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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......... , .... , .... , ... , . 1 LOCATION AND STATUS ........ , . 1 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES. 1 EXISTING NATURAL RESOURCES ...................................................... 2 CLIMATE ...................... , ............................................ 2 NATURAL REGION ............................................................ 2 VEGETATION AND LAND USE ................................................... 3 Forest .............................................................. 4 Grasslands. 6 Natural Areas . 7 Wetlands. 7 • AQUATIC RESOURCES ......................................................... 8 Lakes and Ponds . 8 • Old Timbers Lake. 9 II Krueger Lake. 9 Ponds ..... , , ................................................. , 9 Streams. 10 • 1993 Stream Survey. 10 Otter Creek ... ,, ... ,, ............. ,, ........ , ...... , ... 12 II Little Otter Creek ..... :..................... , ...... , . 12 Graham Creek ........................................... 13 Big Creek .............................................. 13 Little Graham Creek. 13 Stream Fish Cooununities ................................ 14 Index of Biological Integrity .... , ............... , ... ,, 15 Comparison with Previous Studies ............................. 16 Aquatic Invertebrates .. ,., ............. , ..... ,, ...... ,, ...... 18 WILDLIFE RESOURCES ....................................................... 19 •• Terrestrial Invertebrates .......................................... 19 II Amphibians and Reptiles ............................ :. 20 q Birds. 22 1993 Survey of Breeding Birds ................................ 22 Comparison with Previous Studies ............................. 22 Additional Bird Cooununity Data ............... , ............... 23 II Great Blue Heron Rookery ..................................... 24 Avian Productivity and Survivorship Survey ................... 24 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Mammals ............................................................ 25 1993 - 1994 Bat Survey ....................................... 26 Vhite-tailed Deer ............................................ 27 FISH AND W'ILDLIFE HABITAT MANAGEMENT ........................................... 28 FRAMEW'ORK FOR HABITAT MANAGEMENT ......................................... 28 Landscape Ecology Approach to Habitat Management ................... 28 Neotropical Migrants and Other Forest-dwelling Birds ............... 29 Threatened and Endangered Species .................................. 32 HABITAT MANAGEMENT. 34 Forest Management .................................................. 35 General Guidelines for Forest Management ..................... 38 Indiana Bat .................................................. 41 Cerulean Warbler. 42 Grassland Management:. 43 General Guidelines for Grassland Management .................. 45 Hens low's Sparrow ............................................ 46 Northern Harrier. 48 Kirtland's Snake ............................................. 49 Natural Areas ...................................................... 50 W'etland Management .................... :. 50 Lake and Pond Management. 50 Stream Management .................................................. 51 River Otter. 52 Salamander Mussel. 52 Pest Management .. ................................. , ................ 53 RECREATION. 54 HUNTING, TRAPPING AND FISHING ................................ •............ 54 NON-CONSUMPTIVE WILDLIFE RECREATION ...................................... 54 RESEARCH AND EDUCATION. 55 Tables ......................................................................... 57 Figures ........................................................................ 72 Literature Cited ............................................................... 76 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table l. Tree species identified on JPG during forest inventories ........ 57 Table 2. Endangered, threatened, rare and watch list plants found on JPG during the 1993 inventory of special plants and natural areas. 59 Table 3. Fish species collected at JPG during June, 1993 stream survey. 60 Table 4. Results of fish collection and Index of Biological Integrity ratings for individual collection stations for June, 1993 stream survey on JPG. 62 Table 5. Amphibians and reptiles of JPG ................................. 65 Table 6. Breeding birds at JPG, observed spring/summer 1993 ............. 67 Table 7. JPG breeding birds listed by the State of Indiana and/or the - --~-...I'RS...-..~··' ~ ...... •. •.•. ····~· ·- --~ ...... "'. --·- •...... ·~· .............. 69 Table 8. Mammals which probably occur on JPG ............................ 70 Figure 1. JPG vegetation classification based on LANDSAT Thematic Mapper Satellite Imagery. ........................................... 72 Figure 2. Location of restricted areas (shaded sections) within JPG ..... 73 Figure 3. National Wetlands Inventory map of JPG ........................ 74 Figure 4. Location of major lakes, ponds, and streams on JPG. Fish collection stations for the 1993 stream survey are labelled. 75 ) . I JEFFERSON PROVING GROUND I FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PLAN INTRODUCTION I LOCATION AND STATUS The Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG) consists of 55,264 acres (86.35 square miles) located in Jefferson, Ripley, and Jennings Counties in I southeastern Indiana. The area is 17.2 miles long and varies in width from approximately 6 miles at the northern boundary to 4 miles at the southern boundary. The perimeter is roughly bounded by County Road 400 West on the west side, County Road 500 North on the south side, Michigan Road on the east side, and County Road 160 South on the north side. Madison, with a population • of approximately 13,000, is the nearest city. The area immediately surrounding JPG is rural, primarily characterized as agricultural. However, I JPG is located within 90 miles of 3 large metropolitan areas: Cincinnati, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Louisville, Kentucky. The entire perimeter, approximately 50 miles, is fenced to restrict access and provide for public I safety. JPG is slated for closure September 30, 1995. Active testing will be terminated September 30, 1994. The Department of the Army (DA) is currently I evaluating reuse options for the base in accordance with the Base Realignment and Closure Act. A caretaker will be contracted to maintain the buildings and I grounds until the final disposition of the base is decided. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The U.S. Army JPG and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) entered I into a Memorandum of Agreement in January, 1994, providing for the FWS to prepare this fish and wildlife management plan. This plan is a segment of the integrated natural resource plans, as directed by Army Regulation 420-74, I Natural Resources - Land, Forest and Wildlife Management. The FWS will use the Technical Manual: Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Management (TM 5- 633) for guidance in preparation of this plan. The purpose of the plan is to r provide guidelines which can be used to manage the fish and wildlife resources on the base. Until ammunition testing on the base is terminated, natural resource management activities on JPG must be conducted within the confines of the national defense mission of the installation. After the base is closed, there may be potential to expand natural resource management activities which were not compatible with the military mission on the base in the past. However, safety concerns associated with unexploded ordnance and contaminants on the base will still mandate strict restrictions on access and activities on JPG. This plan will be sensitive to these safety concerns to the extent that the FWS is aware of the location and magnitude of these potential hazards. • 2 Specific Objectives of the plan are: • 1. Summarize information on physiographic and vegetative features that will affect fish and wildlife management. - 2. Compile and summarize available fish and wildlife survey data. 3. Identify and discuss management guidelines for State and Federal • threatened and endangered wildlife species which inhabit JPG. II 4. Provide habitat management guidelines to maintain or enhance fish and wildlife resources on JPG. Single-species management will be considered when applicable, but priorities will focus on maintaining or improving habitat quality for groups of vulnerable species. The guidelines will not only • provide for a diverse fish and wildlife community on JPG, but will also consider fish and wildlife habitat on JPG with reference to the local and regional landscape. 5. To facilitate the DA' s efforts to evaluate reuse opt; ions, habitat considered most critical to maintaining or enhancing fish and wildlife resources will be identified. • 6. Provide guidelines for hunting, fishing, trapping, and non-consumptive wildlife-associated recreation that will provide for these recreational uses • and also complement the other fish and wildlife management objectives for the base. 7. Identify opportunities for research and education activities related to • fish and wildlife resources on JPG. • EXISTING NATURAL RESOURCES M CLIMATE JPG is located in a temperate climate zone and has wide temperature II ranges among seasons. In winter, the average temperature is 35 degrees F, and the average daily minimum temperature is 26 degrees F. In