Great Lakes / Atlantic Region Mid-Atlantic 2012 Conservation Report • celebrating Ducks unlimited’s 75th anniversary

Great Cypress Swamp–Phase II Construction Complete (DELAWARE) Blanketing more than 13,000 acres, the Great Cypress Swamp in Sussex County is the largest remaining tract of contiguous forest on the Delmarva Peninsula and one of its most diverse wetland systems. However, globally rare Atlantic white cedar and bald cypress communities there have declined significantly due to a dysfunctional hydrologic regime. A vast network of ditches has effectively short-circuited complex drainage patterns and diminished the extent and ecological function of the Great Cypress Swamp in the Chesapeake, Delaware, and Inland bays watersheds.

Phase I of the Great Cypress Swamp restoration was completed in 2009 through a collaborative effort by Ducks Unlimited, Delaware Wildlands, the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. It consisted of the installation of six water-control structures and five ditch plugs, enabling more precise water-level control on at least 426 acres of forested wetlands. In 2010, more than 58,000 Atlantic white cedar seedlings were planted across 86 acres of the Phase I site to initiate forest reestablishment. While the Phase I restoration was successful in solidifying partner support, securing political attention and restoring ecological value in the Great Cypress Swamp, the need for more work was evident. In response, DU and its partners launched Phase II and secured a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant to restore another 343 acres in an adjacent area.

Phase II construction was completed in 2011 and featured the repair of eight existing dike breaches and the installation of two small water-control structures. An extension welded to a third, larger structure was used to facilitate more efficient water-level control across the site. DU also contracted the John S. Ayton Tree Nursery in Maryland to cultivate 750,000 Atlantic white cedar seeds collected in the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia. Those that germinate successfully and survive will be planted at the Phase II site in 2013, concluding yet another important chapter in the restoration of the Great Cypress Swamp. Stay tuned for Phase III!

Inset: Extension welded to an existing structure.

Main: Installation of an Agri-drain water control structure at the Phase II site.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 1 Habitat happenings Public Grants Secured for Southern Lake Erie Watershed Restoration (PENNSYLVANIA) Two grants recently awarded to DU will help control invasive species and restore and enhance 392 acres of wildlife habitat at four locations in the Lake Erie watershed of Pennsylvania: Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bluffs State Park, Roderick Wildlife Reserve and Little Elk Creek Forest. Both grants are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program designed to address the most significant issues impacting the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture and Sustain Our Great Lakes (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation) will contribute $101,858 and $632,603, respectively.

The Southern Lake Erie Watershed Restoration will have direct, immediate and positive impacts on several priority conservation targets. Specifically, it will restore and enhance shoreline, emergent wetlands, sand barrens, sand plains and forested habitats by reducing the threats from invasive species. Conservation will be achieved primarily by spring burning (where appropriate) and aerial- and ground-based herbicide application. An amphibious vehicle and other equipment, purchased with support from Map of Southern Lake Erie Watershed Restoration both grants, will improve herbicide delivery in areas where other methods project locations. are either inappropriate or ineffective. DU will also provide survey, design and construction management on a 10-acre wetland restoration at Roderick Wildlife Reserve.

Pre-restoration monitoring is ongoing. Preliminary burning and mowing of invasive plants will commence in spring 2012 and continue in spring 2013. Herbicide application will occur in fall 2012, with additional treatment and maintenance in 2013. Monitoring efforts will continue through the life of the project and extend until spring 2014, with continued post-restoration evaluation as needed. Forested and wetland restoration will be completed no later than fall 2013.

This project represents a comprehensive effort by multiple state agencies, non-governmental organizations and educational institutions, including the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, California University of Pennsylvania, Foundation for Sustainable Forests, Lake Erie Region Conservancy, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Penn State University, Regional Science Consortium and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. New Research Seeks to Evaluate the Value of Coastal Impoundments for Wintering Waterfowl in the Delaware Bay Researchers at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control, University of Delaware, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and DU recently initiated a multi-year study on the value of impounded coastal wetlands to waterfowl populations along the Delaware Bay. Over the past several years, a series of Nor’easters has accelerated degradation of coastally impounded wetlands by breaching levees and destroying portions of the barrier dunes, thereby increasing the frequency and duration of saltwater intrusion into freshwater impoundments. The cost of corrective action to restore the infrastructure is estimated in the millions of dollars, and the cost for long-term management could be even higher.

