REVIEW AND APPROVAL S • CAROLINA SANDHILLS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG E McBee, South Carolina • ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1997 • Refuge Manager Date Refuge Supervisor Review Date Regio al Office Approval / Date • • CAROLINA SANDHILLS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG E McBee, South Carolin a • ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1997 • U . S . Department of the Interio r Fish and Wiidlife Servic e National Wildlife Refuge System • • TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION. .. .. .... ..... .. ... ...... .i A. HIGHLIGHTS 1 B . CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 1 C . LAND ACQUISITION 2 1. Fee Title 2 2. Easements 2 3. Other Nothing to Report D. PLANNIN G • 1. Master Plan Nothing to Report 2. Management Plan Nothing to Report 3. Public Participation 2 4. Compliance w/Environmental & Cultural Resources Mandates 2 5. Research and Investigations 3 6. Other Nothing to Report E . ADMINISTRATIO N 1. Personnel 7 2. Youth Programs 1 0 3. Other Manpower Programs Nothing to Report 4. Volunteer Programs 1 0 5. Funding 1 1 6. Safety 1 4 7. Technical Assistance 1 4 8. Other 14 • F . HABITAT MANAGEMEN T 1. General 1 5 2. Wetlands 1 5 3. Forests 1 6 4. Croplands 1 8 5. Grasslands 1 9 6. Other Habitats - Fields Nothing to Report 7. Grazing Nothing to Report 8. Haying Nothing to Report 9. Fire Management 1 9 10. Pest Control 20 11. Water Rights Nothing to Report 12. Wilderness and Special Areas 20 13. WPA Easement Monitoring Nothing to Report • • TABLE OF CONTENTS - Cont'd Page G . WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity 20 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species 20 3. Waterfowl 22 4. Marsh and Water Birds 22 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns, & Allied Species 23 6. Raptors 23 7. Other Migratory Birds 23 8. Game Mammals 23 9.Marine Mammals Nothing to Report 10. Other Resident Wildlife 23 11 . Fisheries Resources . .. .. ... ... .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 25 12.Wildlife Propagation and Stocking Nothing to Report • 13.Surplus Animal Disposal Nothing to Report 14.Scientific Collections Nothing to Report 15.Animal Control Nothing to Report 16.Marking and Banding . ... ... ... .. .. .. .. .25 17. Disease Prevention and Control Nothing to Report H. PUBLIC US E 1.General 26 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students 26 3. OutdoorClassrooms - Teachers Nothing to Report 4. Interpretive Foot Trails 27 5. Interpretive Tour Routes 28 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations 28 7.Other Interpretive Programs 28 8. Hunting 29 9. Fishing Nothing to Report • 10.Trapping 11. Wildlife Observation Nothin9 to Report 12.Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation Nothing to Report 13.Camping Nothing to Report 14.Picnicking Nothing to Report 15.Off-Road Vehicling Nothing to Report 16.Other Non-Wildlife-Oriented Recreation Nothing to Report 17.Law Enforcement 32 18.Cooperating Associations Nothing to Report 19. Concessions Nothing to Report I . EQUIPMENTAND FACILITIE S 1. New Construction 32 2. Rehabilitation 32 3. Major Maintenance 33 4. Equipment Utilization and Replacement 33 5. Communications Systems Nothing to Report • 6. Computer Systems 34 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Cont'd • Page I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 7.Energy Conservation Nothing to Report 8.Other Nothing to Report J . OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs 34 2. Other Economic Uses Nothing to Report 3. Items of Interest 35 4. Credits 37 K. FEEDBACK Nothing to Report L. INFORMATION PACKET (inside back cover) • • • INTRODUCTIO N Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge overlies a portion of the Fall Line region of South Carolin a • which forms the transition zone between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau . I n prehistoric times the coastal plain was covered by an ancient ocean into which rivers from adjacen t mountainous regions drained . Silt and sand deposited along the coastline from these stream s eventually formed into a band of sand dunes which are today known as the Sandhills Region of Nort h and South Carolina. Human habitation of the Sandhills has probably existed for more than 10,000 years . Before the arriva l of European man, the region was sparsely populated by scattered Indian tribes which came to b e known as the Catawba Nation. Little information is available concerning the early history of Europea n man in this area . Not until the 16th century was the area visited by explorers and for the next 15 0 years, the only people to visit the region on a regular basis were trappers and traders in search of fur s and hides . Europeans did not begin to establish permanent settlements in inland South Carolina unti l the mid-1700's . Vast longleaf pine forests dominated the landscape of the Sandhills when European man first settle d in this area . These supported major lumber and naval store industries by the late 1800's. However, by the early 1900's these forests had been completely destroyed and farming became th e predominant