Ellice Sweeney Laborer

CAROLINA SANDHILLS NATIONAL WILDL.ibh BE.'UGE

MCBEE, SOUTH CAROLINA

NARRAXI V.6 REPORT

January 1, 1972 - December 31, 1972

PERSONNEL

George R. Garris Refuge Manager

Sam 0 . Drake, Jr . Assistant Refuge Manager*

James E . Howe Forester

Boy F. Rogers Biological Technician

Olin Morrison Biological Technician

Bonnie Kay Warr Clerk-Typist*

Ellice Sweeney Laborer

*Departed this station - 10/1/72 **Intermittent - works 20 hours per week **Intermittent - works 3 days per week

0 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUBJECT PAGE

GENERAL Weather Conditions 1 Habitat Conditions 3

gratory Birds Upland Game Birds Big-Game Animals 8 Fur .Animals, Predators, Rodents, and other Mammals 9 Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Crows, and Black Birds 10 Other Birds 11 Fish 12 Reptiles 13 Disease 14

AFUGE 11EVELOPMENT .AND MATNTENANCE, Physical Development 15 Planting 19 Collections and Receipts 21 Control of Vegetation 21 Planned Burning 21 Fires 22

RESOUBOE MANAGEMENT, Grazing 23 Haying 23

Timber Removal 23

FIEn INVESTIGATION OR APPLIED RESEARCH Progress Report 25

PUBLIC RELATIONS Recreational Uses 29 Refuge Visitors 30 Refuge Participations 32 Hunting 35

Safety ~

OTHER ITEMS Items of- Interest 39 Photographs 39 0

ANNUAL REFUGE NARRATIVE REPORT

CAROLINA SANDHILLS NATIONAL WILDLIE& REFUGE

January-December, 1972

I . GENERAL

A. WeatherConditiogs,:

The information in the table below was obtained from the U. S . Department of Commerce "Climatological Data" tables for South Carolina as recorded at the Cheraw Weather Sta- tion (located approximately 20 miles northeast of the refuge) .

1972 WEATHER DATA

PreciDi tatio,n Temperatures, Month 1972 Now Mali mum, Minimum,

January 5 .09 3 .36 69 8 February 3 .97 3 .47 73 27 March 3 .44 4 .14 78 2 April 1 .01 3 .84 90 28 May 5 .24 3 .36 89 42 June 4 .94 4.09 93 46 July 6 .43 5 .62 96 57 August 2 .03 5 .35 98 62 September 2 .71 4.26 92 52 October 3 .63 2 .68 84 30 November 5 .62 2 .80 84 27 December 5 .39 3 .46 81 17 TOTALS 49 .7 46 .43 9U

The year, 1972, started as a wet year with above average rainfall during January and the first two weeks in February . January was extremely wet with heavy rains throughout the month. Over one-half of the rainfall received in February fell during the first four days of the monthh .

The total precipitation for March was slightly below normal i with rainfall on 14 different days . On March 26, approximately (2)

0 .5 inches of snow fell but it melted almost as soon as it touched the ground .

April was a dry month with only 1 .01 inches of precipitation recorded during the month . This was less than one-third of the average precipitation expected in April . Over one- half of the precipitation was received on April 8, when a total of 0 .64 inches of rainfall was recorded .

May was a wet month followed by June and July with slightly above normal precipitation .

Tropical Depression "Agnes" hit South Carolina during June, 1972, but South Carolina was very fortunate when compared with the states to the north. By the time Agnes hit South Carolina she was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. She remained in the "depression" stage until she reached the North Carolina coast where intensification began . There was little or no wind damage, but major flooding did occur on some of the rivers and large streams . The worst flooding was on the Pee Dee River which reached nearly 11 feet above flood stage at Cheraw South Carolina (located 20 miles northeast of the refuge) . Losses in this area were extensive to pastures, small grains, and soybeans .

Some areas in the state received over 8 inches of rainfall from Agnes but the refuge was lucky and only received approximately 2 .5 inches of rainfall . Except for Martins Lake dam, refuge roads and dams received only minor damage from the heavy rains .

A long hot, dry period hit this area during August, Septem- ber, and the first 18 days in October . During this period there was a deficiency of over 5 inches of precipitation . August had a deficiency of 3 .32 inches of precipitation followed by September with a deficiency of 1 .55 inches . No precipitation was recorded during the first 18 days of October.

Badly needed rains came during the last part of October but they were too late to save some of-the crops . November and December were both wet months and the year ended, as it started, with very wet conditions existing . The amount of precipitation during November and December was almost twice the normal amount with more than 5 inches of rainfall recorded during each month . (3)

B . HabitatConditions :

1 . Water :

All streams flowed freely throughout the year and supplied sufficient water for wildlife, even during the long dry period that occurred in August, September, and October . Almost all of the streams on the refuge are spring fed and even during periods of below normal precipitation, the springs supply adequate water to keep the streams flowing freely .

Except for Martins Lake, it was possible even during the dry periods to maintain water levels in refuge impoundments as scheduled . Heavy rains eroded large holes in the spillway at Martins Lake, making it necessary to lower the water to prevent the collapse of the structure . The 60-acre lake was reduced to approximately 5 acres while repairs were being made to the spillway . Also, while the spillway was being repaired, the old water control structure was replaced . A flashboaxd riser type structure was installed that will permit more efficient water management on this impoundment . The water level can now be fluctuated to encourage better plant growth along the edges of the lake .

One of our continuing problems relating to water management is our conflict with the beavers that live in some of the impoundments . The beavers do not always agree with us on the proper water levels that should be maintained in the impoundments . They are very persistent in their work to raise the levels by plugging the water control structures with tree limbs, mud, and other debris . We spend many hours annually removing their dams of debris from the structures .

2 . Food and Cover :

Due to the erratic weather conditions that created long dry periods followed by extremely wet conditions, the production of natural foods was very sporadic . Some of the early maturing and fast growing annuals produced excellent growth as compared to the late maturing plants that did not produce at all . Some of the better erennial fruit producers during 1972 included persimmon (Dio s vros virgin , hickories (Carya sp .), and longleaf pine (Pinus,ralustris,)s These species all produced excellent crops of fruit . All of the oaks (Quercus sp .) produced good crops of acorns . Dogwoods (4)

(Cornus, floc d4) produced a fair crop of fruit while the 0 production o blackberries (Ru us,ML.), grapes Viti$ ,fps), plums and cherries (Prunes s„g,.,~, and hawthorns (Crataeru$ sp .) was very poor. During 1972, fifteen impoundments were scheduled to be maintained at full water level, six impoundments were to be completely drained, and six impoundments were to be partially dewatered . Except for Martins Lake which had to be dewatered to make emergency repairs, this schedule was followed. Fair to good crops of waterfowl food plants were produced on the exposed shorelines and bottoms of partially dewatered and drained impoundments . Also 10 acres of Japanese millet were planted in the dewatered areas of Martins Lake No . 2 and Pool J. An excellent. crop of seed was produced . The first heavy concentration of ducks observed this fall on the refuge were in the areas where Japanese millet had been planted .

In 1972, Mr. Otto Florschutz, East Coast Biologist, and Sam Drake, Assistant Refuge Manager, made two vegetation surveys in the dewatered impoundments . A summary of the surveys as recorded by Biologist Florschutz is presented below.

,qUW. RM OF WETLAND VEGETATION SURVEYS, :

Two wetland vegetation transect lines were run on Carolina Sandhills NWR in 1972 . These included the line in Ox Pen #1 which has been run each year since 1969 and a newline established this year in the Martin Holdover (Duck Field) area. These two lines totaled 870 feet in which 31 stops were made and five-point sampling was conducted at 155 points . The Ox Pen #1 transect line normally has been taken on the north side ofthe partially drawndown pond where a gradual slope usually abounds in various foods . This year however, the entire 10-acre pond was drawn down for the first time and the completely exposed bottom and sides grew up in vegetation . Consequently, the line location was changed to sample the center of the exposed bottom starting from the control structure and leading straight-away from it . The pond was drawndown on March 15, 1972 and remained drained all summer to the end of September. The spikerushes were the predominant plants and their incidence was nearly double that occurring previously on the higher edges. False loosestrife was second in abundance and occurred about the same incidence as on the edges in 1971 . As might be suspected, (5)

the grasses in the wetter pond bottom occurred less frequently than on the pond edges but still accounted for approximately a quarter of all the samples .

The small Martins Holdover Pond is drawndown each spring and either plowed and planted to Japanese millet or if much good natural food is present, is left fallow and re-flooded in the fall . In order to evaluate the natural production of waterfowl foods, it was decided this year to establish a transect line there . One-third of the area (the lowest portion) was left fallow in 1972 whereas the upper two-thirds was plowed, disked and planted to Japanese millet during the summer . The transect line was run through the fallow portion . Spikerushes again dominated the plant species present and were followed by crabgrass, fall panicum, other panicums, and beggartick .

The fair waterfowl food plant group, spikerushes, comprised 35 .3 percent of all plants recorded in 1972 . They were followed,by the excellent food plant, fall panicum, 12 .1 percent, while fair food, other panicums, were third at 9 .5 percent and the fair food crabgrass and . the non-food false loosestrife were next, each comprising 9 .1 percent inci- dences . These five plants together made up over three- quarters of all the plant life found in the two transect lines conducted on Carolina Sandhills NM in 1972. Good foods comprised 16 .5 percent of the transect lines plant composition, fair foods made up 73 .1 percent and non-foods accounted for 10 .4 percent . The cause in difference in good foods from 1971 was due to the lack of the excellent food, warty panicum, which occurred in the shore line of hake 12 in 1971 and not sampled this year . II. E;W& E A. Migratorv Birds :

The Canada goose population declined in 1972, both in peak population and in use-days . The peak population dropped from 1,150 birds in 1971 to 575 birds in 1972 . This was a decrease of 50 percent in the peak number ; however, the number of use-days only decreased approximately 25 percent .

The two white-fronted geese that arrived with the first fall flight were noted with interest . These two white-fronted geese were the first recorded on this refuge . They were still with us at the end of the year.

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Duck use in 1972 was greater in both peak number and use-days than the use recorded in 1971 but did not reach the peak levels recorded in 1970 . The peak population increased from 4,310 birds in 1971 to 6,000 birds in 1972 with an increase in use-days from 554,947 in 1971 to 628,911 in 1972 . This was an increase of approximately 39 percent in peak numbers and 13 percent in use-days . The increase in ducks was mostly in the populations of wood ducks and mallards . See the table below for changes in waterfowl use during the past three years .

WATERFOWL USE

1970 1971 1972 Peak Peak Peak Specie , Pop .; Use Davs, PoD . Use Davs PoD . Use Dav , Geese 1,300 86,994 1,150 81,940 61,142 Ducks 7,550 798,244 4,310 554,947 6,000 628,911 TOTALS 8,850 885,238 5,460 636,837 6,575 690 0~3

In 1972, four broods of Canada geese were hatched on the refuge . There were fifteen goslings in the four broods, but only nine of them reached the flight stage .