This research will be conducted at four sites: Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges and Little Creek and Ted Harvey wildlife areas. Food availability, energetic carrying capacity and waterfowl use and behaviors will be documented for freshwater and tidally restricted impoundments, as well as unrestricted tidal areas. Results from this research will provide wildlife managers and policy makers with a quantitative, predictive assessment of the potential impacts of coastal impoundment loss on habitat carrying capacity for waterfowl. Furthermore, it will provide a decision-making tool for assessing the potential tradeoffs associated with allowing impoundments to revert to tidal wetlands and inform planning for future impoundment creation.

2 www.ducks.org Habitat happenings Middle Chester River Partnership Up and Running (MARYLAND) In 2011, DU formed the Middle Chester River Partnership (MCRP) with the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Kent County government, Kent Soil Conservation District, University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program, Chester River Association and Washington College. The Middle Chester River has a reputation among government agencies and non-governmental organizations as the Chester River’s most impaired sub-watershed. However, it also boasts the best current measurement data, an existing Watershed Restoration Action Strategy and the greatest opportunity to leverage other programs and initiatives. It is embedded within the DU Upper Chesapeake Bay Priority Area.

The goal of the MCRP is to restore the Middle Chester River within Kent County by delivering a multi-year, multi-faceted approach to address the factors contributing to the degradation of the entire watershed. The primary objectives are to: upgrade and replace failing septic systems, promote sustainable agricultural practices such as buffers and ecologically sound farm equipment and implement wetland restoration projects. Completion of the objectives will help reduce excess nutrient runoff and improve wildlife habitat, water quality and quality of life in the Chester River and Chesapeake Bay. Partners are coordinating the septic system and agricultural portions of the MCRP, while DU is responsible for wetland restoration, including survey, design and construction management.

The goal of the wetland restoration component of the MCRP is a minimum of two projects per year for three years. DU completed the first project in summer 2011 and construction on the second is scheduled for this winter. Three additional sites have already been identified and may even be completed within the first year. Benefits from the restorations and the MCRP will be far reaching and realized for many years to come. Kent County landowners interested in supporting MCRP conservation efforts are encouraged to contact the DU Annapolis Office at (410) 224-6620.

The first of several wetland restoration projects under the MCRP aimed at improving water quality and wildlife habitat in the Middle Chester River Watershed.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 3 Habitat happenings Cox Hall Creek Restoration Approaching Start (NEW JERSEY) Cox Hall Creek is an 87-acre tidal basin in Cape May County’s Lower Township. In the late 1800s, the basin was disconnected from the Delaware Bay to facilitate salt hay farming and mosquito control, thereby restricting tidal flushing. A limited amount of tidal water does backflow through a dilapidated discharge pipe and now-defunct pump house, but the altered hydrologic regime has converted the Cox Hall Creek basin into a low-quality freshwater system dominated by a monotypic stand of invasive phragmites. Currently, it provides minimal value to waterfowl and other wildlife.

The restoration of native habitat along the New Jersey coast is critical for wildlife, especially migratory birds. The Cape May Peninsula and the Delaware Bay are world renowned for supporting an abundance and diversity of shorebirds, wading birds and waterfowl, which utilize mudflats and shallow wetlands to refuel during migration and wintering. The purpose of the Cox Hall Creek restoration is to restore estuarine intertidal emergent wetlands for fish and wildlife through the reintroduction of tidal inundation into the basin. Restoration will be accomplished by installing a large water control structure and connecting pipe to facilitate managed bidirectional flow between the basin and Delaware Bay, which is based on a previously successful DU design. Improved exchange between the two bodies will help with the control of phragmites, as adjacent houses are too close for aerial herbicide application or prescribed burns.

The Cox Hall Creek restoration is a collaborative effort by DU, Cape May County Planning Department, Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control, Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, Lower Township Municipal Utilities Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Delaware Bay Estuary Project and Partners for Fish and Wildlife. With their help, DU received a North American Wetlands Conversation Act (NAWCA) grant to purchase construction-related materials such as the structure and pipe. All materials will be ordered and assembled during winter, with construction scheduled to start in early 2012. If all goes according to plan the Cox Hall Creek basin will be ready to help support migratory birds as early as next spring!

