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SPRING 2001
M. A. Healy Family
Foundation gives CWH $25,000 Grant to fund wetland
and wildlife habitat restoration (Spring 2001)
Martin Landlords Respond The results are in from CWH Purple Martin landlord survey (Spring
2001)
Waterfowl Festival Grant CWH receives a total of $50, 000 in grant funds for programs (Spring
2001)
Phragmites Control It's time to sign-up for Fall 2001 spraying (Spring
2001)
Pat Roche Elected to CWH Board of Directors CWH welcomes a new member to the board (Spring
2001)
Hedgerows for Wildlife Attracting hummingbirds, Bobwhite Quail, rabbits to your property (Spring
2001)
Could you find your way from there
to here? Snow Geese migration (Spring 2001)
Do you know about any long distance
migrants? (Spring 2001)
M. A. Healy Family Foundation gives CWH $25,000
Grant to fund wetland and wildlife habitat restoration (Spring
2001)
CWH is pleased to announce the receipt of a
grant from the M. A. Healy Family Foundation. Longtime supporters of the
Heritage, the Foundation recently donated $25,000 towards our Chesapeake
Care Wildlife Habitat Restoration project. This program restores vital
wetland habitat by creating partnerships with private landowners whose
properties have significant wildlife habitat potential. Since the 1600's
approximately 70% of the wetlands in Maryland have been destroyed. Here
on the Eastern Shore, a vast majority of these lands are currently being
farmed or developed. This loss impacts the entire Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
CWH’s wetland restoration sites provide tremendous
value to the bay by providing habitat for wildlife and filtering ground
water of pollutants before reaching its tributaries. Wintering waterfowl,
including geese and dabbling ducks, use our wetlands as resting and feeding
stations. Migrating shorebirds, amphibians, reptiles, dragonflies and many
other wildlife species find food and cover there. According to CWH biologist
and director, Ned Gerber, “The Healy Family Foundation has been a good
friend to the Heritage. Their support over the years has enabled us to
restore significant habitat here on the shore. We commend them for their
commitment to wildlife.”
The Healy Family Foundation was established
in 1983 as a private family foundation to support and encourage creative
programs primarily in the areas of children and youth, arts, health care
and the environment. Their mission is to advance and enrich the quality
of life in significant ways that have long-
term beneficial impact on individuals and their communities.
CWH expects to restore over 200 acres of wetlands
in 2001. Our focus will be the Chester and Choptank watersheds. This area
covers all of Talbot and Queen Anne’s counties and parts of Caroline, Dorchester
and Kent counties. We chose this region based on the high percentage of
potential wetland restoration sites and the valuable but threatened habitat
these rivers provide. Says Gerber, “the M.A. Healy Family Foundation
promotes a land stewardship ethic that encompasses preserving and restoring
wildlife habitat. We thank them for their commitment to our natural resources.”
Martin landlords respond (Spring 2001)
The results are in from CWH’s purple martin
survey. Last fall CWH mailed over 100 questionnaires out to area martin
house owners. We received more than 60 responses from loyal landlords telling
us stories of success and difficulty in attracting purple martins to houses.
Here is what our readers said:
• 36% of the houses had
purple martins for at least one year with no
• house sparrow or starling
competition
• 31% of the houses had
either house sparrow or starlings nesting inside
• 33% had never been occupied
by any birds.
Martin houses placed either in open lawn areas
or near open water had the highest occupancy
rate. Houses placed in wooded or developed areas were either unoccupied
or inhabited by sparrows and
starlings.
CWH offers some suggestions to increase the likelihood of attracting
purple martins:
Location
Purple martin housing should be placed in open areas approximately
30-120 feet from human
housing. Avoid wooded areas or those with many buildings around. Our
survey found a high occupancy
rate where houses were placed on the end of a dock. However, when it
comes to purple martins, there is
no guarantee they will come to what seems to be even the best location. Control house sparrows and starlings
These aggressive birds should not be allowed to
reproduce in any nesting structures. House
sparrows and starlings will take over martin house compartments, destroy
eggs and kill young and adult
purple martins (and other cavity-nesters, such as bluebirds and tree
swallows).
