Greene County Grassland Habitat Management Plan Primary Authors: Karen Strong, Rene VanSchaack, and Ingrid Haeckel Contributing Authors: Abbe Martin (GCSWD) and Paul Novak Extra thanks for extensive comments and background material: Nancy Heaslip, Elizabeth LoGuidice, and Leslie Zucker. The Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District initiated the development of this management plan; however, a wide range of organizations and individuals played key roles in its development, and still more will have a role in implementation. Major project guidance was provided by the Greene County Habitat Advisory Committee, a unique partnership created to advise the Conservation District in habitat conservation. The following organizations and individuals are represented on the Greene County Habitat Advisory Committee and assisted in the development of this plan: The Greene County Habitat Advisory Committee Greene Land Trust: Bob Knighton Greene Industrial Development Agency: Rene VanSchaack Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District: Jeff Flack New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC): Paul Novak, Nancy Heaslip NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program: Karen Strong, Ingrid Haeckel Northern Catskills Audubon Society, Inc.: Larry Federman Scenic Hudson: Mark Wildonger, Chris Kenyon Hudsonia, Ltd.: Erik Kiviat, PhD. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County’s Agroforestry Resource Center: Elizabeth LoGiudice Sierra Club, Hudson-Mohawk Group: Roger Downs Coxsackie Planning Board: Frank Gerrain Peter Feinberg, environmental consultant James Coe, artist, naturalist and field guide author Rich Guthrie, local bird expert New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provided funding for this project from the Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program. Suggested Citation: Strong, K., R. VanSchaack, and I. Haeckel. 2014. Greene County Grassland Habitat Management Plan. Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District and Greene County Habitat Advisory Committee. Cairo, NY. 82 pp. 2 Table of Contents List of Tables......................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 7 Purpose of the Plan ............................................................................................................................ 9 Project Partners................................................................................................................................. 9 Plan Audience ................................................................................................................................. 10 Plan Outline: ................................................................................................................................... 10 Section I: Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 11 History of Grasslands in New York State .............................................................................................. 11 Hope for Eastern Greene County Grasslands ........................................................................................ 12 Current Threats to Grasslands and Grassland Birds ............................................................................... 12 Importance and Benefits of Grasslands to People ................................................................................. 13 Section 2: Greene County’s Grassland Habitat ......................................................................................... 17 Background..................................................................................................................................... 17 Geographic setting ........................................................................................................................... 18 Physiography ............................................................................................................................... 18 Bedrock Geology .......................................................................................................................... 18 Surficial Geology .......................................................................................................................... 18 Soils ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Climate ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Water Resources .......................................................................................................................... 19 Land Use ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Archaeology ................................................................................................................................ 21 Demographics.............................................................................................................................. 21 Biological Setting.......................................................................................................................... 22 Section 3: Grassland Birds and Habitat Conservation ................................................................................ 27 Background..................................................................................................................................... 27 Focal Species and Their Habitats ........................................................................................................ 28 Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) ................................................................................................... 29 Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) ................................................................................................... 31 Primary Threats to Focal Species ........................................................................................................ 32 Habitat Loss and Fragmentation ..................................................................................................... 32 Traffic......................................................................................................................................... 33 Invasive Species ........................................................................................................................... 33 Monitoring Efforts for Focal Grassland Bird Species .............................................................................. 33 Monitoring Efforts for Other Species .................................................................................................. 34 History of Grassland Conservation in Greene County............................................................................. 35 Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Section 4: Habitat Inventory and Analysis ............................................................................................... 37 Habitat Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 42 3 Grassland Habitat ......................................................................................................................... 42 Shrubland Habitat ........................................................................................................................ 43 Wetlands and Open Water ............................................................................................................ 43 Upland Forest .............................................................................................................................. 44 Tidal Habitat ................................................................................................................................ 44 Riparian Habitat ........................................................................................................................... 44 Map of Potential Grassland Bird Habitat.............................................................................................. 45 Section 5: Conservation Plan ................................................................................................................. 47 Conservation Vision ......................................................................................................................... 47 Grassland Landscape Conservation Framework .................................................................................... 48 Core Habitat ................................................................................................................................ 48 The Surrounding Landscape ........................................................................................................... 49 Goals and objectives for grassland conservation in eastern Greene County .............................................