U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 300 Westgate Center Drive U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Hadley, MA 01035 413/253 8200 Federal Relay Service Northeast Region for the deaf and hard-of-hearing 1 800/877 8339 Fiscal Year 2009 State of the Refuges U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD http://www.fws.gov March 2010 From the Chief Regional profile: 2009 Fiscal year 2009 was a year of change and opportunity for refuges in the Operations budget: $51,000,000 Northeast Region. After several years of downsizing and reorganizing, the Full-time staff: 357 budget situation has improved. Beginning in FY2008, national wildlife refuges Number of refuges: 71 nationwide have used congressionally allocated funding increases to stabilize Designated wilderness: 20,977 acres the baseline funding for staffed refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Visitors: 5,934,000 FY2009 gave us a chance to begin to rebuild. Improvements are being made in Friends groups: 56 funding and staffing our wildlife inventory and monitoring efforts, our visitor Volunteer support: 222,911 hours services work, and our administrative staffs. Utilizing savings achieved through Number of volunteers: 5,695 downsizing in prior years and new funding provided in FY2009 and FY2010 (which began on October 1, 2009) we will fill 16 new field-based positions in the Northeast Region. Land Acquisition The Northeast Region collaborates with The accomplishments of our 71 Northeast Region refuges are many and great. In friends groups, private landowners, state the areas of land protection, science and management, welcoming visitors, and and local governments and conservation employing youth, Northeast Region refuges are leading the way nationally for advocates to strategically protect land the National Wildlife Refuge System. Our 72nd national wildlife refuge in the and water that provide wildlife habitat Northeast Region was approved in early 2009, and Cherry Valley will soon be an and meet the needs of the people who official refuge when the first tract of land is purchased. This community-based use those lands for recreation. In refuge planning effort is a model for a new way to plan resource protection in 2009, the Northeast Region received consultation with local citizens and governments. In 2009, we also benefitted from over $14 million from the Land and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providing a big investment for Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) green infrastructure, youth employment and wildlife management. for land purchases made possible by strong support from the congressional The employees, friends, volunteers and partners have brought us through a delegation in northeast states. These difficult time. We have emerged stronger, with a renewed sense of purpose. We are funds and those from the Migratory moving from the traditions of past management efforts to a future of managing Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) and refuges as an integral component of ecoregions that contribute to nationwide North American Wetland Conservation conservation of our federal trust resources. Act (NAWCA) made the acquisition of 4,796 acres possible throughout the Thank you to our employees, volunteers, friends, partners and the American region, with an additional 851 acres to be public for your support of Northeast Region refuges and the entire National purchased in the near future. Wildlife Refuge System. I look forward to building on our success in 2010. Tony Umbagog NWR, Errol, NH The Trust for Public Land, the town of Errol and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) permanently protected 5,016 acres of former T.R. Dillon Logging Inc. lands in Errol, New Hampshire. Of the newly protected land, 3,177 acres have been added to the Umbagog NWR and 1,839 acres have been added to Errol’s town forest, the Thirteen-mile Woods Community Forest. These lands are critical for waterfowl, birds and aquatic species, including black duck, black-backed woodpeckers, 24 warbler varieties, American woodcock and brook Rendering of a nearly $10 million facility fully funded by ARRA trout. Linking Errol’s Thirteen-mile USFWS Woods Community Forest and Umbagog All photos USFWS unless otherwise noted. Sunset at Monomoy Silvio O. Conte NFWR, Haddam, CT The Salmon River Division of the Silvio O. Conte NFWR was officially established on August 28, 2009, with the acquisition of its first parcel of land. The property includes 285 acres located National Wildlife Refuges on the Salmon River and Pine Brook in in the Northeast Region Haddam, Connecticut and was acquired from The Nature Conservancy and the town of Haddam for $1.75 million. The land links the ecologically rich Salmon Silvio O. Conte NF& WR Nulhegan Basin Division Cove with more than 6,000 acres of protected land to the north. This tract Silvio O. Conte NF& WR Pondicherry Division is considered one of the most important properties for conservation due to its location at the confluence of the tidal Pine Silvio O. Conte Brook and the Salmon