The Purple Martin Conservation Association
promotes active management to control house sparrows and starlings. Remove
unwanted nests from your martin house (and other nesting structures) to
stop house sparrows or starlings from reproducing. They are non-native
birds and are not protected like other non-game species. Trapping adults
and humanely killing them is the best way to ensure they will not return
to nest, injure or kill your purple martins.
Open housing at the proper time
One way to discourage house sparrows and starlings
is to open your martin house only when adult and sub-adult (last year’s
young) martins arrive in the spring. This can be several weeks after the
first scouts are observed. Opening the house too early encourages house
sparrow and starling competition.
Conduct regular house checks
You may have a good idea which birds are using
your martin house just by observing who flies
in and out of it. However, get in the habit of lowering the house at
least once a week to check for starling
and sparrow nests. Dispose of them and try again.
Try gourds
Gourds may be the best type of housing to
offer martins if a persistent house sparrow and starling problem exists.
Gourds offer martins a large space for nesting. Their swing action does
not bother purple martins, but tends to repel most cavity nesters, such
as sparrows and starlings.
Other competition
If native birds such as bluebirds, tree swallows,
wrens or flycatchers try to nest in the purple martin house, close it up
and install single-unit nest boxes (available from CWH) elsewhere on your
property. These desirable birds add color and life to your yard and will
not harm purple martins. Reopen the martin house only after the new nesting
box has been accepted by these other birds.
Thanks once again to those folks who responded
to our martin survey. With their help we’ve
identified some local problems and offered some solutions.
Waterfowl Festival Grant (Spring 2001)
CWH received two generous grants from the
Waterfowl Festival in Easton totaling $25,000:
$20,000 for Chesapeake Care wetland restoration and $5,000
for our Wood Duck Nesting Box program.
Additionally, the Festival earmarked $30,000 for the Canada Goose
Sanctuary program, managed by CWH.
Over its 30-year history, the Waterfowl Festival
has donated more than $3.9 million to organizations and programs benefitting
waterfowl and other wildlife. Last year, funds raised by the Festival directly
helped the Chesapeake Bay watershed and supported organizations within
Talbot County.
We would like to thank the Waterfowl Festival
for their philanthropy over the years. They have played an important role
in helping restore wildlife habitat on the Eastern Shore.
Phragmites Control
It’s time to sign-up for Fall 2001 spraying (Spring 2001)
It is unsure whether Common reed (Phragmites
australis ) was introduced to North America or is native, but it has been
aggressively invading wetlands along the East Coast. Common reed is known
to have been in North America before the arrival of Europeans. However,
it is suspected that the recent rapid spread is due to the arrival of a
new variety of unknown origin. It has invaded many wetlands around the
Bay rapidly replacing native plants, especially in disturbed areas.
Phragmites grows so thick and tall it prevents
wildlife from traveling through it, finding preferred cover in it or foraging
within its dense reeds. It can destroy a wetland’s biodiversity by choking
out the beneficial wetland plants, eventually becoming a monoculture with
little or no wildlife value. A 5-year research study conducted by
CWH in partnership with Conectiv documented that once a pure stand of Phragmites
was eliminated, 61 different species of plants emerged from the existing
seed bed.
CWH sprays Phragmites with a herbicide called
Rodeo which has the same active ingredient as Roundup (glyphosate), but
with a surfactant approved for use in aquatic environments. Spraying should
take place in the fall to effect maximum control in mixed vegetation. At
this time of year native plants growing nearby are entering winter dormancy
(senescence) and will not be affected. Solid stands of Phragmites can be
controlled starting in late summer/early fall, when the plants are starting
to translocate food stuffs to the roots.
Phragmites usually cannot be fully controlled
in one year, or even two, with the possible exception of very small patches.
Full treatment for a second year, and perhaps a third, may be required
and spot spraying for a few years after that may be needed in order to
keep the whole stand under control. Phragmites on a neighbor’s property
will prolong the time required for you to control your stand. It is most
beneficial and cost-effective for you and your neighbor to join together
in an effort to control this invasive plant.
