversity General Strategies for Conservation..................................................71 Townwide Planning...........................................................................74 Reviewing Site-Specific Proposals....................................................75 Priority Habitats in Clinton .......................................................................77 Large Forests......................................................................................80 Crest/Ledge/Talus & Rocky Barrens .................................................85 Large Meadows..................................................................................89 Acidic Bogs........................................................................................96 Circumneutral Bog Lakes ..................................................................99 Intermittent Woodland Pools/Pool-like Swamps/Heath Swamps....102 Buttonbush Pools/Kettle Shrub Pools..............................................107 Wetland Complexes .........................................................................112 Streams, Floodplain Forests, & Riparian Corridors.........................115 Enhancement of Developed Areas ..........................................................121 Enhancing Habitat Characteristics...................................................122 Minimizing Disturbance to Resident and Migratory Biota..............124 Conservation Areas in Clinton ................................................................127 Little Wappinger Creek....................................................................127 Milan Window .................................................................................128 Bulls Head Road ..............................................................................130 Eastern Clinton Highlands ...............................................................131 Clinton Fields and Forest (East) ......................................................133 Woodstock Road..............................................................................134 Fallkill and Wappinger Wetlands ....................................................134 Clinton Fields and Forest (West) .....................................................136 Western Clinton Outcrops................................................................137 Clinton Corners................................................................................140 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON CONTENTS ‐ III ‐ CONCLUSION .................................................................................................143 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.................................................................................145 REFERENCES CITED ......................................................................................147 APPENDICES A. Mapping Conventions .............................................................................157 B. Explanation of Rarity Ranks ...................................................................160 C. Species of Conservation Concern............................................................163 D. Common and Scientific Names of Plants Mentioned in this Report.......168 FIGURES 1. Watersheds .................................................................................................9 2. Bedrock Geology ......................................................................................10 3. Ecologically Significant Habitats..............................................................19 4. Contiguous Habitats ..................................................................................20 5. Contiguous Forested Patches.....................................................................84 6. Crest/Ledge/Talus and Rocky Barrens......................................................88 7. Contiguous Meadow Patches ....................................................................95 8. Acidic Bogs and Circumneutral Bog Lakes with Conservation Zones.....98 9. Intermittent Woodland Pools, Pool-like Swamps, and Heath Swamps, with Conservation Zones.........................................................................107 10. Buttonbush Pools and Kettle Shrub Pools with Conservation Zones......111 11. Wetlands..................................................................................................114 12. Streams and Conservation Zones ............................................................119 13. Conservation Areas .................................................................................141 TABLES 1. Ecologically Significant Habitats Identified in Clinton ............................18 2. Priority Habitats, Species of Concern, and Conservation Zones...............79 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE TOWN OF CLINTON EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ‐ 1 ‐ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hudsonia biologists identified and mapped ecologically significant habitats in the Town of Clinton during the period spanning June 2011 through November 2012. Through map analysis, aerial photograph interpretation, and field observations we created a large-format map showing the locations and configurations of these habitats in the town. Some of the habitats are rare or declining in the region or support rare species of plants or animals, while others are high quality examples of common habitats or habitat complexes. Among our more interesting finds were 22 rocky barrens; extensive calcareous ledges; three acidic bogs; three