One brood of five goslings that were being nurtured at Lake Bee disappeared early one Sunday morning when they were approximately 8 weeks old . We believe that they were stoled since the old geese habituated the middle of the recreation area where we believe the young goslings were loaded into a vehicle . For about one week after the young goslings disappeared, the old birds would sit near this area and call to their young .

Before they disappeared, the young geese were quite an attraction to the visiting public since this was the first, brood hatched near the recreational area . Many people brought their children to observe and photograph the young geese We were quite disturbed at the loss of the goslings and made an intensive investigation but were unable to recover thin..

An estimated 700 wood ducks were produced on the refuge in 1972 . This includes not only those produced in arti- ficial nesting boxes, but also those produced in natural

(7)

cavities . This estimation is based on a check of nesting boxes and counts of broods that are made twice each month during the nesting season . The first brood of young wood ducks was observed on March 19, 1972, and new broods were observed through May .

In 1972, there were a total of 125 boxes available for nesting wood ducks . Of the 125 boxes, there were 32 wood boxes, .20 metal boxes, and ?3 paper boxes . Nesting attempts were made in 81 of the boxes with 67 of these attempts being successful . Approximately 350 of the ducklings hatched in the boxes reached flight stage .

Other animals recorded in the nesting boxes in 1972 were screech owls and wasps . Better than 90 percent of the boxes had wasps in them, making the checking of the boxes a danger- ous undertaking . We have had very few predators in our nesting boxes to date, and we are hopeful that our good fortune will continue . A summary of waterfowl production during the past three years is shown below .

WATERFOWL PRODUCTION,

Species 1970 1971, 1972

Canada Geese 3 3 9 Wood Ducks 660 712 700

TOTAL bb`3 7~ 709

The Great Blue Heron (=dea herodiae), pied-billed grebe (Podilvmbgs, ;ood,ice- s) , green herons (Butorides, virescens,) , killdeer Charadri s vocifaruQ), and spotted sandpipers (Actitis,maculariA) were the most common water birds observed on the refuge . Other water birds recorded in 1972 included the common egret (,Casmexodious albus,) the Sno egret (LeucoohovX tb. a), and the white ibis (Guar, ~ . Also one wood ibis(Wvcteria ,americanc,) was reported seen at Lake Bee on June 2, 1972 .

Based on the results of the mourning dove "call-count" surveys and other observations, there was an increase in the 1972 dove population over the 1971 population. The 1.972 population was about the same 'as the population recorded in 1970 . See the table below for results of the "call-count" surveys made in 1970, 1971, and 1972 . These surveys are made each year along a 20-mile census route that traverses the middle of the refuge .

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RESULTS OF MOONING DOVES CALL-COUNT SUUVEXS

1970 Number of Doves Calling 120 127 Number of Calls 560 85 562

The refuge staff was not assigned banding quotas for 1972 ; however, research personnel continue to band doves on the refuge . During 1972, they banded a total of 1,319 birds .

B. Upland Game Birds, :

Based on roadside counts and other observations made during 1972, the quail population was estimated to be slightly higher than in 1970 or 1971 . A good hatch occurred and young coveys could be seen along the Visitors' Drive and in refuge fields . The population of quail on the State Forest increased and hunters have reported finding plenty of birds .

Only one turkey, an old gobbler, was seen by refuge personnel during 1972 . Reports of turkeys being seen near the edge of the refuge were received but never verified by refuge personnel . Call-counts of gobblers were made each week during March but no calls were recorded .

C . Big-Game Animals :,

Based on observations made on the refuge and the number of deer killed during the 1972 deer hunts, the refuge's white- ailed deer herd could be estimated to be the largest ever recorded . But based on track counts and night counts made along the permanently established 20-mile census route, as established in our Wildlife Inventory Procedures, the deer herd is slightly below the 1970 level but higher than the 1971 level . See the table below for data obtained from the night counts and track counts made during 1970, 1971, and 1972 .

DEER NIGHT COUNTS AND 'UM TRACK COUNTS

1970 1971, 197, Deer Observed 343 303 321 Tracks Counted 160 *81 124

*In 1971t the ground was frozen and tracks could not be observed during one count .

In spite of the data obtained from the 20-mile census route, we believe that there are more deer on the entire refuge than at any previous time . The 20-mile census route was established to measure trends in the deer herd

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through the middle of the refuge where the deer have been concentrated in the past due to better protection . During the past few years the deer herd has gradually extended its range to cover the entire refuge and private lands adjoining the refuge . Even though the number of deer in the interior of the refuge has not changed much during the past few years, the deer herd throughout the refuge and on private land adjoining the refuge has increased tremendously . This is emphasized by the fact that in 1966 there were only three legitimate hunting clubs on private land adjoining the refuge as compared to 12 clubs that hunted on these areas in 1972 . Most of the clubs reported a successful hunting season in 1972 . One club was even granted a quota of 10 does which they could kill during the season. The State said that this quota was granted because the deer were destroying the crops of a local farmer (who happens to be the head of the hunting club)?

D. Fur.Animals. Predators . Rodents, and Other Mammals :

As planned under our Wildlife Inventory Procedures, track counts are conducted twice each year at 15 stops along a 20-mile census route. A summary of the data recorded in 1970, 1971, and 1972 is shown in the table below :

TRACK COUNT SURVEYS (FFBRUARY 8c

Species, ,1970, 1971, 1972

Bobcat 7 4 7 (Iwnx ) Dog 26 27 31 (Cants Fox, Gray 34 18 48 (,U. cinereoaegenteus,) Fox, Red 41 36 54 (VulDgq fulvq) Opossum 4 1 3 D, marsuui ali s,) Rabbit 18 2 22 (S .- floridgnus ) Raccoon 27 9 22 S (~P%evor~ 1o toy ) 31 4 10 (M mephiti.q) Squirrel, Cat 0 5 0 (~ oarolinex sis,) Squirrel, Fox 19 7 18 (Sciurus .niger,) 0 Trends for miscellaneous wildlife species as indicated below are based on data obtained from the track counts and observations made while conducting other surveys . In general most populations increased to the 1970 level or higher. One exception to this was in the skunk population . Observations indicated that the numbers of skunks increased over the 1971 level, but the population stayed well below the numbers recorded in 1970 .

The red and gray fox populations continued to increase with the largest increase in the gray fox population which was very low in 1971 . For the second year in a row, a red fox successfully raised a litter of young foxes in a den adjacent the Visitors' Drive . In 1971 she raised seven young and this year five young were raised . The pups provided quite an attraction for our visiting public .

The raccoon population was down in 1971 but made a comeback in 1972 to almost the same level as in 1970 . During the winter months, they could be seen on almost any night near the impoundments along the Visitors' Drive .

The rabbit population was about the same as the 1970 population. The only areas on the refuge where rabbits are common are near refuge fields . The oppossum population was greater than the 1971 population, but still below the 1970 level .

Free-ranging dogs (both wild and strays) are still a problem . Based on track counts, the number of dogs on the refuge increased approximately 20 percent in 1972 .

The fox squirrel population was up from the level noted in 1971 but still slightly below the number recorded in 1970 . The gray squirrel population was down from the 1971 level .

E . Hawks Eagles . Owls. Crows . and. Black Birdq :

Hawks, owls, crows, and black birds are common on the refuge . Large flocks of crows and black birds are often seen on the refuge . Black birds are particularly abundant around the Martins Lake fields and the Ox Pen fields .

Raptors that are frequently seen include the red-tailed (Buteo ,iamaIcgnsis,), sparrow (F co suarverius) 'and 'the marsh (Cirou_s ovaneus,) hawks. Other raptors that are common and that were either seen or heard during 1972 included the screech owl (Otus asio), the horned owl (Bubo virgiaianus,), and the barred owl (Strix vari4) . A golden eagle (A uila chrvsaetos,) was observed at the Ox-pen area and the Martins Lake area on February 16 and 17 . On March 30, a golden eagle was observed at Pool D. This was probably the same bird even though no record was made of his presence during the first part of March .

.Other unusual raptors for this area that were seen and recorded included an osprey (Pandion haliaetus,) at Pool L on April 14 and a Peregrine falcon Falco, veregrinus) at Martins Lake on May 30 .

F. Other Birds :

The revised edition of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Resource Publication No . 34 : Rareand Endangergd, Fish and Wildlife of the United States, commonly known as the Red Book, lists the northern red-cockaded woodpecker, (Dendroco-Po4borealis borealis), as rare and endangered . The Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge and the Sand Hills State Forest has a relatively large and active population of these birds .

The red-cockaded woodpecker is the only bird of the United States that must utilize a living pine tree--a tree that is red-hearted and senile--to construct its nesting cavity . Trees that are being used for nesting activities are characterized by large areas of white, . Ditch coated bark around and below the entrance to the nesting cavity .

During 1970, refuge personnel cruised the 92,000 acre Sand- hill Project and determined that the project had a nesting population of 2,000 (* 50 percent) pairs of red-cockaded woodpeckers .

To determine the numerical trend of this woodpecker's Do,P- ulation, state forest and refuge trails, U. S . Highway fl and state and county roads were utilized to establish a permanent census route . By driving the population trend route and counting the active red-cockaded woodpecker cavities seen from the route each year, the long-term population trend of this bird can be estimated .

On June 2, 1972, the refuge forester drove the 80-mile population trend route and. found thirty active nest cavities . Thirty-five active cavities were 'seen from the route in 1970 and thirty-seven were seen in 1971 . This procedure will be conducted annually in future years .

The red-cockaded woodpecker is endangered because of a change in its nesting habitat . The bird must have a red- hearted (a disease of overmature southern pines caused by (Forces mini) pine tree in which to construct its nesting cavity . Present timber management programs in the South are both extensive and efficient and are based on short rotation, even aged management--management which is not conducive to nesting populations of red-cockaded woodpeckers . Thus, this bird is now considered a victim of progress and technology . Unless the nesting habitat required by this bird is provided, it will surely join ranks with the passenger pigeon and the Carolina para- keet; becoming extinct and lost to the world forever .

Current timber management plans commit the lands of the Sand Hills Project to a system of even aged management with a rotation that does not exceed 80 years . Obviously, this is not a management program that is likely to produce the overmature trees needed for the red-cockaded woodpecker's nesting habitat .

It is equally obvious that if a tree must be overmature before it can be used by this bird, the number of years of its usability is limited . Refuge personnel think that at least 10 percent of the trees used by this woodpecker for nesting purposes die each year .

