SALT MEADOW CHIMON ISLAND SHEFFIELD ISLAND FALKNER ISLAND MILFORD POINT GOOSE ISLAND Westbrook
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STEWART B. MCKINNEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE UNITS SALT MEADOW CHIMON ISLAND SHEFFIELD ISLAND FALKNER ISLAND MILFORD POINT GOOSE ISLAND Westbrook. Connecticut ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM REVIEW AND APPROVALS STEWART B. MCKINNEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Westbrook, Connecticut ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 L Ftefuge Manager Date / Project Leader Date ssociate Manager' Date Regional OffdJ2e^Af)proval Date STEWART B. MCKINNEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Westbrook, Connecticut ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INTRODUCTION The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established by an Act of Congress on October 22, 1984. Originally designated by Congress as the Connecticut Coastal NWR, the Refuge was renamed in 1987 to honor the late Congressman Stewart B. McKinney, who was instrumental in its establishment. The purposes of the Stewart B. McKinney Refuge are to enhance the populations of herons, egrets, terns and other shore and wading birds on the Refuge; to encourage natural diversity of fish and wildlife species on the Refuge? to provide for the conservation and management of all fish and wildlife within the Refuge? to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United States respecting fish and wildlife; and to provide opportunities for scientific research, environmental education, and fish and wildlife-oriented recreation. The legislation designated four separate land units (Chimon, Sheffield and Falkner Islands, and Milford Point) for initial acquisition of about 150 acres of important tern, piping plover and other colonial nesting bird habitat. Acquisition of these four Refuge lands began in 1985, and by October, 1987 all units (except a 7.1-acre parcel of Sheffield Island) had been secured by purchase or transfer. On October 19, 1990, legislation was approved adding approximately 1000 acres to the Stewart B. McKinney NWR. This legislation also directed Salt Meadow NWR in Westbrook, Connecticut, established in 1971 by private donation, to be managed as a unit of the Stewart B. McKinney NWR. SALT MEADOW: Salt Meadow NWR was established to protect feeding, nesting and resting habitat for migratory birds, to encourage natural diversity of fish and wildlife species and to provide environmental education opportunities for the public. It contains 191 acres of salt marsh, forest, grassland, and shrubland habitats. The Refuge provides a study area for local school and nature groups? approximately 2.5 miles of foot trails afford access for wildlife observation. Salt Meadow now serves as the main headquarters and visitor center for the Stewart B. McKinney NWR. The Refuge entrance and trailhead are located off Old Clinton Road in Westbrook. Take Exit 64 off of Interstate 95; travel a short distance south to a blinking red light and turn left onto Old Clinton Road. The entrance is approximately one mile down on the right. CHIMON ISLAND: Located about 1.5 miles off the coast of Norwalk, in Long Island Sound, this 70-acre tract is habitat for the largest nesting colony of herons, egrets and ibis in the State. Barrier beach, rocky coast, grasslands and shrublands comprise the habitat profile of this island. A total of 125 species of birds, including 40 that nest there, 65 species of wildflowers, several mammals, and two species of snakes have been recorded on the Island. Adjacent waters provide important wintering habitat for waterfowl. SHEFFIELD ISLAND: Located one mile west of Chimon Island, this 67-acre tract has habitat characteristics similar to Chimon. The island presently supports a small nesting population of herring and great black- backed gulls and has the potential to support breeding osprey and colonial nesting waterbirds. The surrounding waters serve as wintering habitat for Atlantic brant, black ducks and other waterfowl. On March 22, 1991, an additional 3.6 acres of Sheffield Island was acquired by the Service. FALKNER ISLAND: This five-acre island, three miles off the coast of Guilford, provides sandy beach, shrubland, rocky coast and grassland habitats for breeding and migratory birds. It supports the third largest northeastern nesting population of roseate terns, a species listed as Federally Endangered in 1987, and approximately 80 percent of the nesting common terns in Connecticut. MILFORD POINT: This seven-acre barrier sand spit at the mouth of the Housatonic River is one of the few protected historic nesting areas in Connecticut for the Federally Threatened piping plover. The sand spit protects the State's 850-acre Wheeler Marsh Waterfowl Management Area from the tides and storms of Long Island Sound. The low tide mudflats and Spartina marshes around the spit are a haven for waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. GOOSE ISLAND: This seven-acre island was transferred to the Service by donation from Saugatuck Valley Audubon Society on July 17,1991. The island, located in the Town of Westport, approximately