APPROVAL S • CARIBBEAN ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG E 1. Cabo Rojo NWR 2. Culebra NWR 3. Desecheo NWR 4. Buck Island NWR 5. Green Cay NWR 6. Sandy Point NWR 7. Laguna Cartagena NWR ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT • Calendar Yea r 199 7 PROJECT LEADER Dat e Val Urban a//19y REFUGE SUPERVISO - AREA II I Ricky Ingram Cw ,~s d GARD - AREA II I D a't e • Linda Kelsey • INTRODUCTIO N The Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge began it s administrative existence in 1978, named the Culebra Nationa l Wildlife Refuge . The complex was renamed to its presen t title in 1981 . Refuge units are scattered over a distance of about 190 miles, from Desecheo (the westernmost unit) t o Green Cay (the easternmost) . Depending on the refuge, th e emphasis will vary considerably (e .g ., seabirds, endangere d species, or native waterfowl) . Of the seven refuges, two are located on the main island of Puerto Rico (Cabo Rojo an d Laguna Cartagena), one is a solitary island off the wes t coast of Puerto Rico (Desecheo), one is an archipelago grou p off the east coast of Puerto Rico (Culebra), one is on St . Croix (Sandy Point), and two are small islands located jus t off the coasts of St . Croix and St . Thomas (Green Cay and Buck Island, respectively) . Our complex shares office space and equipment with th e Caribbean Field Office . We often work closely with the CF O • on projects of mutual concern . Refuge staff routinel y provide assistance to other Service personnel, the Nationa l Marine Fisheries Service, the Puerto Rico Department o f Natural and Environmental Resources, and the Virgin Island s Department of Planning and Natural Resources . • INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENT S I. HIGHLIGHTS 1 II. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 III. MONITORING AND STUDIES : A. Surveys and Censuses NTR B. Studies and Investigations NTR IV . HABITAT RESTORATION : A . Wetland Restoration NTR B . Upland Restoration NTR C . Deepwater/Riverine Restoration NTR V . HABITAT MANAGEMENT : A . Water Level Management NTR B . Moist Soil Management NTR C . Graze/Mow/Hay NTR D . Farming NTR E . Forest Management NTR F . Fire Management NTR G . Pest Plant Control NTR VI . FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT : A . Bird Banding NTR B . Disease Monitoring and Treatment NTR C . Reintroductions NTR D . Nest Structures NTR E . Pest, Predator, and Exotic Animal Control NTR VII . COORDINATION ACTIVITIES : A . Interagency Coordination NTR B . Tribal Coordination NTR C . Private Land Activities NTR VIII . RESOURCE PROTECTION : A . Law Enforcement NTR • B . Permits and Economic Use Management NTR C . Contaminant Investigation NTR D . Contaminant Cleanup NTR E . Water Rights Management NTR F . Cultural Resource Management NTR G . Land Acquisition Support NTR IX . PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RECREATION : A. Provide Visitor Services NTR B. Outreach NTR X . PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION : A. Comprehensive Conservation Planning NTR B. General Administratio n 1. Personnel 1 2. Volunteer Program NTR 3. Funding 6 4. Technical Assistance 7 5. Equipment and Facilities NTR 6. Credits 8 • XI . FEEDBACK 8 XII . INFORMATION PACKET (INSIDE BACK COVER ) I . HIGHLIGHT S Refuge-specific highlights can be found in the individua l narratives . II . CLIMATIC CONDITIONS The seven units of the complex all experience a semi-ari d subtropical climate . Annual rainfall for the various unit s ranges from 35-45 inches . More detailed information ca n be found in the individual refuge narratives . X . PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATIO N B . General Administration The complex headquarters building is located at Cabo Roj o National Wildlife Refuge, Boqueron, Puerto Rico . Activities of the seven refuges are coordinated from this facility . 1 . Personnel The staff of Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge i s as follows : 1. Val Urban, GS-12 Project Leader (PFT) . 2. Joseph Schwagerl, GS-9 Assistant Refuge Manager (PFT) . 3. Teresa Tellevast, GS-9 Assistant Refuge Manager (PFT) . 4. Michael Evans, GS-9 Assistant Refuge Manager (PFT) . 5. Hortencia Ruiz, GS-6 Office Assistant (PFT) . 6. Mariano Rodriguez, WG-9 Carpenter (PFT) . 7. Henry Morales, WG-9 Carpenter (PFT) . 8. Jose Velez, GS-3 Forestry Aid (TFT) . 9. (Vacant), GS-11 Deputy Project Leader (PFT) . 10. (Vacant), WG-7 Maintenance Worker (PFT) . 11. (Vacant), GS-3 Forestry Aid (TFT) . 