Fishkill and Sprout Creek Corridors

Fishkill and Sprout Creek Corridors

SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL AND SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS, TOWNS OF BEEKMAN, LAGRANGE, AND FISHKILL, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK Report to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Town of Beekman, the Town of LaGrange, the Town of Fishkill, and the City of Beacon NYSDEC Contract No. C302187 By John Sullivan and Gretchen Stevens December 2005 Hudsonia Ltd. PO Box 5000 Annandale, NY 12504 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL & SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS CONTENTS i CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION Background ................................................................................................................. 2 What is Biodiversity? ................................................................................................4 What are Ecologically Significant Habitats? ..........................................................4 Study Areas ................................................................................................................ 5 METHODS Study Area Identification......................................................................................... 11 Gathering Information & Predicting Habitats ...................................................... 11 Preliminary Habitat Mapping & Field Verification.............................................. 13 Refining the Habitat Map ........................................................................................14 RESULTS Overview ...................................................................................................................19 Habitat Descriptions: Introduction........................................................................................................... 24 Upland Habitats Upland Forests .................................................................................................. 24 Red Cedar Woodland ........................................................................................30 Upland Shrubland..............................................................................................32 Upland Meadow................................................................................................ 34 Oak-heath Barren...............................................................................................37 Crest, Ledge, & Talus ....................................................................................... 40 Calcareous Crest, Ledge, and Talus ................................................................ 42 Clay Bluff and Ravine ...................................................................................... 44 Orchard/Plantation .......................................................................................... 45 Cultural .............................................................................................................. 45 Waste Ground................................................................................................... 46 (continued) SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL & SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS CONTENTS ii CONTENTS (cont.) Nontidal Wetland and Stream Habitats Hardwood & Shrub Swamp............................................................................... 47 Conifer Swamp.................................................................................................... 50 Marsh.....................................................................................................................51 Fen .........................................................................................................................53 Wet Meadow ....................................................................................................... 56 Calcareous Wet Meadow ................................................................................... 58 Wet Clay Meadow.............................................................................................. 60 Acidic Bog.............................................................................................................61 Intermittent Woodland Pool ............................................................................. 63 Kettle Shrub Pool ................................................................................................ 66 Open Water ......................................................................................................... 68 Constructed Pond................................................................................................ 70 Springs & Seeps....................................................................................................71 Perennial and Intermittent Streams...................................................................73 Tidal and Supratidal Habitats Estuarine Rocky Shore........................................................................................ 76 Supratidal Railroad Causeway ........................................................................... 77 Tidal Tributary Mouth....................................................................................... 78 Intertidal Marsh .................................................................................................. 79 Intertidal Mudflat ................................................................................................81 Intertidal Swamp................................................................................................. 82 PLANNING FOR BIODIVERSITY Overview.................................................................................................................... 84 General Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation ................................................. 86 Using the Habitat Maps to Review Site-Specific Land Use Proposals................ 88 CONSERVATION PRIORITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Overview.................................................................................................................... 89 Delineation of Priority Conservation Zones.......................................................... 90 Priority Conservation Zones.....................................................................................91 Priority Zone 1—Fens and Calcareous Wet Meadows .....................................100 Priority Zone 2—Kettle Shrub Pools .................................................................. 102 (continued) SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL & SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS CONTENTS iii CONTENTS (cont.) Priority Zone 3—Fishkill and Sprout Creeks ...................................................106 Priority Zone 4--Intermittent Woodland Pools................................................112 Priority Zone 5--Oak-Heath Barrens .................................................................118 Priority Zone 6--Acidic Bog…………………………………………………………………….121 Priority Zone 7--Tidal Habitats……………………………………………………………….123 Priority Zone 8—Large Forests………………………………………………………………..126 Priority Zone 9—Large Meadows and Shrublands…………………………………….128 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 130 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………..…………………………………………….....................132 REFERENCES CITED…………………………………..…………………….........................133 APPENDICES A. Species of conservation concern .................................................................. 138 B. Explanation of rarity ranks ……………………………………….……………………….143 C. Common and scientific names of plants……………………………………………..145 FIGURES 1. Study site location and bedrock geology………………………………........................10 2. Ecologically significant habitats in the Beekman study area ........................... 21 3. Ecologically significant habitats in the LaGrange study area ……………….......22 4. Ecologically significant habitats in the Fishkill study area..............................23 5. Priority conservation zones in the Beekman study area…………………………….93 6. Priority conservation zones in the LaGrange study area…………………........... 94 7. Priority conservation zones in the LaGrange study area ................................ 95 8. Priority conservation zones in the Fishkill study area .................................... 96 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL & SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS CONTENTS iv 9. Important forest and meadow habitats in the Beekman study area…………… 97 10. Important forest and meadow habitats in the LaGrange study area…………. 98 11. Important forest and meadow habitats in the Fishkill study area………………99 TABLES 1. Ecologically significant habitats in the Fishkill and Sprout creek corridors...19 2. Percent land cover and total areaof three habitat types ................................... 20 3. Special habitats, species of concern, and priority conservation zones............ 92 SIGNIFICANT HABITATS IN THE FISHKILL & SPROUT CREEK CORRIDORS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - 1 - Black-throated blue warbler EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (K. Schmidt © 2001) Hudsonia Ltd. identified and mapped ecologically significant habitats in a 2,000 meter (6560 feet) wide corridor along Fishkill Creek and Sprout Creek in the towns of Beekman, LaGrange, and Fishkill between October 2003 and October 2005. The project was funded by the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as part of their Fishkill Creek watershed planning initiative. Using map analysis, aerial photograph interpretation, and field observations, we created a series of large-format maps showing

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