Aerial view of Cox Hall Creek looking south; the Delaware Bay is on the right.

4 www.ducks.org conservation summary

Ducks Unlimited Projects completed featured

Note: Project points may represent more than one project.

SLEWR (PA) Accomplishments to date Cox Hall Creek (NJ)

650 completed projects

153,022 acres conserved MCRP (MD)

157,859 acres of technical assistance

$38.3 million invested

Great Cypress Swamp (DE)

Mason Neck (VA)

Meet Your Mid-Atlantic conservation staff

Bernie Marczyk Kurt Anderson Nick Biasini Jade Phillips Dir. of Conservation Programs Regional Biologist Regional Biologist Sr. Engineer Technician [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 5 supporting the vision

North American Wetlands Conservation Act in 2012

Ducks Unlimited has contributed a strong voice for wetlands conservation across North America for 75 years, and works as a voice for waterfowl protections in national and state public policy.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act is the most significant federal program that DU partners with to protect and conserve habitat for North America’s migratory bird populations. This program provides grants to partner groups—private landowners, local companies, conservation organizations, and more—who have matched the grant funds by raising money from non-federal sources. These funds are then used to impact wetlands that are in need of protection, and competition for these funds means the match is typically 2-3 times the grant amount.

2012 will be critical for NAWCA in two ways. First, NAWCA requires reauthorization every five years, with the current bill expiring in 2012. DU is seeking congressional support for bills in the Senate and the House that would reauthorize the program until 2017. This would allow the Congress to fund these wetland grants.

Second, federal budgets are lean this year and funding for programs such as NAWCA are at risk. NAWCA brings in more money to the federal treasury than it cost. It also creates thousands of jobs each year, and creates business for hotels, restaurants, plant nurseries, construction companies, and many others. This program is an incredibly valuable tool for natural resource protection in this country. It deserves strong, active support from DU supporters.

Please help by visiting www.ducks.org/nawca or by calling your Senators and House member to express your support for NAWCA.

A gift of real estate is an excellent way to support Ducks Unlimited and take advantage of significant tax deductions. You have several options when donating real estate, each with unique benefits for both you and DU. Giving options: • Outright gift of real estate. Real estate that you no longer use or wish to own, but is owned outright and readily marketable can be gifted to DU. Gifts of habitat lands are especially important to our mission. • Gift of real estate with retained life use. You may gift your principle residence to DU and retain the right to continue to live and use the property for the rest of your life. Such a gift is deductible in the year the gift is made, not at the end of the retained life interest. • Gift of real estate through CRT. For landowners who wish to continue to gain income from their property, there is an option called a Charitable Remainder trust, or CRT. The owner transfers the property to the trust, the trust sells the property, usually avoiding capital gains taxes (check with your tax advisor) and then the proceeds of the sale are invested to provide income to the owner for their life. The owner should receive a tax deduction for the gift and DU receives the balance of the trust after their death. There are a number of options available, please visit DU’s gift planning website at: http://www.ducks.org/conservation/land-protection/donations-or-gifts-of-land

6 www.ducks.org supporting the vision

Celebrating 75 years of conservation success By Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited CEO

This year marks a very special time for Ducks Unlimited. On Jan. 29, 1937, the More Game Birds in America organization transitioned into what would become the greatest wetland and waterfowl habitat conservation organization in the world! Throughout this year, we will be celebrating our 75th anniversary, and we have a great deal to celebrate.

From our beginnings in Manitoba at Big Grass Marsh with a project that impacted 100,000 acres, to our current partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts to conserve 1 billion acres in the vast boreal forests, our work has been based on the simple principle of cooperation with others. During DU’s first years, struggling farmers were DU’s best partners; the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression were in full swing and significant acres of were wetlands being converted to farmland. The partnership with farmers was based on “water on the ground, ducks in the air,” and immediately elevated DU’s status as a group of people who wanted to roll up their sleeves and solve problems.

