State Lands Habitat Program Highlights From the 1st Half of 2018 Jim Oehler State Lands Habitat Biologist August 2, 2018 Click on the property name to view its profile on Fish & Game’s website including links to maps. To learn more about how the Department manages its WMAs, click here. REGION 1 Connecticut Lakes Natural Area (CLNA) Pittsburg The focus during this first half of the year has been on the identification of the next commercial timber sale on the CLNA. Jill Kilborn, with assistance from the NH Division of Forest and Lands and Will Staats, has scouted, presented on, and cruised a portion of the South Bay Bog Operating Unit (OU) that we hope to have harvested during the winter of 2019/2020 (Figure 1). This sale will complement the very first timber sale on the CLNA which took place in 2009. During that sale there was a focus on aspen along the winter road that runs through the OU. That work resulted in some excellent aspen regeneration which will be expanded upon in this next entry. The surrounding hardwood stands will be managed to increase structure in the understory and to promote mast producing trees such as beech and cherry. First CT Lake Figure 1. Planned harvest area (outlined in red) to improve wildlife habitat on the South Bay Bog Operating Unit of the CT Lakes Natural Area. Map by Jill Kilborn. South Bay Bog Operating Unit Lake Francis Page 1 of 13 Scarification and planting Since 2016 we have been working on a spruce fir restoration project that was part of the last timber sale in the Indian Stream OU – the far western part of the CLNA. The identified area was harvested over 30 years ago and had little to no regeneration. As part of this work we scarified the soils during the fall of 2016 to provide a good bed for the seed of yellow birch and spruce to fall into and germinate. During the spring of 2017 we also planted >500 red spruce seedlings in scarified and non-scarified areas. This, coupled with an excellent cone crop last fall, will hopefully result in the reforestation of these areas. This spring we returned to the site to perform on-going photo monitoring and will be looking into options for expanding this effort. Fall 2016 (Before Scarification) Fall 2016 (After Scarification) Spring 2017 (Planting Spruce Seedlings) Spring 2018 Figure 2. Before and after photos of the scarification project on the Indian Stream Operating Unit. Photos by Jill Kilborn. Page 2 of 13 CT River Drivers WMA, Colebrook – The Department is working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to conserve 30 acres along the CT River in Colebrook referred to as the Brunault Tract. Ultimately, it will be fee-owned by the Department. It abuts the 20-acre CT River boat access area to the south (never fully developed but still used for car top access). Along with a few acres of former DNCR land in between (now transferred to NHFG), the property will become the nearly 60-acre CT River Drivers WMA (Figure 3). Rich Cook is taking care of all the real estate transactions for this purchase. Closing will occur sometime this fall. TNC’s interest in the Brunault Tract is the potential to restore a portion of it to floodplain forest. During the process of fundraising for conserving the property, they also obtained funds from the Mitigation and Enhancement Fund and DES’ Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund for floodplain forest restoration. TNC has implemented floodplain forest restoration projects throughout the CT River Watershed on both TNC owned properties and partner lands. In NH, they are working on a similar project on the Ashuelot River this field season, and previously restored a portion of their Maidstone Bends Preserve in Northumberland. Floodplain forest restoration on the CT River Drivers WMA will include increasing the width of the buffer between the river and a corn field. The buffer will be disked and allowed to seed in naturally with silver maple from nearby parent trees. The seed will be supplemented with the planting of 4-5 foot tall potted silver maples and dutch elm disease resistant American elms. Restoration will occur on about 13 acres of the property. NHFG will enter into a management agreement with TNC to grant them authority to carry out the restoration plans once we own it. A 15-acre ag field will be retained and put out to bid to local farmers for a grain crop that will also provide a food source for migratory waterfowl. The CT River is a major flyway and stopover area for fall migrants. Additionally, an overburdened culvert will be removed and a new, more appropriate management access will be developed. All of this work will occur over the next 2-3 years. Upper Ammonoosuc WMA, Stark The Department