Caribbean Islands Refuges Cabo Rojo National Wildlife
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CARIBBEAN ISLANDS REFUGES CABO ROJO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Boqueron, Puerto Rico CULEBRA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Culebra, Puerto Rico DESECHEO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Desecheo, Puerto Rico BUCK ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE St, Thomas, U .S . Virgin Islands GREEN CAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE St . Croix, U,S . Virgin Islands VIEQUES FIELD STATION Vieques, Puerto Rico ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1983 NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM Fish and Wildlife Service U .S . DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PERSONNEL 1 . Sean Furniss, Refuge Manager, GS-11 . PFT. EOD 7/78 2 . Robert Adamcik, Refuge Manager, GS-9, PFT, EOD 5/81 3 . John Taylor, Refuge Manager, GS-9, PFT, EOD, 11/82 4 . Carmen Mendez-Santoni, Secretary . GS-4, PPT,E-OD 12/82 0 REVIEW AND APPROVALS ubmitt d by : Date efuge Supervisor Date Atlantic South Regional Office Date r 0 Project Leader Sean Furniss after his desk was cleared off to take a staff photo . Mendez-Santoni AN-CI-1-84 0 Secretary Carmen Mendez-Santoni the important link in our chain with the outside world . Furniss AN-CI-2-84 No photo was available for Refuge Manager John Taylor . The photo of Refuge Manager Bob Adamcik is found with the Vieques report . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page GENERAL SUMMARY A, HIGHLIGHTS 2 B . CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 2 C . LAND ACQUISITION 2 D . PLANNING 2 E . ADMINISTRATION 1, Personnel 2 2 . Youth Program 3 3 . Volunteer Program 3 F . HABITAT MANAGEMENT 3 G . WILDLIFE 3-4 H . PUBLIC USE 5 I . EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 5 1 . Funding 2 . Safety 5 3. Technical Assistance 6 J . OTHERITEMS 6-7 1 . Credits 7 2 . Feedback 7-8 1 Caribbean Islands NWR's General Summary The Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuges began its adminis- trative existence as the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge in 1978 and was named with its present title in 1981 . The complex adminis- ters four distinct island units (Desecheo NWR, Culebra NWR, Buck Island NWR, Green Cay NWR), a small unit on the island of Puerto Rico (Cabo Rojo NWR) and a technical assistance program for 23,000 acres of Navy land (Vieques Field Station) . Additionally, the com- plex staff provides resource management assistance for land manage- ment, migratory game bird management and endangered species manage- ment activities to a variety of Federal . Commonwealth and Territo- rial agencies . The basic function of the complex administration is to represent the Wildlife Resources program rather than to represent only the Division of Refuges . The complex also provides support functions for Law Enforcement, Research, Habitat Preservation and Federal Assistance programs to the limit of its ability . The immensity of the Caribbean empire radiates outward from the nerve center of the Caribbean complex at Cabo Rojo NWR . Furniss . AN-CI-3-83 . 2 Caribbean Islands NWR's A . Highlights Earthwatch approves sea turtle study for Culebra NWR . (see Section G) American Ornithologists Union requests action on removal of Desecheo NWR monkeys . (see Section G) . World Society for Protection of Animals visits Puerto Rico . (see Section G) B . ClimaticCondtions The 1983 calender year was not marked by any notable storms, something for which we are always thankful, All of the areas administered by the Caribbean Complex are classified as subtropical dry forest . The weather data for Cabo Rojo and Culebra NWR's provide a general idea of the basic weather patterns for our areas, C . Land Acquisition In September 1983, the Congress authorized 2 .5 million dollars to pur- chase the critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle at Sandy Point, St . Croix . Mr, Mohrman, Chief clerk of the House Interior ap- propriations Committeee visited the site on November 29, 1983 to see what it was that FWS was purchasing . Negotiations with the owners were still underway at the end of the year . D, Planning No planning activities took place in FY 83, At the beginning of FY 84, instructions were given to undertake masterplanning for the Caribbean Refuges, The master planning effort was canceled by the end of November . E . Administration 1 . Personnel During 1983 our staff of 4 continued unchanged from 1982, One refuge manager assigned to handle daily operations at Culebra NWR, one refuge manager assigned to assist the Navy on Vieque,s. Island, one refuge mana- ger to cover the rest of Puerto Rico and U .S . Virgin Islands, and one secretary trying to keep the essential paper work under control . Caribbean Refuges Staffing Summary Full time Part time FY 1980 2 0 FY 1981 2 1 .6 FY 1982 2 1,6 FY 1983 3 0 .6 FY 1984 3 0 .6 3 2 . YouthPrograms During the 1983, the only program of this nature was the YCC camp at Culebra NWR . It really provided a tremendous opportunity for high school age youth at Culebra to get to know the refuge and obtain a first hand look at what was being done for the resources . For further information see Culebra NWR . 