Title page image: Mallards taking flight from Moist Soil Unit 4W. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. i INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ iii CLIMATE DATA .......................................................................................................................... iv REFUGE MAP ................................................................................................................................v FORWARD – YEAR OF THE DROUGHT ................................................................................. vi Monitoring and Studies: 1a. Surveys and Censuses ..........................................................................................................1 1b. Studies and Investigations....................................................................................................2 Habitat Restoration: 2a. Wetland Restoration.............................................................................................................8 2b. Upland Restoration ............................................................................................................11 Habitat Management: 3a. Water Level Management ..................................................................................................12 3b. Moist Soil Management .....................................................................................................13 3c. Graze/Mow/Hay .................................................................................................................20 3d. Farming ..............................................................................................................................20 3e. Forest Management ............................................................................................................22 3f. Fire Management ...............................................................................................................25 3g. Pest/Plant Control ..............................................................................................................25 Fish and Wildlife Management: 4a. Bird Banding ......................................................................................................................26 4b. Disease Monitoring and Treatment ....................................................................................26 i 4c. Reintroductions ..................................................................................................................26 4d. Pest, Predator & Exotic Animal Control............................................................................26 Public Education and Recreation: 5a. Provide Visitor Services ....................................................................................................31 5b. Outreach .............................................................................................................................43 Resource Protection: 6a. Law Enforcement ...............................................................................................................54 6b. Permits and Economic Use Management ..........................................................................55 6c. Contaminant Investigation .................................................................................................55 6d. Contaminant Cleanup.........................................................................................................55 6e. Water Rights Management ................................................................................................55 6f. Cultural Resource Management .........................................................................................55 6g. Land Acquisition Support ..................................................................................................55 Planning and Administration: 7a. Planning .............................................................................................................................56 7b. General Administration ......................................................................................................56 Ozark Cavefish National Wildlife Refuge .....................................................................................68 Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge ............................................................................................69 ii INTRODUCTION Mingo National Wildlife Refuge is located in portions of Stoddard and Wayne Counties in southeast Missouri, approximately 150 miles south of St. Louis. It was established in 1945 under authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as a resting and wintering area for migratory waterfowl and preservation of bottomland hardwood forest. The Refuge contains 21,592 acres and lies in a linear basin formed in an ancient abandoned channel of the Mississippi River. The Refuge is predominately a bottomland hardwood swamp bordered on the west by the foothills of the Ozark Uplift and on the east by a terrace called Crowley's Ridge. Elevations along the top of these ridges range as high as 405' msl compared to the 340' msl elevation of the basin. Historically, the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge area was a haven for wildlife before logging, drainage, and conversion to agriculture altered the area. Bankruptcy of the Mingo Drainage District in the 1930's set the stage for Federal acquisition and subsequent restoration of the swamp and its productivity. Peak waterfowl populations of 125,000 mallards and 75,000 Canada geese have been recorded. The Refuge contains approximately 15,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods, 1,300 acres of upland hardwoods, 1,200 acres of cropland and moist soil units, 500 acres of grassland/early successional forest, and 3,500 acres of marsh and water. There are seven natural areas on the Refuge and over 140 identified archaeological sites. In 1976, 7,730 acres were designated as a Wilderness Area. The Mingo Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center with over 240 enrollees is located adjacent to the Refuge. Recreational activities such as fishing; hunting for waterfowl, squirrel, turkey, and deer; canoeing; and wildlife observation are very popular on the Refuge. Annual visitation to the Refuge the past 5 years has averaged about 126,299 visits. Facilities available to the public include a Visitor Information Center, the Mingo Swamp Friends Bookstore, a 1.0-mile self-guided Boardwalk Nature Trail, a 20- mile self-guided Auto Tour Route, four observation towers, picnic tables, and an environmental education pavilion. iii Climate Data 2012 Climagraph showing actual monthly and average monthly precipitation 7 6 5 4 Actual 3 Average 2 Precipitation (inches) Precipitation 1 0 JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC Month Actual Rain Average Rain January 2.97 2.96 February 1.91 3.13 March 3.11 4.26 April 1.35 4.17 May 0.79 4.99 June 1.37 3.43 July 2.16 3.37 August 1.44 3.21 September 6.2 3.54 October 2.58 3.18 November 1.32 4.22 December 1.71 4.27 Total 26.91 44.73 iv v FORWARD – Year of the Drought While 2011 was the year of the flood, 2012 was the year of the drought. Mingo NWR and the Midwest saw the most severe and extensive drought in 25 years. Experts called 2012 a “flash drought” which meant that it evolved quickly and unexpectedly. While the drought allowed refuge staff to proceed with ditch maintenance on Ditch 3, mechanical disturbance of Rockhouse Marsh, and mechanical disturbance or planting in moist soil units; the vegetation in the wetlands and cooperative farm units suffered from lack of rainfall later in the summer. Refuge staff was able to pump into the moist soil units to water the plants, which provided better vegetation response. Later in the summer, it was strongly advised that caution be taken in care of heavy equipment operation during extreme drought conditions. The imagery of the plant stress in Figure 1 below is produced by NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. Plants cool themselves by sweating water extracted from the soil by their roots. When access to water is limited, plants lessen their consumption and reduce evapotranspiration from leaf surfaces. The leaves heat up and produce an elevated leaf or canopy temperature, which can be detected by thermal sensors on NOAA’s weather satellites, and depicted significant drought in the region (NASA 2012). Figure 1 shows plant stress on August 28, 2012 in the U. S. Midwest. Figure 1. Imagery shows significant plant stress on August 28, 2012, which indicated significant drought in the U.S. Midwest. Hotter plans imply limited water in the soil (NASA/Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio/USDA-ARS 2012). vi MONITORING AND STUDIES 1 1a. Surveys and Censuses Waterfowl Waterfowl surveys were conducted weekly, when possible, from October through March. Refuge staff coordinated the timing of some weekly waterfowl surveys to correspond with the Missouri Department of Conservation state wide ground and aerial counts. These coordinated ground counts allow for a regional (SE Missouri) waterfowl population estimate. Waterfowl survey data were compiled by management unit in an effort to evaluate waterfowl response to water and habitat management. Peak waterfowl numbers for each month data were collected from 2012 2012 Jan Feb Mar Sep Oct Nov Dec Ducks 53740 34343 11276 3340 21397 85512 59673 Geese 5891 1091 90 275