The College at Brockport: State University of New York Digital Commons @Brockport Studies on Water Resources of New York State and Technical Reports the Great Lakes 8-2000 Biological Survey of Yanty Creek Marsh at Hamlin Beach State Park Joseph C. Makarewicz The College at Brockport, [email protected] James M. Haynes The College at Brockport, [email protected] Ronald C. Dilcher The College at Brockport John C. Hunter The College at Brockport Christopher J. Norment The College at Brockport, [email protected] See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/tech_rep Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Repository Citation Makarewicz, Joseph C.; Haynes, James M.; Dilcher, Ronald C.; Hunter, John C.; Norment, Christopher J.; and Lewis, Theodore W., "Biological Survey of Yanty Creek Marsh at Hamlin Beach State Park" (2000). Technical Reports. 92. http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/tech_rep/92 This Technical Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Studies on Water Resources of New York State and the Great Lakes at Digital Commons @Brockport. It has been accepted for inclusion in Technical Reports by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @Brockport. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Joseph C. Makarewicz, James M. Haynes, Ronald C. Dilcher, John C. Hunter, Christopher J. Norment, and Theodore W. Lewis This technical report is available at Digital Commons @Brockport: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/tech_rep/92 Bi<,logical Survey of Y anty Creek Marsh at Hamlin Beach State Park Prepared by Joseph C. Makarewicz, Principal Investigator/Project Director James M. Haynes, Principal Investigator Ronald C. Dilcher, Co-Principal Investigator John C. Hunter, Co-Principal Investigator Christopher J. Norment, Co-Principal Investigator Theodore Lewis, Research Associate Department of Biological Sciences SUNY College at Brockport Brockport, NY 14420-2973 Prepared for New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Western District, Genesee Region One Letchworth State Park Castile, NY 14427-1124 August 2000 I I I I I I I I I DRAKEMEMORIAL LIBRARY I FACULTY I � PUBLICATI NS j I �� �� I I I I I I I Table of Contents Executive Sununary........ .......... .. ......................................... ...... .. ...... ... 1 Recommendations......... ..................... ..... ........................... ................... 6 Introduction.... ...... ...... .......... .. ...... ................................ ................ ....... 8 Methods.............. ....... ........ .... ........................... ......... .... .. .... .. ........... .. 9 Vegetation.................................................... ......... ... ...... ... ... ...... 9 Aquatic Biota.............................................. .... ...... ............. ........... 10 Terrestrial Fauna........................................ ............ ..... .... ........ ..... 12 Results and Diiscussion........................................................ ...... .... .......... 14 Vegetation........................................... ......... .. ..... ...... .......... .. ... ... 14 Special Status Taxa..................... ... .... .... ... ......... .... .. ........ ..... 14 :Habitat Types.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 Terrestrial Plants................................ ........ ............... ..... ... .... 15 ·wetland and Aquatic Plants........................... ................. ..... ..... 17 Aquatic Biota Special Status Taxa............................ ......... .......... ..... ..... ....... 20 Phytoplankton............................................... ................. .. .. .. 20 �Zooplankton........... .......... ................... ... ... ...... .......... .. ..... .. 21 Benthic Macroinvertebrates............................. ... ..... ..... .. ... ...... 22 :Fish.................................................. ......... ......................... 23 Terrestrial Fauna Special Status Herpetofauna.......... ......... ........... ....... ... .. ....... ..... 24 .Amphibians........................................................ ..... ........ .... 24 :Reptiles........................................... .. ....... .. ..................... 25 ]Mammals.............................. .......... ... ...... ... ........ .. ... ....... ... 26 :Birds...................................................... .. .................... ..... 28 Managen1ent ln1plications and Recommendations................. ......................... 29 Overview.......................... ........ ..... ·�. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 29 Vegetation.�............................................ .. .. .. 30 Aquatic Biota...