Although State Forest personnel have agreed to protect all active red-cockaded nest trees located in their timber sale areas, considering the present rate of attrition of nest trees and the length of the timber rotation, eventually this bird's nesting habitat will be eliminated on the Sand- hills Project .

After several lengthy discussions between State and Bureau personnel, the State Commission of Forestry agreed to zone certain key stands to reflect priorities other than maxi- mum timber production . No age limit will be established for these stands . Cutting of timber in these areas will be limited to the suppressed and intermediate trees . In no case will the basal areas of these stands be reduced below fifty square feet per acre . Cutting operations will be designed to produce the mature, natural stands needed as nesting habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker .

Timber stands zoned for priorities other than timber management will not only provide nesting habitat for the red-eockaded woodpecker but they will provide a variety of habitat for other species of wildlife and aesthetically pleasing areas for the using public .

G . Fish :

Fishing in refuge lakes varied from poor to good throughout

the season . A number of large bass, some exceeding 8 pounds, were caught in Lake Bee . When the water level at Martins Lake was lowered after the spillway was damaged, large strings of bream were caught .

A check of refuge impoundments made by Fishery Management Biologist Glenn McBay revealed that all lakes were extremely acid. He recommended that hydrated lime be added at 50 pounds per acre in each lake on the refuge prior to fish stocking and routinely in the management program . Seining indicated that the fish population in most impoundments was not balanced and was comprised largely of competitive species . Most lakes contained moderate to heavy growths of vegetation including water milfoil, watershield, and bladderwort.

Fish were stocked in refuge impoundments during November as indicated below :

Lower Triple Lake - 1,000 bluegill Middle Triple Lake - 750 bluegill Upper Triple Lake 500 bluegill Lake 12 2,500 bluegill

H . Reptiles :

Numerous species of snakes and turtles were observed during the year . Refuge impoundments contain high populations of turtles, and water snakes and cottonmouths are commonly en- countered around the impoundments .

Some of the more common species of turtles and snakes observed during the year included--the Eastern box turtle (Terr gene c_ . earoli ak), the painted turtle (,Chrvsemvq,ps i,ct4), mud turtles (Kinostexnon s,), snapping turtles Che1v a serDentina), water snakes (Natrix s-D .), cottonmouths (Agkistrodon p,, pigcivorus,), Eastern hognose snakes (Heterodon platvrhinos), ground snakes (Sonora episcovA), Eastern kingsnakes (Lampro eltis ,g , Retulus) and the Eastern diamond back rattlesnake (Orotalus adamateus,) . A large alligator snapping turtle (Macroolemva temriincki), estimated to weigh over 40 pounds, was observed at Martins Lake . The refuge manager caught an Eastern coachwhip snake (Masticophis fl. flagellum). that measured over 7 feet in length. One problem that we are experiencing is how to keep visitors from killing every snake that they encounter in the field . 0 Refuge employees react in the same manner when they, encounter rattlesnakes and cottonmouths . It is difficult to con- vince people that reptiles are an important part of the wild environment . No pigmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus,aps) were observed during the year . I believe that this rep- tile is an endangered species in this area .

I . Disease :

Positive identification of oak wilt (Ceratocvetis,faQa-, ce4rum), a disease that infects the vascular system and eventually kills oak trees, was made on Carolina Sandhills Refuge in 1970 by personnel of the South Carolina State Commission-of Forestry . Oak wilt is potentially the most serious disease that affects oak trees in the 21 states where it has been found to occur . . Foresters of the State Commission of Forestry made severl trips to the refuge in 1971 and 1972 to observe the rate of spread of this disease and the mortality of the trees in or near the affected areas .

On the refuge, the disease is limited to small isolated plots of scrub oak . Since oak wilt apparently has a very low rate of spread, the disease is not expected to affect refuge operations, at least, not in the near future . The factors that control or limit the ability of this disease to spread are not known, but they are probably related to the factors that directly or indirectly affect either the disease or the agents that spread the disease .

Due to the expense of the recommended method of control-- cut and burn the diseased trees--no control of oak wilt will be attempted on Carolina Sandhills Refuge .

In 1969, personnel of the Migratory Bird Population field station at Carolina Sandhills Refuge discovered that the local mourning dove (Zenaldure, macroura,) flock was infected with trichomoniasis . This disease has been noted in doves using this refuge every year since 1969 . In 1972, Dr. Richard Kocan of the Patuxent Research Center, Laurel, Mary- land, made a parasite survey of doves using this refuge .

The following is the abstract of a paper, Immunologic Status of Mourner Doves Following aq EDizoot'c of T~~jchomopi asis, authored by Richard M . Kocan, Bureau of Sport Fisheries an Wildlife, Patuxent Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, and Spencer R. Amend, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Migratory Bird Population Field Station, McBee, South Caro- lina, that was published in the Journal of Wildlife,Diseases ., Volume 8, April, 1972 . "An epizootic of trichomoniasis in mourning doves at the Carolina Sandhills National Refuge began in 1969 and continued into 1970 . The disease was seen in 16% of the adults and 2%, of the immatures in 1970, but only one immature bird out of 37 survey (3%) carried Trichomonas gallinae . Challenge infection of 33 doves from the epizootic area showed 85 percent to be re- sistant to trichomoniasis, compared to 69 percent resistance in doves from Maryland, where no epizootic has occurred for at least 3 years ."

The gypsy moth (Porthetria disDar,), a forest insect native to Europe and Asia, was discovered in South Carolina in 1971 . This insect was introduced in 1869 into Massachusetts with intentions to produce a hardy race of silk-producing moths . Escaped larva from this experiment are responsible for infestations that currently cause damage to forest and shade trees growing in large areas of the eastern United States .

In an effort to determine the degree of this insect's infes- tation in South Carolina, the State Commission of Forestry decided to place gypsy moth , traps in suitable habitat throughout the state . One trap. was to be placed in each square mile of the State's. area .

In cooperation with the Commission of Forestry, the refuge forester placed gypsy moth traps at appropriate intervals on the refuge . The traps were checked twice . No gypsy moths were detected on Carolina Sandhills Refuge in 1972 .

III . REFUGE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE,

A. Physical Development :

The refuge staff spent many hours on planning, supervising, constructing, and improving public recreational facilities and activities in 1972 . As most of the deferred maintenance and damage created by the 1969 ice storm was eliminated by 1972, much of the refuge personnel's time was expended in either repairing or remodeling old and worn equipment and facilities and other routine refuge operations . The following summarizes most of the refuge development and maintenance activities in 1972 .

Approximately 70 miles of refuge roads and trails were shaped and smoothed with a motor grader . These included the refuge wildlife census route, S refuge trails #1, #2, and #8 and the roads to Martins Lake, Lake #16, and Lake #17 . The roads for the proposed management demonstration drive were surfaced with clay and drainage pipes were installed where they were needed . Work on this project was not completed in 1972 .

The slopes and shoulders of the refuge Visitors' Route were mowed twice in 1972 and work continued with the control of erosion on the infertile, sand slopes bordering the route . Personnel of the State Highway. Department were persuaded to repair several of the holes in the road's asphalt surface and refuge personnel filled and smoothed the remaining hole s .

All construction at Mays Lake was completed and the lake was flooded in September . Before the lake was flooded, 10 metal pipes, 3 inches in diameter and varying in length from 12 feet to 18 feet, were erected in the lake bed . Wood duck nesting boxes will be mounted on these pipes before the. 1973 nesting season.

Refuge impoundments were flooded and drained as scheduled by the annual water management plan. Removing beaver constructed plugs from refuge water control structures was a continual job .

The spillway for Martins Lake (constructed by the WPA in 1937) was undercut by the excessive water from the heavy rains that fell in March . To prevent the collapse of the spillway the lake was dewatered . Owing to the nature of the soil under the structure, it was decided that it would be too expensive to rebuild the structure . . Decisions were then made to convert the damaged spillway to an emergency spillway and mount a flashboard riser type water control structure on the lake's drain pipe.

A dragline and operator were contracted to dig a channel across the front of the spillway and to expose the undercut areas under the structure. The channel and the undercut areas were then . filled with clay ; hopefully, this will prevent water seep- ing under the structure . Cracks and crevasses in the structure were filled with cement . To prevent the lake water flowing over the structure, a cement 0 step, 1 foot high, was cast across the floor of the spillway .

The lake was originally equipped with a corrugated metal drain pipe 36 inches in diameter . A corrugated metal, flashboard riser type water control structure with a drain pipe 32. inches in diameter and 24 inches long was installed by inserting the smaller drain pipe of the control structure into the larger lake drain pipe . The union was then made permanent by casting 7 cubic yards of cement around the control structure and the area where the two pipes were joined .

The new control structure will not only eliminate the need for the spillway but it will permit a more efficient management program for Martins Lake . By varying the number of boards in the structure, the lake's water level can be maintained at opt- imum levels .

The construction of the photography blind at Martins Lake was completed in January, 1972 .

Sprout growth was removed from the Lake Bee-Martins Lake wildlife trail . Segments of the trail's surface of bark chips were resurfaced with new chips .

Saplings and bushes were cut from the dams of all impoundments . Most of this work was done with hand tools .

An overflow drain pipe was installed at the Martins farm unit holdover pond . The pipe will eliminate the process of regulating the pond's water level by opening and closing the water control gate on the drain pipe .

The entrance road to the proposed Hollands Lake dam site was cleared and given a preliminary grad- ing. Mr . Taylor of the Division of Engineering, inspected the site in February, 1972, and decided that the studies for the dam and lake sites should be done by contracted, consulting engineers . A contract was issued to a firm in Cheraw, South Car- olina in March; however, this contract was not completed in 1972 .

Construction of the entrance road to the observation tower was initiated . Biological Technician Boy Rogers constructed the road bed and cleared and smoothed the parking area. The road will be surfaced with gravel when funds are available .

The refuge office was remodeled in 1972 . By constructing two walls, the original clerk's office and reception room was transformed to a visitor reception room and two offices . Other features of the new office complex consist of an asphalt parking lot for the visiting public and a new entrance leading from the parking lot to the visitor reception room. A woven-pattern redwood fence was erected to obscure the service area .

Work was started on converting the equipment storage area located to the rear of the refuge office to a public use room, an utility room and an additional latrine .

Installation of the office air conditioner was begun by a contractor from Lancaster, South Caro- lina in July, but this work was not completed in 1972 . It is hoped that the air conditioner will be installed by July, 1973 . The corner vehicle stall of one of the vehicle storage sheds was converted to a woodworking shop by adding a wall and a large sliding door . The original woodworking shop was too small and was converted to a tool storage area .

A fertilizer storage area was prepared under the pole type lumber storage shed . This was accomplished by walling in one of the storage areas with sheet metal and building an elevated platform (truck bed high) . This will facilitate the hand- ling of bagged fertilizer during planting operations and provide protection to leftover quantities .