CWH charges for our time, travel, and the
amount of Rodeo used. The cost for treatment varies from site to site and
is dependent upon location, accessibility and thickness of the stand. All
of these factors determine the amount of time required to complete the
treatment as well as the amount of herbicide solution needed.
Since we are required by state law to obtain a permit prior to spraying
Phragmites we need to get the permit application process in motion no later
than the middle of July in order to receive the permits in time for the
spraying season. Upon receiving your call, we will send you an application
form to be completed and returned. There is no charge for the 5-year permit;
however, CWH finds it necessary to charge a nominal fee for the administrative
services involved in the application process. If CWH has previously treated
Phragmites on your property and your permit will not be valid for the fall
of 2001, we will send you a letter later this spring.
If you would like CWH to treat the Phragmites
on your property this fall, please call Sandy at 410-822-5100. July 15,
2001 is the deadline for new applications.
Pat Roche Elected to CWH Board of Directors (Spring
2001)
We are pleased to announce Patricia A. Roche
has joined CWH’s Board of Directors. Roche splits her time between her
home at Trenton Mill in Upperco and in Waverly in Easton. She is a First
Vice
President and Financial Consultant at Merrill Lynch. Baltimore Magazine
has recognized Roche as one of its “Top 50 Businesswomen” and one of the
best financial consultants in Baltimore. In addition to serving CWH, Roche
is on the Board of Johns Hopkins’ Shriver Hall and Easton’s Academy Art
Museum. “I am delighted to serve CWH and help our wildlife,” said Roche.
“CWH’s work is so important for wildlife both in and around the Chesapeake
Bay. In addition to education, it is crucial for environmental organizations
to actually go out and help landowners provide habitat for wildlife.”
According to the President of CWH’s Board of Directors, Larry Albright,
“We are fortunate to have Pat’s knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm working
with us.”
Hedgerows for Wildlife (Spring 2001)
Hedgerows are linear strips of bushes or trees forming
a wild plant corridor. Hedgerows should not be confused with hedges,
which are common in landscaping. A landscaped hedge is usually a
row of single species shrubs, neatly spaced and well manicured. A
hedgerow is made up of a diversity of plants and thus has a much greater
appeal to a diversity of wildlife than a manicured monoculture.
In the years following farm mechanization, hedgerows
fell victim to farm owners who are into the “manicured look,” large farm
equipment, herbicides and suburban development. This significantly
decreased the wildlife habitat available on most farms.
Traditionally, hedgerows grew up along fence rows
and property boundaries to mark property lines, help
manage livestock, etc. These living fences provided vital living places
for wildlife in many ways. Hedgerows provide food and cover for nesting
and wintering birds and small mammals. The natural tangle provided by the
hedgerow frequently offers fruit, seeds, nectar and insects for native
birds, pollinators and mammals. Thickets of brier and other thick vines
offer escape cover from predators as well as great nesting sites. Thick
hedges can provide good wind buffers reducing thermal stress on many creatures
including geese.
Hedgerows benefit humans by slowing winds,
muffling noise, creating privacy screens and adding color and life to the
landscape. They should be established on your property to connect habitat
blocks like wooded areas, meadows and other valuable areas. You can just
allow native plants to grow up or plant selected native fruit producing
shrubs. As your hedgerow becomes established birds will drop seeds of their
favorite foods. As it grows up, watch for invasive noxious plants and control
them.
Native shrub hedgerows will attract many different
songbirds, Hummingbirds, Bobwhite quail, rabbits, butterflies and other
pollinators. Useful plants in a hedgerow would include shrub dogwood,
sumac, viburnum, bayberry, chokeberry, winterberry, elderberry, American
Holly, and Eastern Red Cedar. Planting a variety of plants is very important
as they will offer more food and cover at varied times. Evergreens are
important additions to any hedgerow as they will offer protection from
thermal stress during the winter months.