purchased this 95.5 acre property in 2014. It contains floodplain forest, shrub swales, a five acre field and about 12 acres of upland forest dominated by pine and is a popular local upland gamebird hunting spot, primarily for woodcock. The alder that provides the lion share of the woodcock habitat is getting past its prime for good woodcock cover. Jill Kilborn and Will Staats are working on a plan to regenerate some of the older alder stands. Approximately five acres of alder is slated to be mowed with a brontosaurus mower later this fall or early winter. The following spring the alder will stump sprout and send up new shoots from the roots producing many more stems and producing improved cover not only for woodcock but also yellow warblers and several other songbirds whose rely on similar habitat. Page 3 of 13 Brunault Tract Former DNCR Land Welcome Center North of Colebrook NHFG CT River Boat Access Figure 3. The three parcels that will soon comprise the CT River Drivers WMA in Colebrook, NH. Page 4 of 13 REGION 2 Lower Shaker WMA, Enfield – Denyce Gagne will be working with contractors as they return later this summer to control invasive exotic plants on 36 acres in fields and along field edges. This is in addition to the 50 acres treated last year. Except for these areas, most of the Lower Shaker WMA is relatively free of invasive exotic plants and we’re going to work to keep it that way. Contractors will be targeting bush honeysuckle, common buckthorn, and multiflora rose via a foliar spray application of herbicides using licensed applicators. Denyce will also be working with the Enfield Shaker Museum to control the honeysuckle and rose on their adjoining property to deter reinvasion of the WMA. The museum property is the only other place we know these species to occur in the local landscape. Control on the museum property will include targeted herbicide applications and hand or mechanical pulling within a wellhead protection zone. Knight Meadow Marsh WMA, Webster – A contract is slated to be approved by Governor and Council in the very near future that will allow the construction of a bridge over Knight Meadow Brook to improve management and public access to Knight Meadow Marsh WMA and Leonard WMA. The crossing gets consistently flooded out because the four side-by-side culverts that comprise the crossing are not large enough to accommodate water during high flows. The culverts also prohibit passage by fish and other aquatic organisms. Brian Lemire has been coordinating this project with help from Denyce and John Magee. The bridge and streambank restoration design was completed under separate contract and the wetlands permit is in place. With the construction contract nearly in place, bridge construction will start later this summer. The goal is to have this project completed before the start of the waterfowl season and the planned timber sale on the abutting Leonard WMA which would use the same access (see below). Leonard WMA, Webster – Planning and project layout are complete and a logging contractor in place for a harvest slated to occur this winter that will be overseen by Tom Natale, a forester with the NH Division of Forests and Lands. The harvest will include a shelterwood to help regenerate oak and pine, crop tree release to enhance acorn production of retained oaks, and a couple of clearcuts to create young forest in the southern half of the property. It will also include some patch cuts to regenerate aspen in the northern section of the property where a small field complex is located. In keeping with the long standing objective initially established in the early 1980s, this northern section will be managed as a grouse and woodcock habitat demonstration area. The existing field will be expanded to create an approximately 5-acre field, free of overhead cover, and suitable for use as an evening roost field for woodcock. The field will also provide suitable woodcock singing grounds and be used as a foraging area for deer, turkey, and a variety of songbirds. Crab apples or other soft mast producing trees/shrubs may be planted to provide an additional wildlife food source. Surrounding the field will be 8 cutting blocks, 2 of which will be cut every 15 years, establishing a 60 year rotation. Blocks were laid out to get each as close to 5 acres as possible, which is the minimum recommended size for woodcock management. In addition to improving habitat, this project will bring in over $97,000 of revenue to the Department. You can read more about this project in this Taking Action for Wildlife article. Page 5 of 13 Cascade Marsh WMA, Sutton - Cascade Marsh is home to an old stone pit that was commonly used for dumping and target shooting.