A portable building was purchased by utilizing state administered timber receipt funds and will be used as a check station during the refuge public hunts . In addition to the portable building, timber receipt funds were used to purchase six molded fiberglass portable toilets . These units were not delivered in 1572 Prior to the opening of the state deer seasca approximately 40 miles of refuge boundary lines were reposted and repainted . Several abandoned timber harvest roads were blocked with earthen mounds and cable blockades were established adjacent to several refuge gates to prevent hunters driving onto the refuge .

Preparations for the refuge public dove and deer hunts consumed many man-hours of the refuge staff's time . Direction and information signs were manu- factured and erected . The areas open to hunting and the areas closed. to hunting were posted with appropriate signs . As directed by research personnel and to attract mourning doves, food plots were planted by refuge personnel on the area to be used for the dove hunt . In addition to the work of preparing for the hunts, the entire refuge staff was, involved in patrol activities during the hunts .

As in past years, old and worn equipment hindered the refuge staff in their programs . Repairs to this equipment was both time consuming and expensive . The motor and break system of the Chevrolet one half ton truck (1-77105) were overhauled and repaired . New clutches were installed in the Inter- national 404 farm tractor, the D-4 Caterpillar tractor and the ED-5 Allis Chalmers front-end loader. The steering systems of the 404 tractor and the D-4 were repaired and hydraulic pumps were replaced in the D-4 and the HD-5 . In addition to the numerous repairs to refuge equipment that were made in the refuge shop, the Model 118, Galion motor grader was transported to Columbia, South Carolina to have a new motor installed.

In 1972, a large amount of the refuge staff's time was spent working in the office . The amount of time needed to complete office procedures is apparently increasing at an accelerating rate . Hope- fully, once the initial planning for objectives and the PPHE System is completed, the amount of time needed for planning will diminish .(?)

B . Plantings :

1 . Aauatzios and Marsh Plants, : None

2 . Trees and Shrubs, :

Approximately 74,000 longleaf pine (Pines Dalustris,) seedlings were planted on 93 acres of Carolina Sandhills Refuge (20) in 1972 . The seedlings were planted at the rate of 800 seedlings per acre and seedling survival was satisfactory . Pine plantations that were planted in 1972 represent the last of the stands that were destroyed in the 1969 ice storm. Future plantings will be limited to the stands that will be clear-cut as prescribed by the Project's timber management plan .

Approximately 500 eastern redeedar (Junigerus virginiaa4) seedlings were planted at Martins Lake . These seedling were planted to shield the entrance of the photography blind from the waterfowl on the lake and to provide habitat for the many species of small birds and animals that use the Martins Lake area .

Thirty-nine American beautyberry (Callicarta,americana) plants were planted near, the refuge headquarters complex . This planting was done in an attempt to improve-the aes- thetic qualities of the headquarters area and to attract birds and other small animals to the area for the enjoy- ment of the visiting public .

3 Upland Herbaceous Plants, : None

4. Cultivated Cro-as :

Almost all farming on this refuge is accomplished by cooperative farmers . In 1972, they cultivated 516 acres of rye, 330 .acres of soybeans, 45 acres of corn, 134 acres of browse (wheat & rye), 20 acres of proso and browntop millet, 10 acres of wheat (grain), 28 acres of sericea lespedeza, 20 acres of serala lespedeza, 45 acres of bicolor lespedeza, and 6 acres of Japonica lespedeza . In addition they planted 65 acres of crotalaria as a cover crop .

Due to erratic weather conditions that created long dry periods followed by wet periods, yields from some of the crops were very low. Be yields were low and some of the soybean fields did not produce enough beans to pay the harvesting costs . By some miracle the corn yield was good and it provided an adequate supply of "hot" food for winter- ing waterfowl . All of the wheat and rye planted in the fall was growing good at the end of the year and should provide excellent browse during the winter.

In addition to supervising cooperative farmers the refuge staff planted approximately 30 acres of wheat browse), 10 acres of Japanese millet, 10 acres of Japonica lespedeza and bicolor lespedeza, and mowed and fertilized 75 acres of bahiagrass . C . Collectionand Recgi-pts :

1 . Seeds or Other ProDagules :

In 1972, most crop yields were very low . Cooperative farmers did not harvest some of their soybeans due to the low yields . Bye production was only marginal at best . Cooperative farmers harvested approximately 6,000 bushels of rye and 3,300 bushels of soybeans .

The refuge purchased 400 pounds of Japanese millet and 150 pounds of proso millet for planting . Approximately 800 pounds of brown-top millet was received from the State Forest for planting . Cooperative farmers furnished all of the seeds for the crops that they planted .

2 . SDeeimens : None

D. Control of Vegetatio4 :

Personnel of the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry treated 50 acres of pine plantations in Compartment #4 with Silvex to control weed tree sprouts, primarily turkey oak (Queicus laevie) . The 4 pounds acid equivalent Silvex was mixed with water at a rate of 1 part chemical with 7 parts water . A Model 32, Hurricane Mist Blower was used to apply 4 gallons of the mixture to each acre .

The results of the 1972 mist blowing operation appear to be successful .

No chemicals were applied in 1971 .

E . Planned Burning:

1 . General : No controlled burning of commercial timber stands was done on Carolina Sandhills in 1972 . Planned burning operations were limited to a 50-acre burn at the Ox-pen farm unit .

Controlled burning in the sandhills is a hazardous operation at all times . The fuels provided by the longleaf pine- scrub oak stands on this refuge are extremely flammable ; therefore, fires burning in these stands have the potential to explode or escape control at any time . The refuge fire control equipment, a 1953, Model 40-C John Deere fire tractor that is transported by a 1951, Model 1-195 International truck, is not only unsafe, but it is inadequate to control the fast and hot fires common to this area .. ( 2 2)

Due to the hazardous burning conditions on this refuge and the state of the refuge fire control equipment, no controlled burning of forested areas was attempted in 1972 . Because refuge budget l imi tations exclude the replacement of this equipment, no controlled burning operations are planned for the near future .

On April 18, a controlled burn was used to reduce the growth of herbaceous and vascular plants on a 50-acre area of the Ox-pen farm unit . Because strong gusty winds were blowing across the area to be burned it was decided to burn the down-wind side of the area with a backing fire . After a sufficient area had been burned to prevent the fire from burning over the fire break, a head fire was set on the up-wind side of the area.

Good results were obtained on that area of the burn covered by the head fire . Most of the unwanted plants on this area were killed .

Due to the smaller amount of heat generated by the backing fire, very few of the target plants were killed on that area of the burn covered by this fire .

F . Fires :

Wildfire was not a problem on either the State Forest or the Refuge in 1972 . This year's weather was characterized by redundant rainfall and because of this excessive rainfall this area had a low fire danger rating throughout the year.

Wildfire on Carolina Sandhills Refuge was limited . to one fire that burned across 18 acres of a slash pine (Pinus, elliotti) plantation. The fire was attributed to the faulty exhaust system on a machine used to harvest pine straw.

Ground cover in the plantation consisted of dead grass and pine straw. When the fire control crew arrived at the fire it had a very rapid rate of spread, but the modern and efficient equipment used by the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry had no difficulties in controlling the fire . There was no apparent damage to the slash pine saplings growing in the plantation .

The refuge's good fire prevention record can be correlated to extra patrolling by refuge personnel during periods of high fire danger and increasing efforts toward better public relations . ( 23 )

IV . RESOURCEMANAGF,MNT

A. Grazing :

Grazing on Carolina Sandhills Refuge is limited to one permit that was issued to Mr . Gus Catoe . This permit was for 7 acres of land which, is rented on an annual basis of $5 .00 per acre .

B . Having: None

C . Fur Harvest : None

D . Timber Removal :

An agreement (A-SC-454), entered into in 1939, between the Biological Survey of the United States Department of the Interior and the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry divided the Sandhills Project in two areas . One of these areas is the Sand, Hills State Forest and the other is Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge .

In addition to the management of the Sand Hills State Forest, the State Commission of Forestry"was permitted to plant and harvest timber products on the refuge . All income, above expenses, which the State may receive from the Sand- hills Project must be spent, with the approval of the Bureau, developing and maintaining the area .

A devastating ice storm hit the sandhills in February, 1969, wrecking many of the pine plantations and damaging many of the natural stands of timber . Since 1969 and through 1971, timber management activities were limited to the salvage of dead and damaged timber and reforesting the areas on which all timber was destroyed . By 1972, the salvage program had been completed and most of the clear-cut areas had been replanted .

By 1972, the timber management program was again function- ing as prescribed by the current timber management plan . Timber sales made in 1972 were routine selective cuts and overstory removals, except one 85-acre clear-cut sale that was made in Compartment #7 . This clear-cut was made on an area that had been used for several different reforestation experiments . Because of the thick stand of turkey oak (Querous laevis) sprouts that were growing on that area, none of the experiments were successful . It was decided that the most. economical and the most reliable method of securing pine regeneration in the longleaf pine-scrub oak (SAF Type 71) stands is to clear-cut the residual timber, clear the weed species from the area and then replant the area with seedlings of the desired species . ( 24 ) i In 1972, personnel of the Sand Hills State Forest marked and sold 1,598,273 board feet (Scribner) and 1,441 cords of pine timber on 854 acres of Carolina Sandhills Refuge . This timber was sold in seven sales by sealed bid . Total income from these timber sales was $108,631-35 .

In addition to the timber sales the resinous stumps on the 4,386 acres of Compartment h were . sold to Hercules, Inc . for two dollars per ton . This sale--the first sale of resinous stumps made on the Sandhills Project--was made as an experiment .

Although the sale of resinous stumps will provide additional income to the Sandhills Project, State Forest and Refuge personnel are of the opinion that the income generated by this type of sale will not outweigh the problems created by the harvest operation .

..After inspecting the areas of Compartment #1 that the Hercules, Inc . harvest crew had covered in their harvest operation, it was concluded that the sale of resinous stumps in areas containing stands of merchantable timber was not an economical operation . Income from the sale of stumps would not be sufficient to balance the money lost from the damage to standing timber and the money that would be spent to repair the damaged refuge truck trails .

In the future, the sale of resinous stumps will be limited to those areas that have been clear-cut and are scheduled to be cleared and planted .

Hercules, Inc . harvest 429 .59 tons of stumps valued at $859 .18 from Compartment #1 in 1972 . Additional stumps will be harvested from this area in 1973 . The total value of the timber products sold on Carolina Sandhills Refuge in 1972 was $109,490 .53 . Following the conclusion of the ice storm salvage operations, State Forest personnel measured the trees on their continous forest inventory plots . Data from these measure- ments when compared with data obtained from the same plots in 1966, indicated that the volumes of timber on the Sand- hills Project had been reduced by approximately 30 percent .

