MATAGORDA ISLAND UNIT ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Matagorda Island, Texas ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Report 1987 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish & Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM MATAGORDA ISLAND UNIT, ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Matagorda Island, Texas ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1987 L/t /AJ- sJnM Refuge Manager Date Project Leade Maragorda Island Unit Aransas NWR Refng^ Supervisor Review Date Date INTRODUCTION On December 9, 1986 the lower 2330.36 acres of Matagorda Island were added to the National Wildlife Refuge System <NWRS). On December 8/ 1986 Nature Conservancy Vice President J.R. Flicker and M. Dennis, Attorney, signed an agreement for the sale of the tract to the United States of America for 3 million dollars. The transaction was the first step in acquiring the southern tip of Matagorda Island, known as the Wynne Ranch. The entire 11,502 acre ranch was purchased by the Texas Nature Conservancy for eventual transfer to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <FWS>. The total purchase price, 13 million dollars, will be paid in three installments over three years. The second installment, 5 million dollars, was approved by President Reagan on December 22, 1987. This transaction added another 3657 acres to the refuge. Final purchase of the remaining 5515 acres is scheduled for December 1988. FWS has a lease agreement to manage the balance of the conservancy land in the interim. The northern portion of the island is comprised of both federal and state lands. Under an agreement between the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the FWS, the northern portion of the island is currently managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) as the Matagorda Island State Park and Wildlife Management Area, a unit of the NWRS. The Wynne Ranch on the southern 1/3 of the island is the last privately owned tract. Once the final purchase is completed, the entire 38 mile-long barrier island will be under federal and state management. The purchase of the lower 11,502 acres of Matagorda Island provides and protects critical coastal parairie and wetland habitats for hundreds of plant and wildlife species. Most notables include the endangered whooping crane, brown pelican, peregrine falcon, and thousands of wintering waterfowl, migrating and breeding shore and wading birds, and 4 endangered species of sea turtles. Matagorda Island is a 55,000 acre island, one of the seven large barrier islands located off the mid-coast of Texas. It is located in Calhoun county, approximately 9 miles southwest of Port O'Connor and 48 miles southeast of Victoria. The island is 36 miles long and varies between ^ to 4 miles in width. Matagorda is between 7-15 feet above mean sea level and is bounded on the southeast by the Gulf of Mexico and to the northwest by Espiritu, Santo, San Antonio, and Mesguite Bays. Matagorda is separated from San Jose Island to the south by Cedar Bayou. Matagorda's location in the southern portion of the Central Flyway adds to its importance as a wintering area for thousands of migrating birds. The island's wetlands serve as resting, feeding, and breeding sites for many species of shore and wading birds. The uplands provide habitat for several raptor species and grassland wildlife species, including caracara, white- tailed hawk, sandhill crane, quail, white-tailed deer, coyote, and badger. This is the first annual narrative report for the Matagorda Island Unit of Aransas NWR, and as such, will set the stage for describing the island's resources as well as the activities for 1987. Emphasis will be placed on the activities for the lower portion of the island, known as Matagorda Island Unit. TPWD and FWS activities conducted on the northern portion, known The late Toddie Wynne/ Jr. and Chuck Cook/ Texas Nature Conservancy/ make a final review of the Wynne Ranch Facilities inventory. BG Final departure of the Star Brand personnel/ livestock/ and equipment. BG as the Matagorda Island State Park and Wildlife Management Area (MISPWMA) will be included. For clarity's sake: MINWR = Matagorda Island Unit of Aransas NWR = former Wynne ranch = south side Matagorda Island State Park fi, Wildlife Managment Area <MISPWA) = north side. Matagorda Island is managed as a subunit of the Aransas NWR which is located 6 miles east across Mesquite and San Antonio Bays. Aerial view of the Wynne Ranch complex. Left of center: Hangar# maintenance shops# St stables. Center: Servant's quarters# ranchhouse# pilot house, & generator building. Right of center: Clubhouse & foreman's residence. JC I PAGE INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS A. HIGHLIGHTS I B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title 2 2. EaeementE 2 3. Other NTH D.PLANNING 1. Master Plan NTH 2. Management Plan..... 3 3. Public Participation NTR 4. Compliance with Environmental Resource Mandates 3 5. Research and Investigations 4 6. Other 4 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel... 4 2. Youth Programs 6 3. Other Manpower Programs 6 4. Volunteer Program 6 5. Funding..... 