River. NF& WR Montshire Unit Wapack Great Dismal Swamp NWR, Suffolk, VA Silvio O. Conte NF&WR Headquarters The Great Dismal Swamp NWR, in Silvio O. Conte NF& WR partnership with the Trust for Public Fort River Division Silvio O. Conte NF & WR Land, added 1,481 acres of mainly Pyquad Division Silvio O. Conte forested wetland to the refuge with NF & WR Salmon River Division funding through the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. These funds are Volunteers restoring tidal marsh on Barren Island, Blackwater, NWR Cherry Valley generated through the sale of federal duck stamps. The Great Dismal Swamp Much of our on-the-ground efforts about the future of coastal wetland NWR was established in 1974, and over are directed to wildlife related work. impoundment management in the face of the past 35 years the refuge has grown Managers, biologists, maintenance climate change. to protect more than 112,000 acres that professionals, volunteers, partners and are considered by many scientists to others work to evaluate the condition of The region is implementing the sea level be the heart of the original ecosystem. refuge habitat to ensure that migratory affecting marshes model (SLAMM) The new lands border the Pasquotank birds, fish and other wildlife find the to predict sea level rise in a changing River and offer federal protection for best conditions possible for their climate and identify at-risk coastal the headwaters of the drainage basin. survival. This work takes many forms, refuges. Through SLAMM-View, a Acquisition of this tract will provide from habitat assessment to population Web-based program that maps refuge an opportunity to restore and manage surveys for active management of lands habitats at various predicted sea levels, additional native forested wetland to improve productivity or eliminate we can better understand the potential communities and some areas of remnant invasive species. The threats that risk to our coastal habitats and inform marsh. Acquisition of this parcel will also individual species face often determine the American public of the risk posed provide important habitat for waterfowl, the intensity of management and survey to coastal refuges. The strength of this many other migratory bird species and efforts. Our work includes capturing tool is its ability to visually show the other wildlife. and banding migratory birds, gathering modeling of sea level rise predictions, data through observation, and outreach allowing people to see the impacts in NWR will create a 31,000-acre block of the remarkable diversity of bird life at The Stedman property is adjacent to Science and Management and education of the general public by a more intuitive way. Every staffed contiguous conservation and recreation Pondicherry in Jefferson and Whitefield, protected forest on both the northern in a Changing Climate refuge staff and cooperators. The most coastal refuge in the Northeast Region significant achievement among the conducted a SLAMM analysis in lands. Much of the property has been New Hampshire. Today, the area is and southern boundary and extends The National Wildlife Refuge System logged heavily, but the forest will documented to harbor a greater diversity to the salt marsh and open water of refuges of the Northeast Region was 2008 and 2009. The results will yield protects and restores habitat for key a combined progression of studies and invaluable forecasts that will inform our regenerate and habitats will be restored. of birds than any other similar-sized Pettaquamscutt Cove. Protection of wildlife species that are the responsibility The portion of the property being area in New Hampshire. The property this site serves to retain the value monitoring that will lay the foundation management and conservation decisions. of the federal government. Its mission for successful wildlife management in an By incorporating reliable science into acquired by the Service will be managed is primarily forested, and includes a of contiguous forests for species of is, “to administer a national network of primarily for wildlife conservation. The stream and several wetlands that flow migratory birds that depend on large era of changing climate. proactive management strategies, we lands and waters for the conservation, hope to engage the public in discussions property being acquired will expand the into Moorhen Marsh in the heart of the tracts of intact habitat for breeding. management, and where appropriate, community forest to be managed for wildlife refuge. A survey indicated 22 species of birds Climate on how we can adapt to climate-driven restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant All coastal refuge managers will likely environmental changes. sustainable timber harvesting, wildlife presumed to be nesting in the forested resources and their habitats within the habitat conservation and recreational John H. Chafee NWR at Pettaquamscutt portions. Several of these are identified be faced with difficult decisions relating United States for the benefit of present to management as climate change and In addition to the SLAMM analysis, the access.