1 • Val Urban reported for duty as the new Project Leader i n late September, replacing Weston Shaw Davis (who transferre d to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge) . Deputy Project Leader Susan Rice transferred to Region fiv e in July . The position was still vacant at the end of the year . A WG-7 maintenance position and GS-3 seasonal firefighte r approved for FY98 were still vacant at the end of the year . • Staff at the main headquarters, left to right : Velez, Schwagerl, Ruiz, Rodriguez, Urban . • 2 • • Teresa Tellevast, Assistant Manager at Culebra . • 3 • • Henry Morales of Culebra at his favorite haunt , the refuge shop building ! • 4 • • Michael Evans (left), Assistant Manager at Sand y Point . Also pictured are District Manager Davi d Heffernan (center) and Assistant District Manage r Ricky Ingram from Atlanta . • 5 The following table summarizes staffing at the complex for the last five years : STAFFING SUMMARY Year Permanent FTEs Temporary FTEs Total FTEs Full-time Part-time 1993 8 .0 0 .0 0 .5 8 . 5 1994 9 .0 0 .0 0 .5 9 . 5 1995 9 .0 0 .0 0 .5 9 . 5 1996 8 .0 0 .0 2 .5 10 . 5 1997 9 .0 0 .0 1 .0 10 .0 3 . Funding Funding for the complex is administered by the headquarters in Boqueron, Puerto Rico . Add-on funding includes voluntee r support, MMS, RONS, ecosystem priorities, and endangere d species funds . The following table summarizes funding fo r the last five years : BUDGET SUMMARY Year Base Add-On Fire YCC Total 1993 348 .9 187 .8 3 .0 20 .0 559 . 7 1994 386 .9 51 .0 3 .0 19 .0 459 . 9 1995 452 .6 208 .4 3 .0 18 .4 682 . 4 1996 382 .0 123 .2 35 .5 14 .7 555 . 4 1997 417 .0 106 .3 32 .6 8 .3 564 . 2 NOTE : The 1997 add-on includes $5 .0 for storm damage . 6 4 . Technical Assistanc e Refuge-specific information can be found in the individua l narratives . Training : a. Val Urban Oct Aviation Needs Assessment Team meeting (San Juan , PR ) Oct Puerto Rico Resource Management Partners meetin g (San Juan, PR) . Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . b. Joseph Schwager l Mar Law enforcement refresher (Quincy, FL) . Jun OAS water safety training (San Juan, PR) . Nov Second Annual Puerto Rico Forestry Conference (Ponce, PR) . Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . c. Teresa Tellevas t Mar Marine Sea Turtle Research and Conservatio n Symposium (Orlando, FL) . Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . d. Michael Evan s Feb Refuge Management Training Academy (Charleston , SC Mar Law enforcement refresher (Quincy, FL) . Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . e. Mariano Rodrigue z Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . 7 f . Henry Morale s Dec Caribbean Ecosystem retreat (Maricao, PR) . 6 . Credits Narratives for the complex were written by the followin g individuals : Caribbean Islands NWR - Val Urba n Cabo Rojo NWR - Joseph Schwager l Culebra NWR - Teresa Tellevas t Desecheo NWR - Val Urban Buck Island NWR - Val Urba n Green Cay NWR - Michael Evan s Sandy Point NWR - Michael Evan s Laguna Cartagena NWR - Joseph Schwager l XI . FEEDBACK What an incredible year it's been . At the start of FY98, I suddenly found myself transported 1,500 miles from a part o f Florida that I had grown very accustomed to . While it ha s been an interesting (sometimes very frustrating) transition , I am constantly amazed at just how dynamic the Caribbean actually is . The myriad of issues that our agency must dea l with in this part of the world is staggering . One thing that keeps me going on a daily basis is the knowledge tha t we have a staff of professionals with unparallele d dedication to the resource . Their enthusiasm is contagious . In the coming months, we will likely face a host of new (probably controversial) issues . I have no doubt that ou r staff will tackle each head-on and do the utmost for th e wild things that depend on us so much . The 1997 narratives are our contribution toward "reinventin g government ." The outline closely follows that found in th e Refuge Comprehensive Accomplishment Report . Any feedback on how to improve them for next year would be appreciated . 8 CARIBBEAN ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG E CABO ROJO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Yea r 1997 U .S . Department of the Interio r Fish and Wildlife Servic e NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM INTRODUCTION • The Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge was established o n June 3, 1974 when 587 acres of land were obtained from th e Central Intelligence Agency . It was four years before th e first refuge manager arrived in July 1978 . Prior to th e establishment of the C .I .A . listening post in 1967, the refuge was part of several farms . The eastern half , approximately 300 acres, was part of the Minolo Sanchez far m which today comprises 1700 acres along the eastern boundary of the refuge . The western half consisted of severa l smaller farms, with remains of several old homesites stil l present . Prior to the establishment of the refuge this land had bee n in agricultural use for at least two centuries . Heavy cattle grazing left the area barren except for a limite d number of trees in the drainages and around the ol d homesites . The refuge lies along the southern coastal plain and has a f • few gently rolling hills overlooking the southwestern tip o Puerto Rico .