Atlantic coast joint venture waterfowl implementation plan

Ownership/Protection:

Ninety-two % of the Inland Bay Focus Area is in private ownership. The remaining 8% is owned by the State of Delaware. Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware Seashore State Park, Holts Landing, Love Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Bluff Point WMA and Assawoman WMA are the only protected areas within this focus area. However, recreational use of some of these properties has rendered them less desirable to wildlife than undisturbed natural habitat. With such a high percentage of the land in this focus area in private lands it becomes increasingly important to work with these landowners to come up with cooperative solutions to habitat management.

Special Recognition:

The Delaware Coastal Zone including the Inland Bays Focus Area has been designated an “Important Bird Area of Global Magnitude” due to the thousands of birds that utilize these resources during spring and fall migration (Important Bird Areas in Delaware, 2004). In addition, 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. A minimum of ten million dollars has been allocated under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on the peninsula and state agencies continue to place top priority on protection of remaining wetlands. 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).

Some of the best breeding and wintering waterfowl habitat in the State of Delaware is found within the Inland Bays Focus Area. The bays and associated wetlands within this focus area support approximately 8,000 ducks and geese including the largest population of Brant, American Wigeon and Bufflehead within the state (Waterfowl Surveys in Delaware, 2004). In addition, the focus area supports breeding populations of Canada Goose, American Black Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wood Duck and wintering populations of Northern Pintail, Mute Swan, Canvasback, Shoveler, Green-winged Teal and Goldeneye. Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Scaup, Scoter, Merganser and Ruddy Duck used to winter in large numbers in the Inland Bays Focus Area. However, only a few locations remain in Sussex County however only a few areas of suitable habitat remain.

The Inland Bays Focus Area is important to hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds and songbirds during spring and fall migration, including Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Prairie and Kentucky Warblers, Wood Thrush, Least Tern, Brown Headed Nuthatch and Yellow Throated Warbler.

The Inland Bays and surrounding uplands are undergoing extensive development. Growth in this region has outpaced the national average (Imperial, 2000). The population has grown from 80,356 people in 1970 to 113,225 people in 1990 and is expected to grow to 150,000 people by 2011 (Estuaries on the Edge: The Vital Link Between Land and Sea, 2004). The majority of these people move into the eastern portion of the focus area close to the beach. This doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of visitors that come to the inland bays area each summer. The population in this focus area may increase by more than 200% in the summer on weekends (Inland Bays Environmental Profile, 2000). Residential and commercial development is the largest threat to the natural communities in the focus area.

The second largest threat to waterfowl and other migratory birds in the Inland Bays Focus Area is point and non-point source pollution including, but not limited to, urban and agricultural runoff, erosion and sedimentation, dredging, filling, channelization, stabilization, storm water discharge, wastewater outfalls and septic and ground water discharge. Agriculture, particularly poultry litter, appears to be a significant contributor of nitrogen leachate and phosphorus runoff into the Inland Bays. Over 70 million chickens are produced in the focus area per year, generating 90,000 tons of manure and litter (Inland Bays Environmental Profile). Manure and litter products leach into the sandy soils and into the groundwater increasing the phosphorous and nitrogen loads entering the watershed. The Inland Bays have had outbreaks of Pfiesteria and red and brown tides due to high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the watershed (Inland Bays Environmental Profile, 2000). In addition SAV’s (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation) such as eelgrass and widgeon grass found historically in the Inland Bays have disappeared due to increased turbidity and excess nutrients. Attempts have been made to restablish SAV beds in the Bays with little success (Inland Bays Environmental Profile, 2000).

Conservation Recommendations:

Protect, restore and enhance wetlands and associated uplands wherever and whenever opportunities arise within the Inland Bays. Develop public and private partnerships to utilize existing funding programs and manage development in a responsible manner to 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 on private lands. Restoration and protection in the Inland Bays Focus Area will compliment other efforts within the region to address habitat destruction and overall water quality in the Bay. Such ongoing efforts include: Delaware Inland Bays Estuary Program, Livable Delaware and Green Infrastructure Program and the Agriculture Preservation Program.

Earth Data International of MD, LLC. (2003). 2002 Delaware Land Use Land Cover. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination website: http://www.state.de.us/planning/info/lulcdata/2002_lulc.htm

Focus Area: Nanticoke Focus Area, Delaware

The Nanticoke Focus Area is defined by the boundaries of the Nanticoke watershed and encompasses over 121,406 hectares (300,000 acres) of land within the state of Delaware. The Focus Area is 28 kilometers (17 miles) wide stretching from the Maryland state line on the west to the Redden State Forest on the east and 59 kilometers (36 miles) long from Hollandsville in the North and to the Maryland state line in the south. The watershed itself is the largest watershed within the state of Delaware covering 1/3 of the State’s surface. Total focus area size is 127,459 hectares (314,959 acres).