7 6. Safety 7 7. Technical Assistance.... 8 8. Other Items 8 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General 8 2. Wetlands 14 3. Forests NTR 4. Croplands NTR 5. Grasslands '. 15 6. Other Habitats 15 7. Grazing 20 8. Haying NTR 9. Fire Management 22 ' i HABITAT MANAGEMENT (Cont.) 10. Pest Control NTH 11. Water Rights NTR 12. Wilderness and Special Areas 22 13. WFA Easement Monitoring NTR G. WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity 22 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 22 3. Waterfowl 27 4. Marsh and Water Birds 27 5. Shorebirds/ Gulls, Terns, and Allied Species 29 6. Raptors....... 31 7. Other Migratory Birds 31 8. Game Mammals... 31 9. Marine Mammals.... ...31 10. Other Resident Wildlife 31 11. Fisheries Resources ....33 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking NTR 13. Surplus Animal Disposal NTR 14. Scientific Collections 33 15. Animal Control ...NTR 16. Marking and Banding NTR 17. Disease Prevention and Control NTR H. PUBLIC USE 1. General 33 2. Outdoor Classrooms-Students NTR 3. Outdoor Classrooms-Teachers NTR 4. Interpretive Foot Trails NTR 5. Interpretive Tour Routes NTR 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations NTR 7. Other Interpretive Programs 35 8. Hunting.......... 37 9. Fishing. 37 10. Trapping NTR 11. Wildlife Observation..... > NTR 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation ..37 13. Camping. 37 14. Picnicking. 15. Off-Road Vehicling 37 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation... ..NTR 17. Law Enforcement 40 18. Cooperating Associations ...NTR 19. Concess ions NTR ii I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction NTR 2. Rehabilitation ...41 3. Major Maintenance NTR 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement 41 5. Communication Systems 43 6. Computer Systems.. NTR 7. Energy Conservation 43 8. Other 43 J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs 47 2. Other Economic Uses NTR 3. Items of Interest 50 4. Credits 51 K. FEEDBACK 52 Bird Checklist ( iii A. HIGHLIGHTS On December 9 1986/ NWRS adds 2331 acres to its ranks with the purchase of the southern portion of Matagorda Island (Introduction and C.1). Approval granted for purchase of second parcel on December 22 (C. 1). First Refuoe Manager for Mataaorda Island NWR reports to island on May 30 (E. 1). Cedar Bayou channel reopened (H.6>. Nature Conservancy outing on November 1 brings over 200 people to the refuge <H.7). Just about everything that happened on the refuge was a highlight (read report). B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS Matagorda's climate is classified as humid subtropical. The Gulf of Mexico and its associated warm/ moist air masses dictates the maritime climatic conditions. Summer daytime temperatures are lower than inland areas while the reverse holds true during the winter months. Winds are prevalent from the southeast and south-southeast. Strong northerly winds transport colder air masses during the autumn and winter months. Southeasterly winds during the autumn and winter often shroud the island and neighboring bays with thick fog. The weather on MINWR from May to year's end displayed the complete array of weather patterns for a barrier island; hot/ cold/ wind/ rain, hail/ sleet/ water spouts/ clouds/ and fog. Summer temperatures started with a vengeance in June with daytime readings of low to mid 90s. Several downpours innundated the island in early June. Precipitation subsided greatly until September. Nighttime lows rarely dipped below the raid-705 for the summer. The somewhat constant southeasterly breezes kept the conditions at a tolerable level for island folks. July's hottest temperature was 95/ the lowest 72. Rainfall for July was 3 inches. No measurable rainfall occurred in August. ( September started hot/ but by mid-month the northerlies initiated a cooling trend. Daytime temperatures fell to a very comfortable 70-80s range with evening temperatures going below 70. On September 30 a cold front brought the mercury down into the 60s. Rainfall for the month totalled 4 inches. Temperatures remained mild for October. The month's high was 88 on the 26th/ the low was 74 on the 22nd (daytime). A torrential rainstorm on the 23rd added 3.5 inches of precipitation to our rain gauge. Mild temperatures prevailed into November, November's weather turned wet/ cold/ cloudy/ and foggy. Temperatures for the most part remained in the high 50s and 60s. Two major rainstorms brought 1.25 inches to the island. Wind gusts up to 40mph occurred on the 19th. December's weather kept the island folks guessing from one day to the next. Several cold northerlies blew in, but just as many southeaster!ies came by/ bringing warm/ moist air. The daytime temperature on Christmas Day was 77. The next day temperatures dipped into the 40s. The final days of the year were characterized by strong northerly winds/ rain/ and cold weather/ temperatures dipping into the 30s.