An island rises from the Bay

Today we are hearing from Peter McGowan, environmental contaminants biologist at Chesapeake Bay Field Office.

In the 1600s Poplar Island measured about 2,000 acres. In 1874, roughly 1,140 acres remained. When I visited in 1994, less than 10 acres had lasted.

1847 map of Poplar Island (right) that was used as the design footprint for the restoration’s project construction outline.

Poplar Island was a rapidly eroding island complex in Chesapeake Bay, a few miles south of Annapolis, Maryland. The island lost substantial land (13 feet/year) due to erosion, subsidence, and sea level rise over the past 400 years. This is a common theme for Bay islands to this day. I found myself on one of the few remnants of the island as part of a team with USFWS, U.S. Geological Survey, and The University of Maryland working to identify possible stations to monitor the upcoming Poplar Island restoration project – still years away from starting.

The Poplar islets were free from human disturbances and provided excellent nesting habitat for waterbirds, including snowy and cattle egrets, little blue heron, and American black duck. It was also my first encounter with an osprey nest located on the ground, indicating a lack of mammalian predators. Little did I know that ospreys would later become a focus of my career from 2000 to present…

Ospreys, AKA ‘fish hawks’ are an iconic Chesapeake Bay species.

Ospreys are an iconic Chesapeake Bay species that were once in trouble along with other fish eating bird species. Their populations were severely impacted by the pesticide DDT and its resulting harmful effects on reproductive success. Banning of the chemical and conservation efforts have brought these birds back to the Bay. An estimated 10,000 pairs of ospreys currently nest in Chesapeake Bay, a far cry from the 1,450 pairs in the 1970s.

Poplar Island is now an international model for island restoration. Over 1,140 acres of remote island habitat have been restored, thanks to a dredged material project funded by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and Maryland Port Administration. The island will feature more than 1,700 acres of tidal wetland and uplands, benefitting fish and wildlife with an emphasis on nesting waterbirds when completed in 2043.

Comparison of Poplar Island before restoration construction vs. construction stage in 2011

I am the lead wildlife biologist for the Poplar Island project and my team is responsible for the all wildlife management activities on the island, including installing and repairing osprey nest platforms before the spring arrival of the first ospreys.

To date we have installed more than 24 osprey platforms on the island, a number of which enlisted the help of volunteers including the Boy Scouts of America. In fact, during the past 5 years, two Eagle Scout projects involved osprey platform construction for Poplar Island.  This February our team installed seven new platforms on Poplar Island and are anticipating when the “fish hawks” will first arrive, which will mark the beginning of our 2017 monitoring season. Stay tuned for updates including a webcam link overlooking an active nest!

Biologists and volunteers raise an osprey nest platform at Poplar Island

USFWS biologist Robbie Callahan (left) and volunteer Greg Kearns from the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission installing one of several osprey platform built by a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout at Poplar Island.

 

 

People Behind a Stronger Coast: Nancy Pau and Susan Adamowicz

Susan Adamowicz, Ph.D. and Nancy Pau have been working with local communities to defend coastal ecosystems against storms in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The two biologists are key players behind invasive species removal and high salt marsh restoration projects at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Local communities and landowners play a major role in the success of these projects. Pau cites local conservationist and Town of Newbury selectman Geoff Walker as an example.

“There is only so much we can do on protected lands to address resiliency issues,” she says. “A lot more can be done off refuges through decisions made by landowners and towns, especially as towns think about resiliency projects of their own. Having people like Geoff involved, people who understand the big picture of the marsh and how dependent the towns are on the natural ecosystems, is really great. He can speak to the issues that are important to the town.”

Collaboration between biologists and landowners is important when it comes to protecting vulnerable natural areas from storms and sea-level rise. Adamowicz says the high salt marsh habitat is crucial to helping people and wildlife alike withstand and recover from events like Hurricane Sandy.

“Healthy shoreline ecosystems provide much-needed protection for our human communities,” says Adamowicz. “The restored salt marsh will buffer waves and swallow up storm surges.”

Healthy salt marshes also serve as nurseries for fish that support offshore fisheries and support birds such as the saltmarsh sparrow, black rail and black ducks, which rely upon this unique habitat.

This work will allow future generations of wildlife and people to call the shoreline home — and that benefits everyone.

 

Susan Adamowicz, Ph.D. examines Spartina patens, which dominates the high marsh habitat. Susan is the salt marsh biologist for the Land Management Research and Demonstration Area that includes Parker River NWR. She carries out marsh restoration techniques, including use of “runnels,” or narrow, shallow channels, to restore appropriate tidal ebb flows in rapidly declining high salt marsh.

The work of biologists and partners to restore high salt marsh is important to both human and wildlife communities. In addition to supporting coastal resiliency, the marsh acts as a nursery for small fish that support offshore fisheries. American black ducks seek solitude and refuge in salt marshes like these, which provide critical wildlife habitat along the Atlantic Flyway.

The sun rises over sand dunes that separate Parker River National Wildlife Refuge’s inland salt marsh habitat from the Atlantic Ocean. Historic ditches dug to drain the marsh for harvesting salt hay and controlling mosquitoes now cause harmful ponding. Water trapped between ditches saturates the soil, preventing oxygen from reaching plant roots. To keep marsh plants from dying, biologists dig narrow, shallow channels, or “runnels,” to allow water to drain in a more natural way.