Before planting your hedgerow, study your property
to determine which plants will grow best on your land. You will want to
consider average soil moisture along with the amount of sun or shade your
hedgerow will receive before choosing plants. It may be beneficial to periodically
manage your hedgerow to prevent too many tall trees from growing and shading
out fruit producing shrubs. This can be easily accomplished by occasional
tree cuttings which may be used for firewood and/or stacked in the row
as wildlife brush piles.
Could you find your way from there to here? (Spring
2001)
When showing some friends from Ireland around Bombay
Hook National Wildlife Refuge, near Dover, Delaware a few weeks ago, we
ran across a flock of some 12-15,000 snow geese; undoubtedly a mix of lessers
and greaters. We settled into an hour’s worth of a “spectacular spectacle”
and read 17 neck collars on greater snows, which had been put on by a research
team in Canada working on adult behaviorall interactions. According to
the Bird Banding Lab in Laurel, MD these birds had been banded in Bylot
Island, located NE of Baffin Island. I measured a one way migration of
about 3,000 miles. Quite remarkable for a bird many callously call the
“white plague” and which sportsmen know is a great challenge to hunt. Find
Baylot Island on a map of Arctic Canada and imagine the extraordinary route
these spectacular birds take, the daily changes and challenges they encounter.
Do you know about any long distance migrants? (Spring
2001)
Some birds have already started breeding here, like
the horned owls and bald eagles. But many birds do not breed until later
and are now en route northward. Some of you may be familiar with the dramatic
distances flown by the arctic tern on its year round route of some 25,000
miles, laterally a circumnavigation of the globe. But how about the blackpoll
warbler which weighs no more than a few ounces? Some travel from as far
off as Uruguay, traveling across Brazil and up through the Caribbean. In
the fall many may take a non-stop flight from New England out over the
Atlantic to Brazil, a distance of about 2,500 miles.
Most migration information has come from research
through banding. Lesser known migration feats include cattle egrets crossing
the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil. European cattle egrets had been observed
in Brazil during the ‘60s. Birds that had been banded in Spain were recovered
in Brazil in the late ‘60s, having flown down the west coast of Africa
and then west out across the ocean. These were the first confirmed reports
of a non-pelagic species crossing the Atlantic. The Cattle Egret is now
a common sight in Maryland during the summer, having continued its expansion
up the eastern seaboard.
FALL 2001
Wetland Resoration-
Having a record year! CWH Chesapeake Care Program
seeing new highs in wetland restorations (Fall 2001)
The Luna Moth (Actias luna) More about one of the most beautiful moths found in North America (Fall 2001)
The Grub Challenge Searching for the answers to insecticide-free, no-till insect
control(Fall
2001)
Ask Andi- Cats vs. Birdfeeders What problems cats are to wildlife (Fall 2001)
Woodworking for woodies Wood Duck box program forging ahead (Fall
2001)
Coffee for Wildlife
Did you know the coffee choices you make can have an impact on wildlife? (Fall 2001)
Students Gardening for Butterflies Student from Gransonville Elementary give a gift to area butterflies (Fall 2001)
Wetland Restoration: CWH Having Record Year! (Fall
2001)
By Christopher Pupke
Wetlands are one of the most productive habitat types in the Chesapeake
Bay region. They are
home to a wonderful diversity of wildlife from waterfowl, shorebirds
and rails to frogs, turtles
and dragonflies. In addition to the habitat they provide, wetlands
are critical filters of pollutants
that foul the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For these reasons, CWH
is committed to working
with private landowners to restore wetlands on their land.
Unfortunately, many of our wetlands have been lost. Throughout Maryland
approximately 50%
of the historic wetlands have been drained or filled. In certain regions,
including Queen Anne’s
and Talbot counties, up to 70% of the wetlands have disappeared.
Where have these wetlands gone? According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) and
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) “much former wetland
(acreage) is
now agricultural land, especially on the Eastern Shore.” (Wetlands
of Maryland; USFWS & MD
DNR; page 173) The loss of these wetlands has reduced wildlife populations
and increased
pollution in the waters of the Bay.
