Biodiversity of the Moodna Creek Watershed: Important Resources and Conservation Recommendations 19 June 2008 DRAFT Photos by L. Heady Laura Heady, NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with Cornell University Department of Natural Resources Moodna Biodiversity L. Heady, 19 June 2008 DRAFT Acknowledgements Special thanks to Tom Lake, Chris Bowser, and Leah Abuza of the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program for sharing their observations of the Moodna mouth system and providing valuable natural history information. Leslie Zucker, also from the Hudson River Estuary Program, contributed the “Streams and Riparian Corridors” section and Trout Brook analysis. Kelly Dobbins of Orange County Planning provided GIS data layers, and Gretchen Stevens and Bob Schmidt of Hudsonia offered assistance with identifying past studies of Moodna biodiversity. Jamie Deppen of Hudsonia helped with checking breeding bird data for the watershed. Prepared by: Laura Heady Biodiversity Outreach Coordinator NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program in partnership with Cornell University Department of Natural Resources 21 South Putt Corners Road New Paltz, NY 12561 Moodna Biodiversity L. Heady, 19 June 2008 DRAFT Table of Contents Introduction 1 Significance of Biodiversity to Watershed Planning 1 Threats to Biodiversity and Associated Impacts to Watershed Health 1 Biodiversity of the Moodna Creek Watershed 2 Priority Habitats of the Watershed 3 How to Use This Information 3 Hudson River Shoreline: The Moodna Mouth 4 Lower Reach of Moodna Creek 4 Confluence 4 Marsh and Mudflats 4 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation 7 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 7 Streams and Riparian Corridors 8 Birds 8 Bats 9 Amphibians and Reptiles 9 Fish 9 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 10 Forests 13 Globally Important Forests 13 Regionally Important Forests 14 Locally Important Forests 14 Stepping Stone Forests 14 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 14 Wetlands 15 Rare Wetland Wildlife 15 Wetland Habitat Types 16 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 17 Grasslands, Shrublands, and Farmland 18 Grasslands 18 Shrubland and Early Successional Forest 19 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 19 Cliffs and Caves 20 Habitats and Wildlife of Cliffs and Caves 20 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 20 Cores, Connections, and Landscape Perspective 21 Cores 21 Connections 23 Threats and Conservation Opportunities 25 Conclusions 27 Literature Cited 28 Additional Publications on Biodiversity in the Moodna Creek Watershed 32 Moodna Biodiversity L. Heady, 19 June 2008 DRAFT Figures Figure 1: Ecological Communities of the Moodna Creek Mouth 5 Figure 2: Ecological Communities of the Moodna Creek Mouth and Lower Reach to Firthcliffe Dam 6 Figure 3: Analysis of Riparian Buffers Along Trout Brook 11 Figure 4: Documented Biodiversity Resources of Importance in the Moodna Creek Watershed 22 Figure 5: Conservation Network of Biodiversity Cores and Connections in the Moodna Creek Watershed 23 Tables Table 1. Recommendations for minimum widths and connectivity of natural cover within the stream corridor to conserve biodiversity . 12 Appendices Appendix A. Flagship Species of the Moodna Creek Watershed Appendix B. Birds of Conservation Concern in Moodna Creek Watershed Appendix C. Reptiles and Amphibians of Conservation Concern in Moodna Creek Watershed Moodna Biodiversity L. Heady, 19 June 2008 DRAFT Introduction Significance of Biodiversity to Watershed Planning The Moodna Creek watershed plan provides an ideal opportunity to consider conservation of biological resources. The plants, animals, and habitats—or biodiversity—of the Moodna watershed are a significant part of the region’s character and natural infrastructure, and contribute directly to the quality and quantity of drinking water available to residents living in the region. The term “biodiversity” is used to describe all the components of nature that are needed to sustain life. While people often associate the term biodiversity with threatened and endangered species, it actually encompasses much more. Biodiversity refers to all living things, both rare and common, the complex relationships between them, as well as their relationship to the environment. Biodiversity includes genetic variety, species diversity, and variability in natural communities, ecosystems, and landscapes. All of these parts and processes comprise the web of life that contributes to healthy ecosystems. Why is biodiversity important to the people living in the Moodna Creek watershed? For starters, the watershed has a diverse and rich natural heritage, with species and ecological communities of regional, statewide, and global significance. These natural systems are the scenery and living