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 31 Phytoplankton and Zooplankton............ .................... .. .. 31 Benthic Macroinvertebrates.... .... ......... ...... ........... .......... .. ....... 32 lFish................................................ ....... .. ............... .. .. ... 32 Terrestrial Fauna.............................................. .. ... .. ... ....... .... ..... ... 32 ,Atnphibians....................................... ......... ............ ......... ... 33 ]Reptiles....................................................... .... ..... ..... ........ 33 l\lfammals................................................ ... ....... ... ..... ...... ... 33 ]Birds................................................ ......... .. .... ... ... ............ 34 lHutnans.............................................. ... .. ...... .. ............. .... 36 Conclusion....... ...... ,.................................................................... 36 Acknowledgernents .......... :..................................................................... 37 l�iteratttre Citt�d..... ........ ....................................................................... 37 Figures 1. Barrier beach east and west of the mouth of Yanty Creek... ........ .. .. .. 8 2. Yanty Creek marsh aquatic sampling sites and amphibian listening sites... ... 10 11 3. Amtphibian listening sites............... ......... .... ........ ..... .. ..... ............ 12 4. Western revetment showing area of decaying Cladophora 35 5. Jetskis on Yanty Creek during August, 2000.................................... 36 Tables A. Vegetation 1. New York State special status plant taxa occurring at Yanty Creek marsh...................... ........... ... ...... ...... ..... ........................... 42 2. Summary of plot data describing biodiversity within the vegetation of Y anty Creek marsh.. .. ... ... .. ... ... ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... ... .... .. 43 3. Diversity/Log (area) slopes. ....... ... .. ......................................... 44 B. Phytoplankton 1. Comparison of phytoplankton abundance and community indices between Braddock Bay and Yanty Creek............................... .... .... 45 C. Zooplankton 1. Comparison of zooplankton abundance and community indices between Braddock Bay and Yanty Creek. .... ..... .. .... .. .................... 46 D. Benthic Macroinvertebrates. 1. Biotic index values ............... 0.. ......... ... ...... ............... ..... ..... ... 47 2. Taxa found in Yanty Creek marsh and other Great Lakes marshes. ........ 48 E. Fish l 1. Fishes caught by trap nets and electrofishing in the lower Yanty and Sandy Creek wetlands..... 0 0... • • • . • . • • • • . • • • • . • . • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • 51 F. Arr.tphibians and Reptiles t 1 a. Amphibians observed at Yanty Creek marsh. ................................. 53 lb. Amphibians observed at Braddock Bay..... ... ..... .... .............. ......... 54 2. Reptiles observed at Yanty Creek marsh.. ........... ... .. .. .... .. ............. 55 I G. Mammals 1. Mammals observed at Yanty Creek marsh. ............. .. .... ................ 56 2. Trap success for small mammals............ ..... ..... .. ... ..... ... ... .. .. .. 58 H. Birds 1. Endangered, threatened or birds of special concern observed. .............. 59 2. Abundance and Richness............. .... .... ... .... ........... .. .. .... ..... .... 60 3. Wetland-dependent pecies...... ........... ... ........ ...................... .. .. .. 61 4. Ten most common species banded in the fall. ........... ............ .......... 62 5. Ten most common species banded in the spring.................. ............ 63 I Appendices A. Vegetation 1. Vascular plant species, by family in alphabetical order, growing I in the Yanty Creek marsh study area. .... .................... .................. 64 2. Summary of vegetation plot data collected at Yanty Creek marsh a. Old field and successional shrubland... ......... ...... ..... ................ 72 I b. Successional norihern hardwoods.......... ...... .... ...... ... .... ....... 74 c. Pine plantation............. ....... ....... .......... ..... ........ .... ..... ... 76 d. Mature hardwood forest.. ...... ....... ............ ... ... ... ... .... .......... 77 I e. Submergent plants....................... .. ..... ...................... ... ... 79 f. Emergent marsh... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 80 I iii I I g. Swamp...................................... ......... ...... ........ ........ .... 81 h. Shore-beach........................... ... .. .. ......................... ..... .... 84 I B. Phytoplankton composition, abundance and biomass at Yanty Creek marsh I 1. August 1999 a. Creek sampling site......................