This large loss of timber volumes is reflected in the condition of the Project's natural timber stands . These stands, due to this reduction of timber stocking,-are creating management problems--problems that will not be eliminated or resolved for many years . To complicate management problems ( 25 )

further most of the trees in these stands are of the age class that will not respond to additional space with a faster rate of growth .

Foresters of the Sand Hills State Forest have decided that it is not economically feasible to thin many of these stands with a selective cut . Additional growth is not stimulated by thinning the trees and some trees are always either destroyed or damaged by the large cumbersome logging equipment that is used in this area . Not only is an immediate monetary loss created by the killed trees but the dead and dying trees are ideal breeding habitat for detrimental forest diseases .

Rather than suffer the loss of timber resulting from logging operations, with no increase in the timber growth rate, State Forest personnel think that the next management operation on these depleted stands should be a clear- cut followed by reforestation . By clear-cutting these stands, the timber volumes required by the management plan for the annual cut could be secured by logging an area smaller than the area that would be needed to harvest equal volumes by a selective cut . This would eliminate the loss of merchantable timber due to logging and it would reduce the danger of epidemics of insects .

Refuge personnel think that this type cf timber management for the depleted timber stands has some merit ; but they foresee that this type of management will cause additional problems for the refuge . For this type . of timber management to be compatible with the refuge program, certain key stands, based on timber age class, species composition and stand location will have to be zoned for priorities other than timber management . These stands should be zoned to place emphasis on forest aesthetics, rare and endangered species and all other species of indigenous wildlife . To enhance the compatibility of forest management by clear- cutting with the refuge program, the clear-cut areas must be limited in size and their sites should be selected to provide an ideal mixture of timber age classes .

V . FIELD INVESTIGATION OR.APPLIED BESEJBOH

A. Progress Report, :

The Carolina Sandhills Mourning Dove Project continued in 1972 with a modification of the study outline that provided for a dove hunt on the refuge to determine if the refuge was reducing the harvest rates of the doves banded on it . Project accomplishments as reported by George Haas, Research Biologist, NB&HRL Field Station are explained in the section ( 26 ) entitled Carolina Sandhills Mourning Dove Investigations .

A study was started in 1972 by Frank Welbourne, Associate Professor at Francis Marion College in Florence, South Carolina, . for the purpose of comparing and contrasting two widely different ecological areas as to vegetational types and soil factors . An outline of this study, as submitted by Mr. Welbourne, is shown after the progress report for the mourning dove research project . A progress report was not received during 1972.

Carolina Sandhills Mourning Dove Investigations (By George Haas

Progress continued on the Bureau's long-term study of mourning doves in the sandhills and adjacent regions of North and South Carolina . As measured by'23 randomly selected call-count routes run by a single observer, the mourning dove breeding population in the ten-county intensive study area showed an increase in 1970 from the 1968 and 1969 levels . Following 1970 there was a gradual decrease in the breeding population index until the 1972 data was not statistically significant from the 1968 and 1969 data . This trend in the breeding population index was thought to have resulted from an ice storm in the winter of 1969 that opened the forest canopy and resulted in large amounts of salvage cutting throughout the study area .

Physiographic region differences were noted in the mourning dove breeding population index within the intensive study area. The Piedmont call-count routes were found to have lower numbers of calling doves present (46 .4) than the upper Coastal Plain (57 .0) and the lower Coastal Plain (60 .1) call-count routes . No yearly trends were differentiated for the call-count routes in the physiographic regions as had been done for the entire intensive study area . How- ever, the yearly trend in calling activity for the whole intensive study area was positively correlated with the yearly trends in calling activity for the Piedmont (r=0 .94), upper Coastal Plain (r=0 .85) and lower Coastal Plain (r=0 .92) . This indicated that though there were differences between the physiographic regions in terms of calling activity, all of the physiographic regions showed the same yearly trends in calling activity .

Short-term variation in numbers of calling doves was examined by running three 10-stop call-count routes on three consecutive mornings each week for six weeks during May anti June . Short-term variation in numbers of calling doves was found to exist in all three of the routes (P 0 .05) . ( 27 )

Weather factors and disturbance factors did not account for any of this short-term variability .

Hurricane Agnes moved through the intensive study area as a weak depression the 20th and 21st of June in 1972 . Its main effect was to cause two days of medium to light intensity rain (4 inches) . The dove trapping data was summarized for five areas of intensive trapping effort in order to check the effect of these two days of rain on dove populations and production . One of these areas did not account for enough immature doves to adequately study the storm's effect, and another of the areas did not show any effect . Three of the areas showed a decrease in numbers of very young immature doves (Primary Molt Categories 0 through 3) and an increase in adults taken at the trap sites during the two week period following the storm . These results were taken to mean that the storm increased mortality among the very young doves and caused a nest loss . However, there was no complete destruction of any portion of the immature population and no resultant domination of the immature age distri- bution by certain age classes . So it appeared that the passage of Subtropical-depression Agnes through the study area did not detrimentally affect the dove population even though some immediate effect was noted .

5,134 mourning doves were banded by project personnel and cooperators in North and South Carolina during the 1972 Preseason Banding Period . Examination of capture success and age ratios throughout the day again showed that the morning and evening rounds gave the best results, but the evening rounds accounted for the capture of more adults . Noon rounds were generally poor in terms of numbers, but generally yielded the highest proportion of adults . These results were most pronounced in June . The month of June yielded the highest capture of adults per trap day (1851 greater than July and 231% greater than in August) .

Carolina Sandhills NationalWildlife Refuge Mourning Dove, Hunt

In cooperation with the Carolina Sandhills National Wild- life Refuge, a dove hunt was held on the refuge . The refuge appeared to be reducing the harvest rates of the doves banded on it . The objectives of the study were (1) to determine the effects of hunting on the survival rates of mourning doves banded on the Carolina Sandhills National Wild- life Refuge, ( 2) to compare the survival rates of doves ( 28 ) banded on and off the refuge during nonhunting and hunting years, (3) to determine whether hunting causes doves to significantly change their use patterns of the refuge as nesting and staging areas .

The hunt was held the first five Saturdays of the dove hunting season. Hunter access was controlled by restrict- ing the number of hunters to 150 per hunt . Data concerning the hunters on the refuge dove hunt were available from the carbons of the permits for the hunt . In addition each hunter was issued a dove wing envelope when he bought his permit, and was asked to voluntarily turn it in at the end of his hunt with a wing from each of the doves he recovered .

Two hundred and fifty-one hunters participated in the dove hunt of the possible 750 . An estimated 969 doves were harvested (not including crippling loss) . Sixty-eight percent of the hunters came from the Columbia, S . C . area, and 13 .2 percent of the hunters participated in more than one of the five hunts . The mean bag for the total five days of hunting was 3 .9 with an age ratio (immatures to adults) of 6 .1 . Not all of the 1972 hunting season recovery records are in yet, so the major portion of the work unit can not yet be evaluated .

OUTLINE OF P OPOSED ECOLOGIC .M STUDY IN THE SANDHILLS NATION VILDLU'E REFUGE

Purpose of Study To compare and contrast two widely different ecological areas as to vegetational types and soil factors . Two such areas, an undisturbed scrub-oak-pine upland area and a swampy bottomland area along Black Creek have been selected . Sample areas of 3600 feet oriented in a north-south will be chosen in each area .

Procedures : a) Soil - Soil samples will be taken each 100 feet and each three consecutive samples will be composited into one sample . Samples will be taken from the 0 - 6 inch levels and from the 18 - 24 inch levels . This will comprise 48 total samples for the two 'areas . Samples will be taken with a soil auger, air dried, passed through a 2 mm sieve, arld analyzed for texture (%sand, silt, and clay), organic con- tent, pH, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus . Hopefully, soil moisture determinations can be made from samples taken with the soil auger at 300 feet intervals . ( 29 )

b) Trees - A quantitative analysis of the trees will be done in each area using the Quarter Method (Cottam and Curtis) which samples 4 trees at each point. A total of 15 points (located 240 feet apart) would-be used . This method would determine the dominant species in each area, the frequency of each species in each area, the basal area of each species in each area, and the density (number oftrees per acre) in each area,

c) Shrubs and Woody Vines - The shrubs and woody vines would be sampled by the Line-Intercept Method (Canfield, 1941) by which leaf and sten surface covering a 10 meter line would be measured with a centimeter ruler. Twelve . of these 10 meter lines would be run and density, frequency and cover of each species determined .

d) Herbs - Herbs would be sampled by the stan- dard Clip-Quadrat Method in which a - square meter frame is placed at random (in my case every 100 feet) and each species clipped off at ground level, placed in paper sacks, and oven-dried at 90 degrees centigrade for 48 hours . Each species is then weighed and from this the dominant species may be determined as well as density, frequency, and cover for each species . Productivity (pounds per acre) may be determined as well .

I would like to get comparative light readings in the two areas by using light meter readings in foot-candles every 50 or 100 feet taken silmutaneously in the two areas . I would also like to take soil temperature readings silmul- taneously in the two areas . It is questionable that these two factors can be obtained due to time andd finances involved .

VI . PUBLIC RELATIONS

A. Recreational. Use, :

Driving the Self-guiding Visitors' Auto Route and picnicking at the Lake Bee Recreational Area, as in past years, were the most popular recreational activities on Carolina Sandhills Refuge in 1972 . Many people combined a tour of the Visitors' Route with a picnic-at Lake Bee. ( 30 )

Driving the Self-guiding Visitors' Route was the most popular recreational activity on this refuge . Approximately 19,650 people from North Carolina and South Carolina used the Visitors' Route to observe the migratory birds and indigenous wildlife that frequent the vicinity of the route .

Individual family use of the Lake Bee Recreational Area far picnicking declined in 1972, but the area was frequently used by large organized groups . The area was utilized by these groups for family reunions, church picnics, boy scout outings, and other social functions . Approximately 9,342 people picnicked at the Lake Bee Recreational Area in 1972 .

Because of the expanded hunting program on this refuge, there was a noticeable increase in the number of hunters that visited the refuge in 1972 . In. addition to the traditional gun hunt for whitetail deer and the bow hunt for deertthat .was held for the second year, the Ox-pen farm unit was utilized for a mourning dove hunt. This hunt, the first hunting of doves permitted on this refuge, was author- ized to gather banding information for the Carolina Sand- hills Mourning Dove Research Station . In 1972, hunters enjoyed approximately 4,464 visits to Carolina Sandhills Refuge . (See Section V for additional details) .

Carolina Sandhills Refuge had approximately 33,300 visits by the using public in 1972 .