What’s being done?
Fortunately, Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage is working with landowners
to help make these
wetlands reappear. This year alone we are working to restore over 200
acres of wetlands! The
benefits of these wetlands will be felt by anyone who enjoys birds,
frogs or just wants to see a
cleaner Chesapeake Bay.
The goal of our Chesapeake Care program is to restore freshwater wetlands
and upland habitats
on the property of concerned individuals for the benefit of wildlife,
the Chesapeake Bay and the
people who value these resources. To do this, we work in conjunction
with the United States
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program (CREP).
CREP encourages landowners to restore wetlands and upland habitat by
providing incentive
payments. These incentives often make the creation of wildlife habitat
pay for itself at no cost to
the landowner and is more profitable than farming.
CWH participates by educating the landowner about the benefits of wetlands,
designing a
restoration plan for their property, and assisting them in the extensive
enrollment process. Then
CWH actually gets out into the field and does the digging and the planting,
and provides the
necessary maintenance on the restored wetland.
Very few organizations in Maryland can take landowners from the planning
to the completion of
the wetland restoration process. Even fewer have been doing it for
as long as CWH. Our program
increases the number of restored wetlands in the Chesapeake watershed.
Furthermore, it helps us
raise the landowner’s awareness of their impact on the Chesapeake Bay
and their role in restoring
its natural resources.
Why Restore Wetlands?
First and foremost, wetlands provide terrific habitat for thousands
of plant and animal species
found in the Chesapeake Bay. They provide feeding grounds for
waterfowl such as the Black
Duck, Northern Pintail and Widgeon, breeding grounds for amphibians
such as the Southern
Leopard Frog or the Eastern Spade Foot and are often a lifetime home
for many kinds of insects
including dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies.
Shallow wetlands are perfect habitat for the entire lifecycle of dragonflies
such as the Common
Whitetail dragonfly. The mud at the bottom of a shallow wetland provides
a perfect place for
young dragonfly nymphs to burrow into and feed on anything that comes
into view. For
anywhere from a few weeks to as long as five years, dragonfly nymphs
will feed on the vast array
of food that the wetland provides for them as they periodically molt
as they grow. Finally the
dragonfly goes through a final molt and becomes an adult dragonfly.
As an adult, it will feed on
the gnats, mosquitoes and other dragonflies that wetlands are known
for having. This is only one example of how wildlife use wetlands as a valuable resource for their
success.
Researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center found that within five years of restoration, a CWH wetland can provide
habitat for over 60
species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, over 100 species
of plants and dozens of
various insects. All of this life in a spot that was formerly lacking
a variety of wildlife!
Beyond being an extremely productive habitat for the wildlife of the
Bay area, wetlands have the
ability of filtering the excessive nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
and sediments that have
been identified as a major contributor to reduced water quality in
the Bay. These pollutants harm
underwater grass beds and shellfish populations which are wonderful
foods for diving ducks and
many other wildlife species. The majority of nutrients and sediments
entering the Bay are from
urban and farm runoff. Wetlands play a major role in decreasing nutrient
and sediment runoff by
acting as a sponge, filtering the water of these pollutants.
In partnership with CWH, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
(SERC) has studied
the filtration benefits of our restored wetlands. SERC data demonstrates
that more than 50% of
the phosphorus and 70% of the nitrogen are filtered by our restored
wetlands, rates well above
the 40% Chesapeake Bay Program goal set for phosphorus and nitrogen
reduction.
What’s next?
In 1997, Maryland and the federal government established a goal of restoring
10,000 acres of
wetlands in Maryland in the next 5 years under CREP. In 2000, the Chesapeake
Bay Program, set
a goal of restoring 25,000 acres of tidal and non-tidal wetlands in
the Bay watershed by 2005.
Though the current rate of restoration projects in the Bay watershed
is falling well short of these
goals, CWH has forged ahead to restore 485 acres of wetlands since
1997, including 185 acres in
2000. CWH is on the road to restoring a record 200 acres of wetlands
in 2001. Not only have we
restored these valuable wetlands, we have educated landowners about
the benefits and need for
non-tidal wetlands and how their property can be transformed into beneficial
wetlands for
wildlife.
