Atlantic coast joint venture waterfowl implementation plan

Ownership/Protection:

Approximately 85% of the land in Delaware is privately owned and the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area is no exception. Approximately 4,856 hectares (12,000 acres) of land (13%) has been protected at the state level (Blackbird State Forest, Blackiston Wildlife Area, Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, Augustine Wildlife Area and the C&D Canal Wildlife Area). The remaining land

within the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area is privately owned and subject to increasing development pressure. This increasing desire to move out of the cities and into the “country” is the largest threat to waterfowl habitat within the state of Delaware. Protection and/or restoration of the remaining wetlands and associated upland habitat within this portion of the state are critical to wintering waterfowl.

Wetlands in the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area are recognized by the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands for both the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. NOAA has established two National Estuarine Research Reserves on the Delmarva Peninsula one of which occurs in the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area (Delaware Reserve, 2004). Partners in Flight recognize wetlands and associated habitats across the peninsula as critical to neotropical migrants. The Nature Conservancy has identified rare and endangered habitats and species of amphibians, plants and insects. Finally, the Delmarva Conservation Corridor was established under the 2002 Farm Bill to establish a network of public and private lands for a variety of purposes including maintaining biodiversity in the region (The Delmarva Conservation Corridor Information Sheet, 2003).

The Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area supports over 23,000 wintering waterfowl including Snow Goose, Black Duck, Mallard, Pintail, Ring-neck Duck, Bufflehead, Tundra and Mute Swan. Less prevalent are wintering populations of Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Wigeon and Northern Shoveler (Waterfowl Surveys in Delaware, 2004). In addition, these wetlands provide habitat for breeding Black Duck, Mallard and Wood Duck.

The forests of the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area provide critical habitat for several neotropical migrants including Yellow Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Red and White-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, Eastern wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird and Scarlet Tanager.

Delaware is the second smallest state and is home to over 0.75 million people and 65% of the people live on only 21% of the land primarily in New Castle County (Environmental Law Institute, 1999). As such, the Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area is subject to increasing development pressures. From 1980 to 1990 development in the New Castle County has grown by 11% (CensusScope, 2004). Forest loss throughout the state during this period totaled more than 22,257 hectares (55,000 acres) and threatens to decrease water quality and reduce habitat available for waterfowl. Wetlands are also under pressure from development with more than 1,740 hectares (4,300 acres) lost between 1982 and 1997 (Environmental Law Institute, 1999). Because of increased residential, commercial and agricultural development, this region has become a priority area for the Liveable Delaware Initiative, Forest Legacy Program, Agriculture Preservation, The Nature Conservancy’s Ecoregional Planning Initiative and the Chesapeake Bay Planning Conservation Project.

Protect, restore and enhance wetlands and associated uplands wherever and whenever opportunities arise within this Blackbird Bay to Bay Focus Area. Work with other public and private partnerships to utilize existing funding programs and manage development in a responsible manner to minimize disturbance and maintain populations of wetland dependent migratory birds and biodiversity. Long term protection should be favored; however, multiple 10-15 year agreements for restoration and enhancement will be a primary tool to maintain wildlife populations.

A Directory of Wetlands of International Importance. United States of America 4US011. Retrieved October 8, 2004, from http://www.wetlands.org/RDB/Ramsar_Dir/USA/US011D02.htm

Delaware Bay. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2004, from http://www.manomet.org/WHSRN/viewsite.php?id=6

Environmental Law Institute. 1999. Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation. 149 pp. Retrieved October 8, 2004 from http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/DNREC2000/Admin/Biodiversity/derr_ch1.pdf

Delaware Reserve. (2004). Retrieved October 15, 2004, from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Estuarine Research Reserve website: http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Delaware/welcome.html

The Delmarva Conservation Corridor Information Sheet. (2003). Retrieved October 8, 2004 from http://www.cbes.org/SL%20Delmarva%20Conservation.html

Waterfowl Surveys in Delaware. (2004). Retrieved October 15, 2004, from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental control website: http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/fw/waterfowl.htm

Sub Focus areas: Indian River Bay, Lewes Rehoboth Canal, Rehoboth Bay

The Inland Bays Focus Area is approximately 45,324 hectares (111,998 acres) in size stretching from Lewes south to Bethany Beach. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and encompasses the Indian River Bay, Little Assawoman Bay and Rehoboth Bay and their tributaries.

Historically, the Inland Bays Focus Area was primarily rural with agricultural production being the primary land use. However with improved highways in the 1950’s and 60’s increased accessibility to this region accelerated both residential development and tourism (Imperial, 2000). Today, the dominant Land Use Land Covers are wetland habitat including man made lakes, streams and reservoirs comprising of 34 %, agricultural lands making up 30 % of the focus area and forest lands making up 16 % of the land cover within the focus area. The remaining area is comprised of commercial, industrial and residential development 95,617 hectares (236,275 acres) and growing (LULC, 2002).

The Inland Bays and adjacent upland area are comprised of 15,093 hectares (37,297 acres) of wetland that support over 8,000 ducks and geese (Waterfowl Surveys in Delaware, 2004). Salt marshes in this region are composed of primarily smooth cordgrass, salt meadow cordgrass, or spike grass, glassworts, marhs orach, sea lavender, salt marsh astere, black grass, and common reed (Tiner, 1985). Smooth cordgrass, salt hay grass, narrow leaved cattail, big cordgrass, common reed and rose mallow dominant the irregularily flooded brackish marshes (Tiner, 1985). In the regularly flooded tidal marsh areas smooth cordgass and water hemp, arrow arum, pickerelweed, and soft stemmed bulrush are the primary plant species (Tiner, 1985). Seasonally- flooded forested wetlands in the Inland Bays Focus Area include dominant species such as red maple, sweet gum black gum or loblolly pine (Tiner, 1985). Sub-dominant trees may include ashes, river birch, sweet bay, basket oak, swamp white oak, pin oak, and American Elm (Tiner, 1985). Shrubs found in red maple swamps may include sweet pepperbush, southern arrowwood, winterberry, highbush blueberry, to name a few (Tiner, 1985). In addition several herbaceous plants may be found throughout the red maple swamps including skunk cabbage, royal fern, cinnamon fern, and others (Tiner, 1985).