The very first volunteers to answer the call were hunters. Hunters seemed to intuitively know that in order to have enough ducks to enjoy our passionate and recuperative pursuit, there had to be healthy habitats. In 1934, when the depression had more people in bread lines and westward caravans than were gainfully employed, duck hunters lobbied Congress to require them to pay to go hunting! This was followed in 1937 by another tax lobbied for by hunters, as well as the firearm and ammunition industries, to place a tax on these items to be used only for conservation. This law is still in place today and supports state fish and wildlife agencies. Also in 1937, Ducks Unlimited Incorporated and Ducks Unlimited Canada were born.

With DUC as the original mechanism to deliver projects on the ground in Canada, our partnership has been long and rich with science- based decisions and volunteer-driven passion. Until the 1980s, all work done by DU was in Canada. Then science began to unveil the importance of migratory and wintering habitat. DUI has continued its partnership with DUC to conserve valuable nesting grounds, but has expanded to include projects in all 50 states. We are rapidly closing in on 13 million acres conserved in Canada and the United States, with a target of 750 million to 1 billion more acres conserved in the boreal forests of Canada. What an accomplishment to celebrate!

But as we celebrate these great successes along with our numerous partners, we must not become complacent and think the job is done. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we are still losing more acres than we are able to conserve each year in the United States, and the pressures to convert valuable waterfowl habitat to other uses is greater than ever. In Canada and Mexico, those pressures are equally formidable.

Our challenges are great, but with the continued dedication of our volunteers, members and professional staff, Ducks Unlimited WILL NOT FAIL! I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the next 12 months as we celebrate 75 years of phenomenal accomplishment. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DUCKS UNLIMITED!

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 7 habitat happenings Dominion Resources, VDGIF & DU Partner to Complete Mason Neck Wetland Restoration (Virginia) DU conservation in Virginia is focused on two priority areas within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, as outlined in the International Conservation Plan: the Potomac River and the Lower Chesapeake. There, DU works tirelessly to restore and enhance coastal marshes, managed moist-soil wetlands and forested floodplains and swamps, while simultaneously protecting key habitat from development by securing conservation easements. DU has a long history of engaging state and federal agencies and nonprofit organizations when mutual benefits can be achieved.

One example of those efforts is the recently completed wetland restoration at Mason Neck State Park. Mason Neck is located in southern Fairfax County and adjacent to Mason Neck National Wildlife Mason Neck wetland restoration during construction. Refuge, the Potomac River and Belmont and Occoquan bays. All are critical areas for migrating and wintering waterfowl. In 2008, Mason Neck staff requested that DU provide topographic survey and engineering design services, funded through the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Act. A variety of setbacks delayed implementation of the project until 2010, when Dominion Resources stepped forward to provide critical funding to support construction. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place with the acquisition of an Agri Drain water-control structure, facilitating completion of the project in October.

The Mason Neck wetland restoration consisted of the conversion of 1.5 acres of previously drained agricultural fields into a seasonally flooded emergent wetland. The DU design will allow park staff to control water levels within the impoundment and promote the establishment of native plants and invertebrates, thereby providing waterfowl with critical food resources. Additionally, the Mason Neck wetland restoration will aid flood retention and groundwater recharge and reduce soil erosion, improving the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay. Recreational opportunities for the public are an added bonus. Research Seeks to Unravel Sea Duck Mystery The 15 species of waterfowl known as sea ducks constitute 42 percent of the duck species breeding in North America, yet they are the most poorly understood group of waterfowl. For reasons unknown, 10 of the 15 sea duck species are experiencing population declines and three (harlequin ducks, spectacled eiders and Steller’s eiders) are currently listed as threatened or endangered. Determining linkages among breeding, staging, wintering and molting areas is essential to understanding population declines, identifying limiting factors and evaluating potential impacts from development, offshore wind farm projects, harvesting and climate change. In response, the Sea Duck Joint Venture initiated a large- scale, multi-year, collaborative research project using satellite telemetry on black scoters, surf scoters, white-winged scoters and long-tailed ducks wintering on the Chesapeake Bay, St. Lawrence Estuary, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Restigouche River (New Brunswick) and Lake Ontario. Participation by DU in this important research was made possible by a generous grant received from the Waterfowl Research Foundation.

Migration trajectories of long-tailed ducks fitted with satellite transmitters on the Chesapeake Bay (red) and Nantucket/Cape Cod (yellow).

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other Annapolis Office: 34 Defense St., Suite 200 wildlife and people. 8 Annapolis, MD 21401 • 410.224.6620