CWH is pleased to be at the forefront of wetland restoration in the
Chesapeake watershed and is
excited by the promising increase of landowners who are interested
in turning their farmland into
a wetland haven for wildlife. If you would like more information about
wetland restoration,
please call Ned Gerber at CWH.
A wetland restoration in progress:
Canterbury Farm: CWH has designed a large wetland restoration project
for Canterbury Farm
on Bailey’s Neck in Talbot County. The wetland restoration project
will total 100 acres. This
includes approximately 36 acres of shallow emergent wetlands, 18 acres
of wooded wetlands and
17 acres of cool season grass meadow wetlands. An additional 28 acres
of warm season grass
meadows will provide habitat and buffer benefits for these wetlands.
The restoration work on this
wetland project will begin this Fall.
The Luna Moth (Actias luna) (Fall 2001)
By Andi Pupke
One of the most beautiful moths found in North America is the Luna Moth.
Also known as the
Moon Moth, it was named after the Roman moon goddess and closely resembles
the Indian
Moon Moth of Asia, the continent where most moths in the genus Actias
are found. Luna Moths
occur from Canada south to Florida and west to the Great Plains.
The Luna Moth was the first giant silk moth (Family Saturniidae) to
be mentioned in the
scientific literature of North America. It is medium-sized by Saturniid
standards with a wingspan
of 3-4 inches. The Luna gains length from its long curved tails on
its hind wings. The forewings
top edge is pink-to-purple and the hind wings have small eyespots.
Maryland populations produce two to three broods per year. Female Luna
Moths lay grayish-
brown, cylindrical eggs singularly or in small groups on the underside
of host-plant leaves. She
spends time dispersing her eggs to ensure adequate food for each hatching
larvae. Host plants
include Black Walnut, Hickory, Persimmon, Sweetgum, Alder, Beech, Willow,
Cherry and
Sumac trees.
Larvae (caterpillars) hatch in seven to twelve days depending on the
weather. They begin a three-
to-four week eating binge. During this time, their weight increases
by over 4,000 times. As they
grow, they molt four times to their final size, about three inches
long. The light-green larvae have
a dark head, a yellow stripe along each side of the body and rows of
red knobs on the back.
Predators, especially birds, eat Luna Moth caterpillars. Although the
larvae ingest high amounts
of quinine, a toxic plant compound, they use the common insect strategy
of detoxifying. This
process eliminates the built up poisons from their bodies, making them
palatable for a variety of
predators.
The caterpillars will not defoliate an entire tree, as they eat their
way to their final stage (instar).
When the larva is ready to pupate, it leaves its perch in the tree
and crawls or drops to the ground.
There it spins a cocoon inside a loose wrapping of leaves, which will
be well-hidden in the leaf
litter. Some larvae pupate in an attached leaf on the tree and then
fall to the ground in autumn.
Newly-emerged Lunas climb to a perch where they can inflate and harden
their wings. Males
normally emerge or eclose first, and mating is the top priority when
the females arrive a day or
two later. The females attract males by emitting potent pheromones,
and are often mated before
they even take flight.
Since the larva’s digestive tract disintegrates during pupation, adult
Luna moths do not feed and
can survive on stored fat from the larval stage. During their short
lifespan of approximately one
week, they are occupied with seeking host plants and laying eggs for
the next generation.
Since the Luna Moth is nocturnal and seldom-seen it is considered rare
by much of the public,
but Lunas are generally considered a common species within its range.
Males are attracted to
lights, as are some females who have finished egg-laying. Many believe
that street lights and
pesticide use have caused a decline in silk moth populations and in
turn, their predators.
ASK ANDI : (Fall 2001)
Cats vs. Birds
Q: A cat is hanging around my bird
feeders and I think it is killing some of my favorite birds
that visit my feeders. Do you have any information on how much of a
problem cats are to
wildlife?
