Atlantic coast joint venture waterfowl implementation plan
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Ownership/Protection:The majority of the focus area is in private ownership. Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge is the only protected area within the focus area.Special Recognition:The Chester River and Kent County Bayshore Focus Area supports important beds of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) that are critical to breeding and wintering waterfowl in the Atlantic Flyway. Approximately 1/3 of Maryland’s population of American Black Duck (6,000) utilize the focus area and, as stated above, it is an important area for wintering geese. It is also an important area for wintering Scaup where 120,000 individuals have been recorded. Waterfowl: The Chester River and Kent County Bayshore Focus Area supports some of the most important wintering habitat in the state for Black Duck and wintering geese. Twenty waterfowl species were recorded wintering in the focus area in 2003, including 196,000 Canada Goose, 38,800 Snow Goose, 18,000 Scaup (114,000 during 2002 surveys), 14,200 Canvasback, 10,300 Mallard, 4,000 Black Duck, 3,800 Ruddy Duck, 1,500 Merganser, 800 Tundra Swan (2300 in 2002), 400 Bufflehead, 300 Ring-necked Duck, 300 Mute Swan, 100 Common Goldeneye, in addition to small numbers of scoters, Redhead, Long-tailed Duck, American Wigeon, Gadwall (400 detected during 2002 surveys), and Northern Pintail. Table 1. Waterfowl species occurring in the Chester River and Kent County Bayshore Focus Area.
Other Migratory Birds: Undisturbed shoreline cliffs of the Chester River and Kent County Bayshore Focus Area continue to support nesting Bank Swallow, as well as a federally-listed tiger beetle. Remaining riparian forest supports breeding neotropical migrants such as Cerulean Warbler, while the agricultural landscape provides habitat for grassland nesting species, including Grasshopper and Vesper Sparrow. Threats: The development of uplands, especially the conversion of agricultural lands to residential developments is a great threat. Point and non-point source pollution from increasing human populations, decreasing water quality, and invasive species proliferation all threaten habitats in the focus area. Water quality has been degraded due to increasing non-point source pollution associated with agricultural production and increasing residential development. Bay grasses, critical to waterfowl populations, are threatened by elevated nutrients entering the watershed. Conservation Recommendations: Efforts should focus on protecting, restoring and enhancing wetlands and associated uplands in areas via public and private partnerships and existing funding programs. For example CREP and CRP programs should be used to levy resources for wetland conservation, specifically shell impoundments. Long-term protection should be favored; however, multiple ten-fifteen year agreements for restoration and enhancement will be a primary tool to maintain wildlife populations on private lands. The Mute Swan population should be reduced to protect critical bay living resources.
Sub-Focus Area: None 
Area Description: The Choptank River Focus Area is approximately 120,540 hectares (297,860 acres) in size and extends from Ridgely Maryland, downriver to the mouth of the Choptank River. The larger water bodies in the focus area include the Choptank, Little Choptank, and Tred Avon Rivers and Broad, Harris, and Tuckahoe Creeks. The Choptank River Watershed drains approximately 700 square miles of land in Maryland, including portions of Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot Counties in the middle of the Eastern Shore. The Choptank basin is 58 % agricultural, 33 % forested, and 9 % urban (Maryland Department of Natural Resources website). Wetlands within the focus area have been ditched and drained for agriculture for decades. Corn, soybeans, and winter wheat are the main commodities grown. The majority of the housing in the basin is in either rural or farm settings. Tourism also plays a role in the economy of the focus area. |