one-half mile southeast of Chimon Island, is comprised of gravel beach and brushy upland which provide habitat for gulls and American oystercatchers. Future expansion of the Refuge proposes to include Shea and Grassy Islands, offshore the City of Norwalk; the Great Meadows estuarine system in the Town of Stratford; Menunketesuck Island just south of Salt Meadow Unit off the coast of Westbrook; and an additional 190 acres of salt marsh and adjacent upland at Salt Meadow. Page TABLE OF CONTENTS A. HIGHLIGHTS 1 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 C. LAND ACQUISITION 2 1. Fee Title Nothing to report (NTR) 2. Easements 2 3. Other 3 D. PLANNING 6 1. Master Plan NTR 2. Management Plan NTR 3. Public Participation NTR 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates NTR 5. Research and Investigations .... 6 6. Other NTR E. ADMINISTRATION 12 1. Personnel 12 2. Youth Programs NTR 3. Other Manpower Programs 13 4. Volunteer Program 13 5. Funding 16 6. Safety 17 7. Technical Assistance 18 8. Other 18 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 19 1. General 19 2. Wetlands 19 3. Forests NTR 4. Croplands NTR 5. Grasslands 22 6. Other Habitats 22 7. Grazing NTR 8. Haying NTR 9. Fire Management NTR 10. Pest Control NTR 11. Water Rights NTR 12. Wilderness and Special Areas . NTR n Page F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT (Cont'd.) 13 WPA Easement Monitoring NTR G. WILDLIFE . 23 Wildlife Diversity 23 Endangered and/or Threatened Species.. 23 Waterfowl 27 Marsh and Water Birds 28 Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species 31 6 Raptors 33 7 Other Migratory Birds 33 8 Game Mammals 34 9 Marine Mammals 34 10 Other- Resident Wildlife 34 11 Fisheries Resources NTR 12 Wildlife Propagation and Stocking . NTR 13 Surplus Animal Disposal NTR 14 Scientific Collections NTR 15 Animal Control NTR 16 Marking and Banding 35 17 Disease Prevention and Control . NTR H. PUBLIC USE 36 1 General 36 2 Outdoor Classrooms - Students . NTR 3 Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers . NTR 4 Interpretive Foot Trails 37 5 Interpretive Tour Routes 37 6 Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations .. 37 7 Other Interpretive Programs .... 38 8 Hunting NTR 9 Fishing 39 10 Trapping NTR 11 Wildlife Observation 40 12 Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation. NTR 13 Camping NTR 14 Picnicking NTR 15 Off-Road Vehicling NTR 16 Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation .. 40 17 Law Enforcement 40 18 Cooperating Associations NTR 19 Concessions NTR I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 41 New Construction 41 < iii Page I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES fCont'd.) 2. Rehabilitation 42 3. Major Maintenance 47 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement.. 47 5. Communications Systems 50 6. Computer Systems NTR 7. Energy Conservation NTR 8. Other 50 J. OTHER ITEMS 51 1. Cooperative Programs NTR 2. Other Economic Uses NTR 3. Items of Interest NTR 4. Credits 51 K. FEEDBACK NTR L. INFORMATION PACKET (inside back cover) A. HIGHLIGHTS 1. In August, Refuge Staff moved into the new Stewart B. McKinney Refuge Headquarters,, following the restoration of the Manor House into an office and visitor center (1.2). 2. Two Cooperative Agreements with Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and Department Of Health were signed this year to restore coastal wetlands in the State (F.2). 3. Over 150 volunteers participated in a cleanup of Sheffield Island on April 4 (E.4). 4. Over 600 people turned out on September 13 for an open house held on Falkner Island (H.7). B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The following climatic information was obtained from the Sikorsky Memorial Airport weather station in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This station is located approximately equidistant from McKinney's farthest land units to the east and west, providing conditions experienced at all McKinney Refuge units. The average temperature for 1992 was 50.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temperatures were below normal and precipitation was above normal for the summer and fall seasons (Tables 1 and 2). Winter Storm "Beth", which occurred on December 11 and 12, and the ensuing abnormally high tides which continued through December 13, caused severe alteration of the east embankment of Falkner Island. In the area of the lighthouse, the base of the slope was washed away, the slope itself eroded into an abrupt drop-off, and the top of the slope is now concave. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reported that several of the State's major piping plover nesting beaches have either shrunk or have grown due to the extreme high tides of this powerful "Nor'easter". The 150-foot boundary fence installed in April on the Refuge's Milford Point Unit, was completely wiped out by the storm. A preliminary survey of this Unit's habitat indicated that the tides distributed sand over a larger than normal area, covering much of the vegetation. If no major storms occur before the spring of 1993, the area for potential piping plover nesting sites will be greatly expanded.