Annual Report 2016 Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife 143 n Saturday June 4, 2016, Mass- OWildlife celebrated its 150th anniversary with an open house at the new Field Headquarters in Westborough. The event featured interactive displays, demonstra- tions, kids crafts, guided nature walks, live animals, and hands-on activities like archery, casting, and simulated target shooting, plus cake and a BBQ, and was attended by 1,000 people! 142 Table of Contents 2 The Board Reports 15 Fisheries 53 Wildlife 71 Private Lands Habitat Management 73 Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program 84 Information & Education 98 Hunter Education 100 District Reports 120 Wildlife Lands 129 Federal Aid 131 Personnel Report 136 Financial Report About the Cover: Mr. George L. Darey, Chairperson of the Fisheries & Wildlife Board, addresses a large crowd at MassWildlife’s 150th anniversary open house held at the division’s new field headquarters in Westborough. Photo by Troy Gipps/MassWildlife Back Cover: Participants in MassWildlife's 150th anniversary open house. Photos by Bill Byrne and Troy Gipps All photos by MassWildlife unless otherwise credited. Printed on Recycled Paper. 1 The Board Reports George L. Darey Chairperson Overview pediment to keeping high-quality staff and encouraging the promotion of section heads from within our own ranks, was The Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board consists of finally resolved in FY 2016 with across-the-board upgrades seven persons appointed by the Governor to 5-year terms. in Managers’ pay scales. This is a very welcome change, By law, the individuals appointed to the Board are volun- putting MassWildlife’s manager pay on a par with compa- teers, receiving no remuneration for their service to the rable management levels in other scientific state agencies, Commonwealth. Five of the seven are selected on a regional and the Board members congratulate and thank Director basis, with one member, by statute, representing agricultur- Jack Buckley and DFG Human Resources Officer Johanna al interests. The two remaining seats are held by a profes- Zabriskie for their hard work and leadership in getting this sional wildlife biologist or wildlife manager, and one repre- long-standing inequity resolved. sentative with a specific interest in the management and restoration of wildlife populations not classified as game Administrative Matters species. The Board oversees operations of the Massachu- setts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, reviews the agency’s Updated Agency Seal programs, and sets policy and regulations pertinent to wild- life in the Commonwealth. During the November meeting, Director Buckley asked the Board to update the MassWildlife Seal, and the Board The Board has continued its tradition this year of holding members approved it during the meeting. The change only monthly meetings at locations around the state, holding involved adding the phrase “Est. 1866” to the body of the public hearings on proposed regulatory changes, and ad- seal, meant to commemorate the agency’s 150th anniver- dressing many issues of specific concern. While many dif- sary. ferent matters and issues are brought before the Board each year, most of its meeting time is spent in review and Access Fees at Trout-stocked Waters Policy scrutiny of proposals for regulatory changes and of agency programs. In 2010, Chief of Hatcheries Ken Simmons developed crite- ria for stocking waters in the Commonwealth: there must The year 2016 marked the 150th anniversary of MassWild- be suitable public access, suitable habitat and water chem- life, and a number of presentations to the Board kept us istry, and the water must contribute to the goals of the pro- apprised of the preparations being made and the numerous gram of increasing and enhancing recreational angling op- public events planned and presented by staff throughout portunities. Barriers to access can take several forms, and the year to celebrate the grand occasion. All of these cul- excessive fees charged at lakes and ponds result in angler minated in an open house in early June at the new Field complaints that required individual assessments of the giv- Headquarters, the Richard Cronin Building, attended by ap- en fee structure by MassWildlife personnel. Site-by-site as- proximately 2,000 people of all ages and backgrounds. The sessments are time consuming and can be inconsistent, so entire staff present did a tremendous job explaining their the agency developed a policy on fees at trout-stocked lakes jobs, talking about species and habitats in the state, demon- and ponds. strating equipment, and answering thousands of questions all day. I believe this event was the greatest I have partici- Fees can vary widely across the state. The Office of Fishing pated in over my entire tenure with the Fisheries and Wild- and Boating Access (OFBA) and the DCR both have a fee of life Board, and I could not have been prouder of the agency up to $8 per day, while town lakes