Nancy Pau is a wildlife biologist at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Much of her work focuses on restoring resilient salt marsh habitats in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. One way she restores resiliency is removing invasive plants, like perennial pepperweed and Phragmites in the Great Marsh. Here, Nancy poses along Plumbush Creek, with Plum Island Turnpike’s drawbridge and causeway in the background.

Historically, this bridge spanned the width of Plum Island River, which connected Plum Island Sound to the Merrimack River. When it was upgraded, fill was placed on the sides of the bridge that limited the amount of water entering and exiting Plum Island Sound. Biologists are using models to look at ways to restore more natural flows under the bridge.

Looking inland across the salt marsh at sunrise, you can see sturdy grasses and shrubs that protect sand dunes from erosion. The marsh protects coastline property by buffering waves and swallowing storm surges, while also providing habitat for wildlife.

Working with partners, volunteers, and landowners is essential to the success of these interrelated projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can do only so much on protected land. Working with volunteers like Geoff Walker, a conservationist, long-time hunter, activist, and selectman in nearby Newbury, helps conservation organizations accomplish more within the community.

An immature bald eagle soars above the salt marsh, scanning for prey.

Perennial pepperweed is an invasive plant newly colonizing salt marshes on the East Coast. With seeds that spread with the tides, it readily out-competes native marsh plants, decreasing biodiversity. Pepperweed has been eradicated in many parts of the refuge. The focus is now on eliminating it throughout the Great Marsh watershed and other sites in New England.

Monitoring erosion in the marsh is vital to understanding the way water and sediment move throughout Plum Island Sound. Scientists believe that marsh erosion is an integral part of a resilient marsh. In systems with low sediment supply, when sediment from these eroding banks gets deposited on the marsh surface, it will help marshes keep pace with sea-level rise.

Susan Adamowicz walks through the salt marsh beyond the remains of one of the refuge’s many relic “marsh hay” “staddles,” or platforms.

Natural landscapes and human-built structures are both important for protecting coastal homes and residents from the threat of storm surges. Together, they make a more resilient coast.

All photos by Steve Droter

Making a difference in the salamander movement

What might look like a fallen twig in the road is actually a migrating spotted salamander.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

As we slide into our rain gear, the spotted salamanders are already sliding down the hill, making their way toward the wetland across the road.  Driving here was like living in a game of Frogger, only we were the car.  Switching roles now, we park the car and begin escorting as many of these slippery critters across the road as possible.  What had looked like fallen twigs from the car are actually slow-moving salamanders getting crushed by oncoming traffic.  I am joining New York Field Office biologist, Noelle Rayman-Metcalf, on a volunteer mission to document and help migrating woodland amphibians.

Spotted salamander that emerged from the forest floor on a rainy night.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

Salamanders represent one of the largest sources of biomass of all vertebrates in the forest landscape.  They also can help us by eating pest insects, like mosquitoes that breed in the same vernal pools as them.  Just beneath the forest floor are countless hibernating frogs and salamanders, awaiting the first heavy rain after a spring thaw.

Typically, late March and early April are when they resurface from their winter homes, but with unseasonably warm weather this year, some woodland amphibians came out early.  By early March, spring peepers and spotted salamanders are emerging from the earth, half-awake and on auto pilot to make it to the wetland and breed.  This migration has been happening for tens of thousands of years in the forests of New York State, except one thing is different now: we have placed roads in the middle of their route.

A spotted salamander waits at the roadside, as if pondering whether or not to cross.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

It’s a double-edged sword because roads have made it much easier to see and document this impressive migration, but now there is a spike in fatality.  Driven by instinct, these amphibians all travel in one direction, while cars are streaming from both.  Some are lucky enough to escape the 4 wheels overhead, but for a vast majority, luck fails.

Spotted salamander makes his way toward the headlights of a car, attempting to cross over to the wetland on the other side.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

That’s where we come in, acting as a free lift service for migrating frogs and salamanders.  One salamander pops his head up over the roadside, another is already making a slow dash in the middle of the road, and then a peeper springs into the action!  We quickly grab those in sight and safely transport them to the other side of the road.  I can’t help but think about how many slip past the two of us before we can rescue them.  I can only imagine what passing cars are thinking as they see our bright orange vests on the side of the road at 10:00 pm in the wind and rain.

A spotted salamander pops its head over the edge of the road after coming down the hill from the woods.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

There is a small crew of volunteers in Central New York who maintain this late night tradition when the warm spring rains fall.  This is part of a larger effort for the NYSDEC’s Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project, which so far has helped more than 8,500 amphibians cross New York roads safely.  Others are helping make a difference across the Northeast as well.  In Massachusetts, salamander tunnels have been installed to allow safe crossing.  Some areas have even begun to periodically close roads to allow the hundreds, if not thousands of amphibians to make it to their breeding pools without the risk.

Lending a helping hand to make sure this salamander safely crosses the road.  Photo: Justin Dalaba, USFWS.

With spring still a few weeks away and sporadic temperature changes ahead, there could be more nights like this. If you know of a breeding location or want to lend a helping hand in this effort for the Northeast, you can find a local volunteer opportunity near you. When you’re driving near a wetland, be sure to use extra caution on rainy nights, and be aware there may be volunteers and amphibians out and about.