B. Rgf=e Visitors, :

Mr . Otto Florschutz Area Biologist, BSF&W Numerous Visits Mr. C . D. Burch S . 0 . Wildlife Dept . Numerous Visits Mr. W . R. Jones S . 0 . Wildlife Dept . Numerous Visits Mr . Bill Good Pee Dee NWR Numerous Visits Mr. Joe Mills Sand Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr . Tom Suit Sand Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr. Kenneth Cabe Sand Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr . Paul Blessing Sand Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr. Jack Douglas Sand Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr. Peter Bischoff Sand. Hills State Forest Numerous Visits Mr. Harold Steele GMA, Columbia, S . C . Numerous Visits Mr. Frank Johnson Refuges, Regional Office Numerous Visits Mr. A. 0 . McLeod Cooperative Farmer Numerous Visits Mr. Bobby McLeod Cooperative Farmer Numerous Visits Mr. Gus Cato e Cooperative Farmer Numerous Visits Mr. Bill Carter SCS, Chesterfield, S.C . Numerous Visits Mr. Mike Hines Realty, Regional Office Numerous Visits (31)

Mr. Richard Harmes Forester, Chestfld Cnty . Numerous Visits Mr. Olin Driggers State Conserv . Officer Numerous Visits Mr. Clyde Ward State Conserv . Officer Numerous Visits Mr. H . L . Lee State Conserv . Officer Numerous Visits Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Peterson Kensington, Maryland 1/3/72 Mecklenburg Audubon Soc . Charlotte, N . 0 . Billy Durant S . 0 . Wildlife Dept . Augustus Ward, Jr . Binghamton, N . Y . 3/ 722 Mack A. Goldstein Spring Valley, N. Y. 2 Tommy W. Guiliam Vestal, N. Y. 3/1/72 Ed Folsom & Family Eastern Neck NWB Gulford Gulley Camden, S . 0 . 13/72 Henry S . Moore Clemson, S . 0 . 4/27/724 Glen S . Garris Clemson, S . 0 . 4/27/72 Bay Noblif Clemson, S . 0 . 42772 Jeff Fountain Santee NWR 9/2/72 Bruce W. Bolick Conover, N . C . Blue Gennen Knowle Walks, England 5%9%72' Wilbur Blongaest Greenville, S . 0 . Wally Benton Greenville, S . 0 . 6/6/726%622 Carolyn Baymer Greenvillo, S . 0 . Louisa Grien Charleston, S . C . Barbara Baker Charleston, S . 0 . 6/6/726/6/72 Helen White Orangeburg, S . 0 . 6/6/72 Pattie Williams Cordova S . 0 . 6/6/72 Margaret Burney Aiken, S. 0 . 6/6/72 Clark Goodlett Austen, S . 0 . John Salter Charleston, S . 0 . Eleanor Ross Charleston, S . C . 6/6/726/6/6 2 James Thrailkill Cheraw, S . C . 6/6/72 Sue Owens Greenville, S . C . 6/6/72 Herbert Keisher Gilbert, S . 0 . 6/6/72 Carl Skenes Charleston, S . c . 6/6/72 Elizabeth Herlong Saluda, S . C . 6/6/72 William Fleming Abbeville, S . C . 4/4/72 Joy Wannamaker N. Charleston, S . 0 . 6/6/72 W. C . Lehmann N. Charleston, S . 0 . 6/6/72 Raymond St . John Alburquerque, N. M. 6/28/72 T . L. Quay N. C . State University 7/25/72 J. B . Mathies N. C . State University 7/25 72 G. W. Woodyard Wayne Community College 7/2 /72 Harold E . Ross State University 9/25 72 Charles Strickland Santee 9/2/72 Glenn McBay Fishery Service, RO 9/19/72 Mozelle Oswald S . C . Welcome Center 10/24/72 J. L. Alford Hartsville, S . C . 10/21/72 Harold 0 . Hanson Ill . Natural Hist. Survey . 11/30/72 ( 3 2 )

0 . RefugeParticitations :

Approximately 40 boy scouts and their adult leaders camped at the Lake Bee Camping Area on January 14 . The following morning the group walked the refuge wildlife trail ; after- wards, Biological Technician Boy Rogers demonstrated the techniques of animal trapping to the group . During the evening of January 16, Forester Howe presented the group with a slide program pertaining to the national wildlife refuge system.

Dr. T . S . Buie, author of a weekly article that appears in the Cheraw Chronicle, a newspaper printed . in Cheraw, South Carolina, visited the refuge in February . Dr. Buie obtained information for a series of six articles about the Sand- hills Project (3 about the State Forest and 3 featuring the refuge) .

Thirty members of the Mecklenburg Audubon Society of Char- lotte, North Carolina, visited the refuge on February 14 . Members of this club made numerous individual visits to the area during the year.

The vocational agriculture class from McBee High School, McBee, South Carolina, visited the refuge on February 12 . The class toured the refuge farm units and the public use facilities at Martins Lake . Manager Garris and Assistant Manager Drake interpreted the refuge's wildlife farming program for them .

On February 23, Mr . Billy Durant, South Carolina Wildlife Resources Department, visited the refuge to photograph the various refuge activities for future television programs . Mr. Durant was particularly interested in the red-cockaded woodpecker.

The McBee Boy Scouts camped on the refuge on March 3, 4, acid 5 . Assistant Manager Drake worked with the boys in their efforts to obtain nature badges .

On March 20, Refuge Manager Garris cooperated with State Wildlife Coordinator, John Culler, in presenting a wildlife oriented television program for'Channel #10, Columbia, South Carolina . Mr. Garris and Mr . Culler discussed the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker .

On March 27, Manager Garris again cooperated with Mr . Culler by tapeing •a television program about the red-cockaded woodpecker. The program was transmitted twice on an educational television channel . (33)

Mr . Mike Bara, a biologist with the South Carolina Wildlife Resources Department, visited the area on March 30 . Mr. Bara was interested in transferring several alligators to this refuge . Mr. Bara stated that he was often requested to capture and remove unwanted "pet" alligators .

The refuge manager and the refuge forester attended an outdoor conservation program that was sponsored by the Seaboard Coastline Railroad on April 4 . The program's theme was "Environment - A Look Ahead" . There were demonstrations that featured the latest developments in the filds of forestry, air and water quality, recycling, agri-business, pesticides, herbicides, wildlife, housing, and rural development .

Seventeen boy scouts and four adults from McBee camped on the area on April 17 .

Mr. Thad Cobb, Scout Executive for the Pee Dee Area of the Boy Scouts of America, made several visits to the refuge to finalize plans for the Scout SOAR Camporee that was held on this refuge on May 12, 13, and 14 .

Approximately 125 scouts of the Chesterfield-Marlboro Dis- trict participated in the SOAR Camporee . Refuge personnel presented the group with several programs pertaining to refuge management . These programs included a deer drive in which all the scouts participated, a slide program about refuge management and endangered species, a fire control demonstration, and lectures and nature studies . Personnel of the South Carolina State Commission of Forestry assisted the staff in presenting parts of these programs .

The South Carolina Conservation Camp from the Cheraw State Park visited the refuge on June 6 . Research Biologist Gecrge Haas and his research banding crew demonstrated the banding of doves to the group . Refuge personnel discussed the various refuge management practices with the young campers and guided them on a tour of the, refuge .

The annual, joint planning conference between the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the South Carolina State Commission ofForestry was held at the Sand Hills State Forest headquarters on June 7 . The commission was represented by : John R. Tiller, State Forester ; E . 0 . Pickens, Assistant State Forester ; Fred' W. Horne Man~ e- dent Assistant ; Joe Mills, Director, Sand Hills 6tate Forest ; and Peter Bischoff, Forester, Sand Hills State Forest . The Bureau was represented by : Frank Johnson, Assistant Super- visor of Refuges ; Verlon Carter, Regional Forester ; George ( 34 )

R. Garris, Refuge Manager* Sam Drake, Assistant Refuge Manager ; and James Rowe, kefuge Forester .

The State dove season opened on September 2 and the Sand Hills State Forest sponsored its traditional public dove hunt on this date . Because of numerous complaints by the public of gross infractions of the hunting regulations by hunters participating in these hunts, USGMA Harold Steele requested the aid of . Assistant Manager Drake and Refuge Forester Howe for a "saturation patrol" . Thirteen' state wardens were included in the operation. The law enforce- ment personnel, all in hunting clothes and carrying shot- guns, dispersed through the hunting areas . This patrol apprehended 55 hunters for various infractions of the hunting . regulations .

Assistant Manager Drake presented a slide program relating to refuge activities to 20 members of the Darlington Rotary Club on July 28 .,

In July, Frank Johnson, Assistant Supervisor of Refuges, George Haas, Research Biologist, Migratory Bird and Habitat Research Laboratory Field Station at Carolina Sandhills Refuge, Manager Garris and Assistant Manager Drake met with Game Management Agent Harold Steele to discuss and - formu- late guidelines for- the proposed refuge dove hunt . The proposals were then explained to Messrs . Ryan and Webb of the South Carolina Wildlife Resources Department and: Messrs . Tiller and Horne of the South Carolina Commission of For- estry .

On September 13, Assistant Manager Drake presented. a slide program to the members of the Women's Club of Bethune, South Carolina .

On September 19, the refuge manager participated in a radio program at Hartsville, entitled "What's Going On In The . McBee Community" . The new public use facilities and the hunts scheduled for October and November were discussed . This is supposed to be a monthly event and the refuge has been asked to participate in at least 2 programs each year .

The refuge held "Open House" on October 14 and 15 . . Approx- imately 600 people visited the area on these 2 days.

On November 25, a group of 25 boy scouts from Chesterfield, South Carolina camped at the Lake Bee Camping Area . The following day the scouts utilized the refuge in working to qualify for their. nature badges .

(35)

Harold C . Hanson of the Illinois Natural History Survey visited the refuge on November 30 . Mr . Hanson was interested in the refuge's flock of Canada geese and requested that the refuge staff ship to him . the carcasses of any geese that died on the refuge .

Refuge personnel guided numerous individuals and small groups on tours of the refuge and made efforts to inter- pret the refuge program for them .

From October 16 through October 21, 1972 Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge was open to the public for the hunting of whitetail, deer . Hunters were limited to bows • arrows in accordance with State regulations and the bag limit was designated as one buck and one antlerless deer. The Lake Bee Camping Area was open to those hunters who wished to camp on the refuge .

Weather conditions were ideal for archery hunting . The first two days of the week of hunting had warm temperatures • very little wind . A cold front, accompanied by rain • high winds moved across this area during the middle of the week . The remainder of the week was characterized by days with cool morning and evening temperatures and mild temperatures during' the middle of the day . After the cool front had passed through the area, air turbulence presented no problems to the hunters .

Immediately before and during the cool days following the passage of the cool front, large numbers of deer were observed feeding and traveling, both late in the morning and early in the afternoon . These conditions were almost ideal for archery hunting . Nearly all of the hunters observed deer and most of the hunters that hunted every day of the season had the opportunity to shoot at one or more deer.

