PETIT MANAN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Milbridge, Maine (Satellite
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PETIT MANAN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Milbridge, Maine (Satellite stations) Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge * ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1985 W • U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM HH REVIEW AND APPROVALS PETIT MANAN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Milbridge, Maine ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1985 Submitted by: ^ /'C 2/28/86 Assistant Refuge Manager Date ervisor Review Date INTRODUCTION Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,135-acre refuge complex confsisting of 1,991 acres on Petit Manan Peninsula, acquired in 1976 for $516,204, through the Nature Conservancy; 1,130 acres on Bois Hubert Island, donated in 1980 through the Nature Conservancy; nine acres on Petit Manan Island and five acres on Nash Island, both acquired from the Coast Guard in 1974 and 1983, respectively. The refuge is located in the towns of Stueben, Milbridge, and Addison in Washington County, Maine. Petit Manan Peninsula has a rugged, windblown character. Its habi tats consist of red spruce forests with some mixed hardwoods, coastal raised heath peatlands, fresh and saltwater marshes, blueberry barrens, jack pine stands, old hayfields, rocky shores and cobble beaches. It is noted for its use by waterfowl, especially black ducks, shorebirds, and raptors—especially bald eagles. ^ At the turn of the century most of the peninsula was owned by the Maine Coast Club, a group of wealthy spo'rtsment from Philadelphia and Boston. Tennis courts, a golf course, a saltwater swimming impoundment, a deer enclosure, a wharf, and even a casino were all built by the club. Maps and plans were made dividing the peninsula into lots for development. Shortly thereafter the Maine Coast Club failed and the peninsula slowly grew up to brush and trees with only a few traces of its development remaining. More recently the land has been used for sheep farming, blueberry production, silver mining, and timber harvesting. Bois Bubert Island is much like Petit Manan Peninsula in character and wildlife. The island runs parallel to Petit Manan Point, about one mile east. Approximately 90 percent of the island is under Fish and Wildlife Service ownership. Inholdings are being acquired as they come on the market. Petit Manan Island, named by Champlain in 1605, is a 9-acre treeless island, two and one-half miles south of Petit Manan Point. Historic ally, it has been one of the most important colonial seabird nesting islands in the Gulf of Maine. It is the site of an historic light station which was automated in 1972. It is on the state Critical Areas Register. Nash Island is approximately nine miles northeast of Petit Manan. A light station was maintained on the island by the Coast Guard for many years, but it has since been automated then abandoned, and finally given to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Half of the island is privately owned and used for sheep pasturage. INTRODUCTION Page TABLE OF CONTENTS i A. HIGHLIGHTS 1 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 C- LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title Nothing to Report 2. Easements 1 3. Other.. Nothing to Report D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan Nothing to Report 2. Management Plan * 1 3. Public Participation Nothing to Report 4. Compliance with Environmental and Cultural Resource NTR 5. Research and Investigations 1 6. Other Nothing to Report E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel 2 2. Youth Programs 3 3. Other Manpower Programs Nothing to Report 4. Volunteer Programs 3 3. Funding 3 6. Safety 3 7. Technical Assistance 3 8. Other..... ..Nothing to Report F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General ..Nothing to Report 2. Wetlands 4 3. Forests 4 4. Croplands , Nothing to Report 5. Grasslands 5 6. Other Habitats 5 7. Grazing .. 6 8. Haying Nothing to Report 9. Fire Management 6 10. Pest Control Nothing to Report 11, Water Rights Nothing to Report HABITAT MANAGEMENT (Cont.) Page 12. Wilderness and Special Areas Nothing to Report 13. WPA Easement Monitoring Nothing to Report G. WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity 6 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 6 3. Waterfowl 7 4. Marsh and Water Birds Nothing to Report 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied Species... 8 6. Raptors .Nothing to Report 7. Other Migratory Birds Nothing to Report 8. Game Mammals 10 9. Marine Mammals 10 10. Other Resident Wildlife Nothing to Report 11. Fisheries Resources 10 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking ^Nothing to Report 13. Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to Report 14. Scientific Collections .. Nothing to Report 15. Animal Control Nothing to Report 16. Marking and Banding Nothing to Report 17. Disease Prevention and Control 11 H. PUBLIC USE 1. General 11 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students. 11 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers Nothing to Report 4. Interpretive Foot Trails..... 