lifestyle in this region . Poor agricultural practices and deep infertile soils combined t o • spell the doom of this industry . The lands within the Sandhills region were badly eroded an d essentially a biological desert when acquisition for the refuge began in 1934 . The refuge was established by Executive Order Number 8067 dated March 17, 1939 under authorit y of the 1933 National Industrial Recovery Act and the Emergency Relief Appropriation of 1935 . Th e U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 45,348 acres as the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlif e Refuge. Elevations on the refuge range from 250 to 500 feet above mean sea level . The topography i s characterized by gently rolling hills and deep sandy soils with occasional outcroppings of red an d kaolin clays . Uniquely, much of the flora and fauna found on the east side of the refuge i s characteristic of those forms generally associated with the Coastal Plain while those on the west sid e are associated with the Piedmont Plateau . The dominant forest type is longleaf pine with a scattere d understory of turkey oak . Where clay outcroppings occur, longleaf is replaced by loblolly pine an d bluejack oak is the most common understory species . • The eastern portion of the refuge drains into Black Creek and its tributaries . Water in these streams is clear but stained black due to the presence of organic acids . Flood plain swamps occur alon g some of the larger streams . The western portion of the refuge drains into Lynches River and its tributaries. The tributaries of Lynches River are similar to those of Black Creek except that they are deeper and swifter. The mainstream of Lynches River originates in the Piedmont Plateau in th e vicinity of the refuge . It is characterized by slightly stained and turbid water with predominantly clay banks. Pocosin ecotones, swamp hardwood forests, and dense stands of evergreen shrubs borde r these streams producing some of the best wildlife habitat found on the refuge . Thirty smal l impoundments having dark, clear water have been constructed on these tributaries ; most of these have been stocked with bass and bream . Habitat diversity has been increased by the creation of many small fields scattered throughout the refuge . • I CAROLINA SANDHILLS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUG E CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA UNITED STATE S UNITED STATE S FISH A14D WILDLIFE SERVIC E DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIO R SO•10' •720 ' • 34. 40 ' • 34'3 5 • 34.30' SO.20' 8095' COMPILED IN THE DIVISION OF REALTY FRO M SURVET9 NY U .S.D.S MEA N DECLINATION 197 4 0 1520 2640 521 0 13660 21120 /[[T Scal e 1,2 I ATLANTA . GEORGI A JUNE, 1974 4R-SC-275-404 REVISED :12/86 A . HIGHLIGHTS Refuge staff increases outreach efforts throughout the local community . Over thirty programs wer e • conducted by refuge staff, including participation in the Pee Dee Sportsmans Classic, Palmett o Sportsmans Classic, and the McBee Fall Festival . Special events were also held to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week, Earth Day, and International Migratory Bird Day . Refuge fire and maintenance operations got a boost with the arrival of a new fire transport truck, truc k tractor, dump truck and excavator . Refuge Manager Ingram was selected for the position of Refuge Program Specialist (Assistan t District Manager for District III refuges) and reported for duty there on July 7 . Scott Lanier, Deputy Project Leader at Wheeler NWR, was selected to fill the project leader's position , reporting for duty on October 27th . Refuge Forester Dave Robinson conducted a presentation on "Managing the Longleaf PinerWregras s Ecosystem" on Carolina Sandhills NWR at a seminar sponsored by the S . C. Conservation League , Ducks Unlimited, and the Nature Conservancy at the SeeWee Visitor Center . A total of 14,835 acres were burned this year, with a record 5,376 acres burned during growin g • season. U . S. Forest Service researchers expanded their research efforts, conducting eleven different studie s relating to longleaf pine/wiregrass habitats, roller chopping, and fire ecology . Successful red-cockaded woodpecker nests increased to eighty-six (six percent increase from last year) . Artificial cavities were utilized for twenty nests (a twenty-five percent increase) . Refuge road rehab efforts, funded by Hurricane Fran monies, continued throughout the year. Ten juvenile red-cockaded woodpeckers were trapped for relocation to Daniel Boone National Forest . Unfortunately, one bird died on October 7th . Congressman John M . Spratt and his District Administrator Robert Hopkins were given a two hour tour of the refuge by Office Assistant McCutcheon and Refuge Manager Lanier on December 12th . • B . CLIMATIC CONDITION S Overall weather patterns for the year were fairly normal . Temperatures reached 100 degrees an d above during the month of July . Refuge crops produced fair yields along with good mast crops . There was an excellent longleaf pine seed crop this year . Table 1 presents a summary o f temperatures and precipitation for Calendar Year 1997 . • 1 Table 1 .