Five deer were checked through the refuge checking station . The deer checked consisted of two bucks and three does with one of the bucks having an eight point rack of trophy quality . Several of the hunters reported that they wounded deer but they were not able to find the wounded animals .

There were 290 man-days of hunting during the six day archery season. During the season 64 hunters utilized 31 camp sites at the Tnke Bee Recreation Area.

The 1972 archery hunt on Carolina Sandhills Refuge must be (36)

considered a huge success . While a total of five deer is not an unusually high return for 290 man-days of hunting, it is a much better return than that produced by the 1971 hunt which had a total . of 245 hunter days recorded and no deer were killed .

The refuge was open for deer hunting (bucks only) with firearms from October 30 through November 4 and from Nov- ember 8 through November 11 . The refuge was open for 10 days as compared to 9 days in 1971 . During this 10 days, 3,705 hunters registered and checked out 96 bucks as compared to 3,159 hunters that registered in 1971 and checked out 58 bucks . Stated another way approximately 17 percent more hunters harvested 65 percent more deer in 1972 than in 1971 . The number of hunters varied from a high of 807 on opening day to a low of 187 on the 9th day .

All of the deer checked were in very good condition, but the average weight for 2* year age class continued to decrease - with an average weight of 107 lbs . in 1972 as compared to 120 lbs . in 1971 . The average weight of 139 for the 31 year and older age class was almost identical to the average weight of 140 recorded for this age class in 1971 .

The average weight for the 1* year age class reversed its downward trend of the past 2 yearsincreased andd •from 86 lbs . in 1971 to 101 lbs . in 1972 . This increase was probably due to the abundance of natural foods produced during the 1971 and 1972 growing season .

Since more deer were killed and more hunters participated An this year's hunts than in previous years, the 1972 hunts would have to be considered successful . Also, after the first day there were not as many minor violations noted as in the past . The operation of vehicles on trails closed to private vehicles, speeding, littering, and the possession of alcoholic beverages were the violations most frequently observed . A summary of the hunt is presented in the following table .

1972 M R HUNTS (GUN

/i,1:. is ~T0, DEER NUMBER i ' TY RBU TOTAL CHECKED DATF, HUNTERS HOURS VALUE RBU' S OUT October 30 807 6,456 30 193,680 October 31 460 3,680 30 110,400 .20 November 1 379 3,032 30 90,960 6 (37)

0 NUABER NO . MER NUMBER ACTIVITY RBU TOTAL CHECKED BATE, HUNTERS_HOURS VALUE, RBU' S OUT

November 2 324 2,592 30 77,760 9 November 3 275 2,200 30 66,000 5 November 4 596 4,768 30 143,040 4 November 8 212 1,696 30 50,880 6 November 9 238 1,904 30 57,120 6 November 10 187 1,496 30 44,880 1 November 11 227 "1,816 30 54,480 7 TOTALS 3,703 29 40 W 589,200 96

.Information concerning the research dove hunt is presented under Part V ., Field Investigation or Applied Research .

E . Violations :

The number of violators (twenty-one) apprehended on this refuge in 1972 is comparable to the numbers apprehended in previous years .. Most of the violations detected were, in some way, related to deer hunting--a sport that. presents a growing problem to the small staff of this refuge . Game zone #5 (Chesterfield County) has a legal hunting season of 14 weeks . Because of the heavy hunting pressure, by the last month of this season most of the deer that normally inhabit the private lands near the refuge are either killed or pushed onto the refuge . At this time the refuge deer herd is an almost irresistible temptation to the local hunters . As Carolina Sandhills has 90 miles of boundary line and several private holdings in its interior that are used for hunting purposes, it is impossible for the refuge staff to devote the time necessary to patrol the refuge thoroughly and to perform its other necessary duties .

A list of the vio]a tions detected in 1972 and their dis- positions is shown below:

Name, Violation Di svo si.tio Q

Ralph W . Lisenby Firearm on Refuge Fined 10 Gary DeBruhl Hunting Closed Area Fined 25 Thurston L. Hill Hunting Closed Area Fined 25 Arnold M . Keever Hunting Closed Area Fined 25 . Thomas W . Riddle Hunting Closed Area Fined 2 (38)

William M . Steen Bow & Arrow on Refuge Fined Harold H. Stuart Firearm on Refuge Fined $25$15 Paul Griffin Firearm on Refuge Posted $25 Wendell F. Brockington Hunting W/O N-R License Fined 50 Jonnie Threatte Vehicle on Closed Area Fined 25 Ellis H, Cowick Hunting W/0 N-R License Fined 50 Fred J, Rinehart Hunting W/O N-R License Fined 50 James Sparks Hunting W/O N-R License Fined 50 Furman P . Blanks Firearm on Refuge Posted 25 Lawrence Johnson Firearm on Refuge Posted 25 Marian Q . Parker Firearm on Refuge Posted 25 Billy Ray Gardner Exceeded Dove Limit Fined 25 Henry E . King Firearm on Refuge Fined 10 Robert A. Streett Firearm on Refuge Fined 10 Thomas D . Carter Firearm on Refuge Fined 25 Barney 0 . Parker Hunting on Refuge Fined 75

In addition to the violations that were detected and disposed of in 1972, three violations that were detected in 1971 were disposed of in Federal Court in 1972 . Thomas Griggs, Kenneth Thurman and Harold Deese were charged with failing to register for the 1971 deer hunt on this refuge . Kenneth Thurman and Harold Deese were fined $25 .00 each and Thomas Griggs was judged to be innocent .

In 1967, a cost fee system was initiated to pay the costs of catching and feeding free-ranging dogs on this refuge . A minimum charge of $5 .00 is levied for each dog caught and the money collected is remitted to the Regional Office in the same manner as other refuge receipts . During the 1972 hunting season 36 dogs were capture, on the refuge .

F . Safety :

Personnel of Carolina Sandhills Refuge had no accidents in 1972 . The last lost-time accident at this station occurred on October 30, 1963 . Since that time and through December 11, 1972 (3,298 calendar days) the refuge staff worked 127,902 hours .

-The refuge staff is constantly alert for situations, that may be hazardous to either the visiting public or refuge employees .: Refuge equipment is habitually checked for violations of safety regulations and efforts are made to keep the refuge roads - and trails free .of all hazards .

Monthly safety meetings are held at the refuge headquarters . "It'these meetings the safety material received from the 1, 0 (39)

Regional. Office is read and discussed . Films and slide presentations from the Regional Office film library are utilized in many of these meetings . Existing safety hazards are discussed and necessary remedies to correct the situations are suggested .

VII . OTHER ITEMS

A. Itemsof Interest:

Cdr. Samuel 0 . Drake, Jr ., Assistant Refuge Manager, transferred to the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge as Refuge Manager-in-charge . We were unhappy when Sam and his family departed this station and hope that they will be happy in their new location .

Mr. James E . Howe, Refuge Forester, received a Special Achievement Award for his performance during 1971 . While the Refuge Manager and the Assistant Manager were swamped with objective planning and PPBE, Mr. Howe accepted added responsibility and kept field operations going at a rapid pace. He devoted many extra hours and much effort to planning, supervising, and constructing public use facilities at Martins Lake . In addition, he spent many hours on vol- untary patrol which resulted in a number of violators being apprehended and prosecuted .

This narrative like most projects completed at this refuge is the result of team effort but most of the credit for collecting, compiling, and writing the narrative belongs to Forester James Howe . All employees helped with the accumulation of information and the refuge manager assisted by writing a few articles but the finished narrative is the product of hard work by Forester Howe . In closing this narrative we would like to leave you with a little rare philosophy as expressed by Boy Rogers, Bio- logical Technician. During his 28 years with the Bureau, he has experienced many changes and periods of uncertainty and offers some excellent advice in these changing times, especially, for this sandhill area . Mr. Rogers' advice is "that if we all stick together : and work hard, we can grow a real crop of sandspurs nest . year."

B . Pbotoarauh„d :

The photographs on the following pages depict some of the refuge activities conducted in 1y72 . (40)

The 1972 Annual Narrative Report for Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge is respectfully submitted by :

7. i L"T~ George R. Garris Refuge Manager

SUBMITTED: 4-1101-73 APPROVED :

Assistant ~S~ oenaa Rcftg- Sispe Ms®r

APR 1 11973

0 I

TopPhoto : George (3arria, Refuge Manager and Roy Rogers, Biological Technician .

Bottom Photo : James E. Howe, Refuge forester, receives a Special Achievement Award certificate and a check for $200.00 (less taxes) from Frank Johnson, Assistant Regional Supervisor, Division of Refuges . TopPhotos Olin Morrieon, diological Technician .

Bottom Photos Bonnie Kay Warr, Clerk-Typist (lntereittent) . Top Photos Alit. Sweeney, Laborer, WG 2 .

Bottom Photos Tai larborouEh and Jessie Poston, laborers hired throw the Sand Hills State Forest with timber receipts . I

Top Photo : The Is;-tches Rivar, the stream that drains the southern part of the Refuge .

Bottom Photo$ The Ox-pen Farm Unit. Ox-pen Lake # 1 can be seen in the background . .*

!op Photo$ The resident flock of Canada Osaa (Brranta canadonsis) produced these two broods at Nartina Lake . Bottom Photo, Beavers (Castor o~,ts) are frequently soon near the Self-tuidink Visitors' hoots . 0

TopPhoto, : • family of refine visitors blissfully observing one of (nature's most energetic and interesting members of the animal kingdom . Sometimes these energetic animals can become pests, particularly around water control structures .

Bottom Phi: The refuge office before it was remodeled . Top Photo : blew entrance to the visitor reception room and the clerk's office .

BottomPhoto : A woven patterned redwood fence was erected to obscure the service area. 0 11

TopPhoto : £he completed project--new entrance, now paricing lot and now fence .

Bottom Photos One of the first visitors to attest to use the new entrance. Eastern coachwhip (!'lasticophis fla~ellun: flakellum) . Top Photo : This happy boy scout caught this string of bass (Kicroptsrus, salmoidss) and brews (Leepom s &acroohirus) in on. of the refuge lakes .

Bottom Photo : Mr . &arnsst Williams of McBee, South Carolina with a black bass that weighed 8.5 pounds. Mr . Williams caught the bass at Lake Be* . TopPhotos Billy Durant, a photographer for the Mate Co-Rmission of Wildlife Pescurces visited the rsfuie to file tae nesting activities of the rare and endankerad red-cockaded woodpecker (Dendrocopus borealis ',:orealis) .

Bottom Piotot The agriculture class from Kcas . (South Carolina) Hijh Iichool as* the observation ,.over to view the Martins Lake Farm Init . t

TopPhoto : Excessive water from the heavy rains that fell in March undercut the soil from the spillway at Martins Lake . Roy Rogers is holding a ruler 36 inches lone in one of the cracks in the spillway's walls .