3 . Volunteer Program This year the volunteers working for the Caribbean Complex were located only at the Culebra NWR . Efforts to get seabird research volunteers to Culebra were successful when Dr . Joanna Burger and Dr . Michael Gochfeld agreed to come work at the seabird colonies . Our Refuge volunteers come from all walks of life . Our 9 volunteer ORP (Outdoor Recreation Player) Megan Furniss, riding on patrol to greet station visitors, really enjoys her energy efficient, non-polluting vehicle . Furniss AN-CI-4-83 . F . Habitat Management Habitat management programs have not been actively undertaken on the Caribbean Refuges to any larger degree . On Culebra Island reduction of cattle numbers continues on the Flamenco Peninsula, with less than 20 animals remaining at the end of the year . At Cayo Matojo (Culebra NWR) clearings were made in an effort to in- crease the numbers of nesting royal and sandwich terns . About 800 trees were planted at Cabo Rojo NWR in a continuing effort to en- hance the return of native tree species . 0 G . Wildlife Desecheo and Culebra NWR's are noted for the thirteen species of breeding seabirds found on those areas . The Desecheo Brown booby colony, the Culebra sooty tern colonies . the endangered yellow- 4 shouldered blackbird at Cabo Rojo NWR and the endangered St . Croix ground lizard at Green Cay NWR are the significant species for those refuges . Work both on and off of service lands included native water- fowl, columbids, brown pelicans, West Indian manatees and four species of sea turtles . The World Society for the Protection of Animals visited the project leader seeking information on migratory bird hunting in Puerto Rico . They were referred to the P .R . Department of Natural Resources, who told them the truth, that no reliable or current biological data on migratory bird species was available . They and the Humane Society of the United States began the process of asking FWS to provide data justi- fying the hunting seasons . In an effort to reduce leatherback turtle egg poaching and in the hopes of obtaining base line data on leatherbacks, the project leader sub- mitted a research proposal to the Center for Field Research . On Nov . 10, the Center for Field Research announced that they had agreed to fund the project leaders request for an Earthwatch program to study sea turtles at Culebra NWR . This study will have a major impact on managing turtles in Culebra . r Even a wild Rhesus monkey will come down out of the trees for a free meal at Desecheo Island . Herbert AN-CI-5-83 . The Desecheo brown booby colony was once again the focus of outside attention . In September 1983 the American Ornithologists Union passed a resolution requesting that FWS take immediate steps to eliminate rhesus monkeys from Desecheo NWR . Additionally the National Wildlife Federation asked FWS about the progress "they" were making on resolving this problem and again referred to their 1977 resolution . For FY 85, $40,000 has been assigned to hopefully bring about a final resolution of the Problem . H . Public Use Limited . authorized public use takes place on the Caribbean Refuges . With our current personnel limitations, we actively encourage only very selec- tive public use programs, Our greatest committment is to the public at the l'ocalT .'community on Culebra . We want them to feel that the Culebra NWR is a real part of their community and we feel that spending time with local school students, local handicapped groups and the local media (the one radio station has its antenna on refuge lands) provides a very positive image with the local folks . '.Outsi :de : of Culebra, we don't advertise our services but word of mouth lets people know we are here . We do maintain an open door policy, so that whenever the gate is open weekdays, weekends, or nights then folks are welcome to come by . We do not get-a lot of traf- fic but folks have gotten to know that they are welcome anytime they can find us in the office . Increased staffing will a ssist . us in putting out a positive image everywhere, rather than the image of just mere presence that we have now . I . Equipment and Facilities Currently our only facilities consists of an office building and garage at Cabo Rojo NWR, and an office trailer and residence trailer at Culebra NWR . Most of our maintenance effort goes into fences and vehicles, and even that is mostly just buying materials and having , isomeone else, do the work . 1 . Funding The funding level for the Caribbean Refuges is shown in the tablebelow . This funding does not include the Vieques Field Station which has a sepa- rate budget paid for by the U .S .