fabric that provides the Moodna Creek watershed with a regional identity, and creates a sense of place for its residents. And healthy, natural systems are in essence a “green infrastructure,” supplying services that support life as we know it, through purification of drinking water, control of floodwaters, replenishment of aquifers, pollination of crops, creation of fertile soil, control of insect pests, and adaptation to a changing climate. They also provide opportunities for hunting and fishing, outdoor recreation, and environmental education and research. All of these services and benefits to the community cost less than the artificial or built alternatives, and are widely recognized as important assets by a variety of stakeholders. Threats to Biodiversity and Associated Impacts to Watershed Health Two of the greatest threats to biodiversity are habitat loss and invasive species. In particular, land use changes that degrade and destroy natural habitats pose the most significant threats to native biodiversity. Suburban sprawl, for instance, fragments the landscape into smaller and smaller pieces of habitat, and surrounds these fragments with development, often having lethal effects on wildlife species that require large, connected natural areas. Furthermore, the resulting patchwork of land uses creates ideal conditions for invasive species to take hold. Land-use decisions made at the municipal and regional level will have lasting impacts on the function of natural systems in the Moodna Creek watershed, and their ability to support its human communities. For example, loss of habitat can lead to a corresponding loss in basic watershed functions, such as water infiltration and purification by forests and grasslands, erosion control along stream banks, and flood attenuation in wetlands. Habitat loss and fragmentation also creates unsuitable conditions for many native plants and animals, and leads to increased populations of more common, nuisance species such as white-tailed deer, Canada geese, mosquitoes, and black-legged tick, which carries Lyme disease. 1 Moodna Biodiversity L. Heady, 19 June 2008 DRAFT Additional threats to biodiversity include impacts associated with human development, many of which can be reduced or prevented altogether, such as light pollution, failing septic systems, and household pets; and pollution of natural areas from contaminants such as road salt, pesticides, fertilizers, and household chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Increasingly, global climate change presents a new array of conservation challenges and variables, such as shifts in habitat availability and timing of natural events. Biodiversity of the Moodna Creek Watershed The rich biodiversity of the Moodna Creek watershed is a result of the variable landscape included within its boundaries. To the east and southeast, the watershed includes part of the Hudson Highlands, where it has its highest point on the steep ridges above 1500 ft (500m) in elevation. This area also contains portions of the very large forest that continues beyond the watershed boundary south to Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. The foothills of the Highlands are scattered throughout the southern portions of the watershed, creating steep slopes and hills interspersed with creeks and wetlands. The Moodna/Otterkill corridor runs generally west-to-east, starting in the rich farmland to the west, and traversing a fairly broad, forested floodplain. This corridor forms somewhat of a demarcation between the more diverse, forested terrain of the southern half of the watershed and the more rolling topography and farmland to the north, which is rich with numerous wetlands. Where the Moodna finally meets the Hudson River, the watershed reaches its lowest elevation at sea level, with the tidal influence of the river felt in its lower mile. The biological resources of the Moodna Creek watershed have been recognized on many levels as having high conservation value: Moodna Creek, together with its tributary the Otterkill Creek, is identified in the Orange County Open Space Plan as a Priority Aquatic System (June 2004). The Open Space Plan also identifies several areas within the Moodna watershed as Biological Diversity Hotspots, including Goose Pond and Schunemunk mountains and Purgatory Swamp. In addition, it identifies the Moodna/Otterkill corridor as a Potential Wildlife Corridor. In the Southern Wallkill Biodiversity Plan (Miller et al. 2005), the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (MCA) studied biodiversity in Chester, Goshen, and Warwick. Areas delineated as important for conservation in the Moodna watershed included Goose Pond, Bellvale, Snake, Brimstone, and Sugar Loaf mountains; and the Otter Kill, Seely Brook, and Black Meadow Creek corridors. Associated floodplains, wetlands, steep slopes, and important core and connecting