Bottom Photo : A contracted dragline was used to expose the areas that were undercut. TopPhotos The spillway was converted to an emergency spillway by casting, a concrete step across its floor.

BottomPhotos To drain the lake's normal discharge, the screw type headgate was removed from the drain pipe and replaced with a corrugated metal, flashboard riser type water control structure . s

TopPhotos On the day the control structure was to be attached to the drain pipe refine personnel discovered that vandals had cut the exhaust hose of the pump that was to be used to drain the hole for the structure . The a^.ployees evolved this unique method of repairing large diaseter rubber hoees. The hose was secured to the barrel with metal straps .

Bottom Photos Local fishermen were unusually successful in catchir .k bass, brir;n, warm-uth (Cha,;robr ttus coror.ario,is) chain picxarrel (Lsscx niLar) and bullhoad catfish (Amsiurue nebulosus) from Aartins Lake durice, the time the spillway was being; repaired. The lake normally contains W acres of water but it was drained to anuroxi'ately 5 acres to facilitate the repairs . I

Top Photo : Members of the South Carolina Conservation Camp were given a dove banding demonstration by personnel of the mourning dove research project .

BottomPhoto : Game Management Agent W. C . Lhman and Personnel of the South Carolina Division of Wildlife Resources assisted refuge personnel in guiding the members of the Conservation Camp on a tour of the Refuge . TopPhotos The 3o'ath Carolina State Commission of Forestry provided a fire control demonstration for the scouts that participated in the S(MR camporee .

BottomPnotot Roy Ropers demonstrates animal trappinj and trackin4 to the scouts . 9

Top Photos Public use on the refuge wildlife trail . bottom Photos That first deer to be checked at the refuge check station by an archery hunter . 9

Top Photos This browntop millet (Panic ram) was planted at the Ox-pen Farm Unit to attract doves research dove hunt .

Bottom Photos A dove hunter in his Mitat. 0

N 3 ~tL

TopFhotos Typical refuse wildlife food plot . Beds produced by the rye (Secale Ift., M.1 cereals) growing in this field will not be harvested .

r3ottoa Photos A food plot being utilized by whitetail deer (Odocoilsus viriin_ iar .i6) .

.0k . 9i r, `rx n (i l` 9

To Photos This lams industrial type truck was used by the personnel o Hercules, Inc . to harvest resinous stumps from Compartment # 1 . NX-lb-Not ,VAiCa'ble :~qlicable

3-17 f Form 5 DISEASE 60701 Refug ro>ina Sandhillls

Botulism Lead Poisoning or other Disease -Kind of di Period of outbreak omoniasis Trichomonas allinae

Period of heaviest losses Species affeetl'Mrning Doves

Losses : Number Affected Actual Count Estimated Species Actual Count Estimated (a) Waterfowl (b) Shorebirds (c) Other

Number Hospitalized No. Recovered % Recovered Number Recovered

(a) Waterfowl Number .lost (b) Shorebirds (c) Other Source of infection

Areas affected (location and approximate acreage) Water conditions

Water conditions (average depth of water in sickness areas, reflooding of exposed flats,etc .- Food conditions

The disease was observed on doves on this ar::a for the fourth consecutive year ; however, it is impossio-e to give an accurate estimate of the number of birds which succumbed to the disease . Unlike previous years, most of the infected undividuals examined were young birds . Condition of vegetation and invertebrate life Remarks

.73 Form NR-7 (Rev . June y6o) NONAGRICULTURAL COLLECTI :c , AND PLAIv"II :iO

Refuge Carolina Sandhill National Wildlife Refuge Year 19 72

Collections and Receipts Plant ings• (Seeds, rootstocks, trees, shrubs) (Marsh . - Aquatic - Upland) Amount Amount (2) (3) Rate of Planted (Lbs ., C Method Total Seeding (Acres or Amount and bus ., or or Amount Location of or Yards of Nature of Species etc .) R Date Source Cost on Hand Area Planted Planting Shoreline) _Propagules Date Survival

~ngleaf Comp, . l,st 22 Pine 2,st 59 62 800/ac 74,000 93 acres 1-72 Satisfac-ory 64 Pinus 6, st29 palustris 8,st 2 . 4 (partial 10,st 22

(1) Report agronomic fr_u•m v tops on Form NR-tS lteiru~L~1t s (2) C = Collections and R = Receipts (3) Use "S" to denote surplus

'f i t.rt,1_ r~r~, F .irF;r p1 ru11,e 1 f+lr~rcJI% ri.utl a I U I .l .C f lledgerowu, cover patclieu Food strips, food patches Forest plantings 93

I 3-1758 f Form NR-8 Fish and Wildlife Service Branch of Wildlife efugs (Rev . Jan . 1956) CULTIVATED CROPS - HAYING - GRAZING Caroll,. Sandulls Cbost soatth Carolina Refuge County "srne2d State

PeYmittee's Government's Share or Return green Manure, Total Cover and Water- Cultivated Share Harvested Harvested Unharvested fowl Browsing Crops Total Crops Acreage Planted and Kind Acrye Grown Acres Bu. Tons Acres Bu. Tons Acres Bu. Tons a e'ass :0ra Ba. 195 so. 65 Crotalsris (Cover) 65 12 t. Brass (WWbsat ~s sa,j ~ h 4 & ayo) 500 Lospedasa, Japootoa 24 24 56 ft. Lospodesa, 3srieoa 20 20 Laspidosas U ral& Glut" Japaaoso 10 200 va. 10 Wlet, 1-2 & Prose 20 600 Im. 20 tIs (Grain) 516 6,000 ft. 516 3o7beataa 330 3,303 Ba. hsat (Grain) 150 DR. 330

Fallow Ag . Land 251

Grazing Operations I No . of Permittees : Agricultural Operations 3 Haying Operations

e GRAZING Number AUM'S Cash J ACRwA.rE Hay - Improved Tons Cash Revenue (Specify Kind) Harvested Acres Revenue Animals

2 . Other

1 . Total Refuge Acreage Under Cultivation 1,393

Hay - Wild . Acreage Cultivated as Service Operation 320

3-1570 0 it NM) REFUGE GRAIN REPORT

Refuge s l a Uvd s Months of through 19 (7) (1) (2) (3) (4) (6) GRAIN DISPOSED(5) OF PROPOSED OR SUITABLE USE* ON HAND RECEIVED ON HAND END OF VARIETY* BEGINNING DURING TOTAL OF PERIOD PERIOD Transferred Seeded Fed Total PERIOD Seed Feed Surplus

oral, i~va. 213. 320 "Udg r o 0 8 2s• 63 s .8.80

1 I + ~ ilAsz 7, C .fit. 840 30 At* ils£ s s k"ic*t. 10 ~s 0 1 4A* 3. LIs ; -A) T,--S lbs 00 1us Sw Its nuts '.asp. a A The ; It S UL +s 4CO L 1to F"b a 150 Its V Ins l5 i s 150 s a$%, w13raA,76 4530'. 150 " 235 . 320 3*0

(8) Indicate shipping or collection points ------3"d- (9) Grain is stored at -- -h <

(10) Remarks *See instructions on back. NR-SS

REFUGE GRAIN REPORT

This report should cover all grain on hand, received, or disposed of, during the period covered by this narrative report. Report all grain in bushels. For the purpose of this report the following approximate weights of grain shall be considered equivalent to a bushel : Corn (shelled)-55 lb., corn (ear)-70 lb ., wheat- 60 lb., barley-50 lb ., rye-55 lb ., oats-30 lb., soy beans-60 lb., millet-50 lb ., cowpeas-60 lb., and mixed-50 lb. In computing volume of granaries, multiply the cubic contents (cu . ft.) by 0.8 bushels . (1) List each type of grain separately and specifically, as flint corn, yellow dent corn, square deal hybrid corn, garnet wheat, red May wheat, durum wheat, spring wheat, proso millet, combine milo, new era cowpeas, mikado soy beans, etc . Mere listing as corn, wheat, and soybeans will not suffice, as specific details are necessary in considering transfer of seed supplies to other refuges . Include only domestic grains ; aquatic and other seeds will be listed on NR-9. (3) Report all grain received during period from all sources, such as transfer, share cropping, or harvest from food patches. (4) A total of columns 2 and 3 . (6) Column 4 less column 5 . (7) This is a proposed break-down by varieties of grain listed in column 6 . Indicate if grain is suitable for seeding new crops . (8) Nearest railroad station for shipping and receiving . (9) Where stored on refuge : "Headquarters granary," etc . (10) Indicate here the source of grain shipped in, destination of grain transferred, data on condition of grain, unusual uses proposed .

INT .-DUP . SEC . . WASH ., D .C . 17055

A'o rm Nr<-1 TIMBER FEMO j.'AL

i 2/46 Refug- Carolina Sandhill National Wildlife Refuge Yaa . 1972

No . of Units ! I i E'xpres=(-d in Ra~.e Reservaticns Unit or B . F ., ties, :)4, ~- and/or GiamQtar Pe :_1tue F e r at '-

Hercules, Inc . Comp. 1 214 429 .59 tow $2.00 per ton

I I

Total acreage cut over..8.5.4.acres..timber Total income.._ :1# ,fz, . ~5 . .timber 214 acres stumps 859.18 stumps No . of units removed-B . F .1,598,27-3 ____ Method of slash disposal__ . . Cords ]=441---- Ties ------429-59--ton stomps 14) Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Refuge (s/eS) Carolina Sandhill NWR ANNUAL REPORT OF PESTICIDE APPLICATION Proposal Num er eporttng Year

CT O S• n al s cs 3 52d 3394b and 3395 1972 Location Total Total Amount Date(s) of Carrier Method List of Chemical(s) Application of Area Acres of and of Application Target Pest(s) Used Rate Treated Treated Chemical Applied Rate Application

NONAGRICULTURAL COTLECTIONS, RECEIP'T'S, AND PLAN1iNGS (1)

Refuge CarolinaSandhill National Wildlife Refuge Year 19 72

Collections and Receipts Planting (Seeds, rootstocks, trees, shrubs) (Marsh - Aquatic - Upland) Amount Amount (2) (3) Rate of Planted (Lbs . C Method Total Seeding (Acres or Amount and bus ., or or Amount Location of or Yards of Nature of Cause Species etc R Date Source Cost on Hand Area Planted Plantin Shoreline Pro • : • es Date Survival of Los

Longleaf Comp . l,st 22 Pine 21 st 59 62 800/ac 74,000 93 acres 1-72 Satisfac ory 64 Pinus 6, st29 palustris 8,st 2 4 (partial) 10,st 22

(1) Report agronomic farm crops on Form NR-8 Remarks : (2) C = Collections and R = Receipts (3) Use "S" to denote surplus

Total acreage planted : Marsh and aquatic Hedgerows, cover patches Food strips, food patches Forest plantings 93