can charge much more, and its hard-working employees. and charge different fees for town residents and town non- residents. The issue of Managers’ pay compression, long an important priority of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board as a major im- The policy was unanimously adopted by the Board, and 2 only applies to waterbodies that have fee-only access all MassWildlife needs to work out an agreement whereby, year (some towns only charge for part of the year). The fee for example, Massachusetts listed species receive the same structure that must obtain at stocked sites is as follows: kind of protection whether they are on private or public A daily fee must be available, and it must be consistent with land. With staff’s help providing details, a letter from the DCR and OFBA access rates (currently $8). Director to the Region 5 Director of the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service in Hadley was produced that included detailed If there is an annual fee, any town nonresident increase must comments on the proposal reflecting the agency’s and the be waived for licensed anglers, and it cannot be charged on Board’s concerns. top of a daily fee. Board Elections Adequate signage and contact information must be provid- ed by the managing authority (i.e., the municipality) The Board normally conducts its annual election of officers Trout will not be stocked in the waterbody unless the crite- at the October meeting each year. Secretary Roche took ria are met. over the meeting from the Chairman and opened the elec- tions. George Darey was reelected to the office of Chair- Potential Agreement with the Ruffed Grouse Society man, John Creedon was reelected Vice Chair, and Michael Roche was reelected Secretary. At the March meeting, Upland Game Biologist David Scar- pitti reported on the Division’s draft Memorandum of Un- Branding of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and derstanding (MOU) with the Ruffed Grouse Society, which Wildlife will establish a cooperative effort to create, maintain, and conduct public outreach to promote understanding of the Outreach and Marketing Specialist Nicole DeAngelis coor- benefits and importance of early-successional habitat (ESH) dinated the Division’s consultations with a design firm to in Massachusetts. brand MassWildlife with consistent graphics and colors, to unify all the different documents, brochures, and book- Specific highlights of the MOU include that it is very similar lets the agency produces, as part of a larger branding and to the agency’s MOU with the National Wild Turkey Feder- outreach effort that is being rolled out over time. The final ation, which calls for a joint effort to continue the promo- result, after Board input, is being disseminated throughout tion of hunting and the state’s hunting heritage; technical the agency’s publications, including this Annual Report. assistance for landowners, industry, and field staff inter- ested in creating ESH on their properties; the creation and Open Meeting Law Review maintenance of demonstration areas; project funding; and outreach education on the benefits of ESH for many spe- Richard Lehan, General Counsel to the DFG, presented the cies, including Massachusetts SWAP species. At the close of Board with a comprehensive review of the Open Meeting the fiscal year, MassWildlife’s draft of the MOU is being re- Law as it applies to state public bodies at the June meeting, viewed by the Ruffed Grouse Society. as the Chairman had requested during the previous month- ly meeting. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Proposed Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge Proposed Wildlife Lands Policy and Walking Trails Policy A subcommittee of the Board met with Director Buckley and Chief of Wildlife Lands Craig MacDonnell led a discussion of MassWildlife staff to discuss the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- two draft policies submitted for Board review and approv- vice’s proposal to create a national wildlife refuge in South- al, a Wildlife Lands Policy and a Walking Trails Policy, at the eastern Massachusetts, in the area where MassWildlife has June meeting. The Board discussion followed several meet- spent a great deal of time and money protecting wildlife ings of Senior Staff during the previous eight months, and habitat. The importance of public access to MassWildlife the question of whether and to what extent MassWildlife lands; the agency’s continued ability to manage wildlife, should consider this issue arose from three circumstances: including through regulated hunting and trapping; and the 1) a growing sense of increased pressure on WMAs for trail protection of state species in the context of the USFWS’s usage; 2) an actual increase in the number of requests for proposal were all topics discussed at the meeting, which trail construction; and 3) a number of situations where trails took place in March. advocates have seemed to be overreaching; examples of which were reviewed for the Board.