12 5. Interpretive Tour Routes Nothing to Report 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations ...Nothing to Report 7. Other Interpretive Programs 12 8. Hunting .Nothing to Report 9 . Fishing 12 10. Trapping .Nothing to Report 11. Wildlife Observation..... Nothing to Report 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation Nothing to Report 13. Camping. Nothing to Report 14. Picnicking Nothing to Report 15. Off-Road Vehicling Nothing to Report 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation Nothing to Report 17. Law Enforcement 12 18. Cooperating Associations Nothing to Report 19. Concessions Nothing to Report I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction Nothing to Report 2. Rehabilitation 12 EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES (Cont.) ^>a§e 3. Major Maintenance Nothing to Report 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement 13 5. Communications Systems.... ...Nothing to Report 6. Computer Systems ...Nothing to Report 7. Energy Conservation ...Nothing to Report J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs Nothing to Report 2. Other Economic Uses • Nothing to Report 3. Items of Interest 14 4. Credits 14 K. FEEDBACK L. INFORMATION PACKET (Map appended) SATELLITE REFUGES (Appended) Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge A. HIGHLIGHTS Tern nesting and productivity increased significantly this year, the second year of the gull control project (Section G. 5). An office for Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge was opened in September in Milbridge (Section E. 8). B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The climate of coastal Washington County is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean. Summer temperatures are significantly cooler and winter tempera tures significantly warmer than inland areas. In the Machias area aver age annual temperature is 430F., average annual precipitation is 49 inches, average annual snowfall is 75 inches, and the average frast-free growing season is 132 days. Fog is an important influence on the coastal ecosystem, present 33 percent of the time during the summer months. The area receives an average of 14 thunderstorms per year. No weather data is collected on the station. C. LAND ACQUISITION 2. Easements Approximately 175 acres on Petit Manan Peninsula are under easement to the Fish and Wildlife Service. At this year's annual Petit Manan Point property owners meeting, several of the summer residents expressed an interest in giving easements to the refuge. This is now being explored. D. PLANNING 2. Management Plan The refuge Migratory Bird Disease Contingency Plan and Fire Management . Plan were written and submitted to the Regional Office for approval. 5. Research and Investigations Petit Manan NR85 - Monitoring Colonial Seabird Populations and Reproductive Success in Terns Nesting on Petit Manan Island (53533-1) This was the second year of a long-term study designed to evaluate the effects of the gull control program on the island, and to investigate ways to'increase tern productivity through vegetation management. Memorandum of Agreement Number 14-16-0005-85-9013 was issued to the College of the Atlantic on March 6. Under this contract the refuge paid $4,250 to have two College of the Atlantic students live on the island continuously during June and July to monitor the colonies and protect them from further gull intrusion. Their results are discussed in Section G. 5. E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel Refuge Staff 10/85 1. Thomas A. Goettel, Assistant Refuge Manager GS-9 (EOD 1/5/85) PFT (transferred from Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge) 2. James L. Burney, Biological Aid GS-4 (9/3/85 to 11/2/85) Temp. With the opening of a refuge headquarters in Milbridge, Assistant Refuge Manager Goettel was transferred to the area from Moosehorn National Wild life Refuge, Calais, Maine. James Burney, a student at the University of Central Florida, spent two months as a Student Conservation Association volunteer. He was converted to Biological Aid in September and left in November to continue his studies at the University. (Number of Employees) A PFT PPT Temp. Ttl. FTE FY 1985 1 0 1 1.2 3. 2. Youth Programs The Moosehorn YCC visited the refuge four times in August. Projects included trail and road maintenance, gravel pit reclamation, and brush removal from the blueberry grounds. 4. Volunteer Program Two volunteers were recruited from the Student Conservation Association this year: Jim Burney from Sanford, Florida, and Mike Zeiser from Urbana, Iowa. Mike and Jim stayed at a local campground using a trailer on loan from Patuxent's Orono field station. They started on May 28 and continued working through August 16. These two volunteers tackled many projects while here, including brush ing and posting of boundary lines on Bois Bubert Island; building clean up, maintenance, and stabilization on Petit Manan Island; field mowing; trail construction and maintenance; and assisting in the gull coijtrol work. Jim Burney was later converted to Biological Aid GS-4 (temporary) in September. Total costs of the volunteer program included $1,847.39 to the Student Conservation Association and $589.23 for campsite rental. 5. Funding Fiscal Year 1985 was the first year that Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge was given a separate budget.