R: Yes, the cat is most likely
killing birds and wildlife. Cat predation studies over the past
fifty years show that 60-70% of cats’ prey are small mammals including
chipmunks, squirrels &
mice, 20-30% are birds and up to 10% are other animals such as reptiles,
amphibians and insects
including native moths & butterflies. The sheer number of cats,
both ones with and without
homes, in this country is a major problem for our native wildlife.
Americans keep an estimated
60 million cats as pets, not even including the millions of cats that
roam free. Imagine if each cat
ate only one bird a year? How likely is it that they are just eating
one?–Not very likely.
The University of Wisconsin conducted a four-year study on rural cats.
According to the study
rural cats in Wisconsin alone are killing an estimated 39 million birds
each year. Even well fed
house cats that are allowed to roam outside will kill wildlife.
A little know facet of the whole cat predation issue is “managed cat
colonies.” Managed cat
colonies are aggregations of cats which form around a feeding source,
such as garbage or where
food is deliberately left out for them. There are organizations that
trap, vaccinate, release and
feed these cat colonies and other stray or semi-wild cats. They believe
this is the only humane
way to address the stray cat overpopulation. The effect on wildlife
populations of managing stray,
semi-wild and cat colony populations in this way, is that these cats
are living longer, healthier
lives. This gives them the opportunity to prey on even more wildlife
or spread disease to wildlife,
other cats and people.
Not only is letting your cat roam outside harmful to the wildlife, it
is also harmful to the life of
the cat. According to the Humane Society of the United States “free-roaming
cats frequently live
less than five years, whereas indoor cats can live up to 17 years or
more.” Outside cats are
exposed to life threatening diseases such as rabies and feline leukemia
as well as cars, dogs and
other cats.
Some simple things you can do to prevent cats from killing wildlife:
-Never abandon any pet outside, it is inhumane to both the cat and
the wildlife
-Spay or neuter your cat
-Keep your cat indoors
-Call your local Humane Society if there is a stray cat problem in
your neighborhood
-Do not feed cats that are not specifically your cat
-Support pet licensing laws & leash laws
The Grub Challenge (Fall 2001)
Searching for the answers to insecticide-free, no-till insect control
By Michael Robin Haggie
Eight to ten coveys of quail reside at Barnstable Hill Farm. We also
make money on our crops.
You may ask, what do either of these have to do with insect control?--The
answer?-- A lot. We
achieve both of these things and we do not use insecticides and do
use other sustainable
practices. Not using insecticides at Barnstable Hill Farm comes with
it’s ups and downs, but we
continue to gather information and apply the best practices to benefit
both wildlife and maintain
sustainable crop production.
According to local agribusiness dealers, about 50-55% of farmers on
the Eastern Shore use a soil
insecticide at planting time called Force (Tefluthrin), which is “highly
toxic to fish.” The other
50% use an insecticide combined with an herbicide application after
the crop has sprouted, such
as Warrior (lambda-Cyhalothrin), Asana (Esfenvalerate), and Ambush
(Permethrin). These are
all “highly toxic” to bees and fish (as insecticides tend to be) and
“practically non-toxic” to birds,
according to the label. They are only “slightly” soluble in water.
One corn soil insecticide is
Lorsban (Chlorpyrifos) which is “toxic to birds and fish,” and is used
to control corn root worms
(CRW), cutworm and seed corn maggots. It can also be used in leaf applications
on alfalfa,
dormant applications to fruit trees and seed treatments.
At Barnstable Hill Farm we had a severe problem with white grubs this
spring. White grubs, the
larva of the Japanese beetle, destroyed over 25% of our young corn.
Our challenge is to find
farming methods that have the least impact on birds, fish and other
wildlife as well as produce
the best crop of corn as we can, using no-till or minimum tillage to
control pests. Such methods
include timing of planting, rotations, minimum tillage (chisel plow)
or disking...but no
insecticides.
Broadcast insecticides can be one of the most damaging components of
a farming system. These
insecticides “broadcast” more chemical than is needed and effects a
wide range of insects, even
the beneficial ones. The insecticide inevitably also has an impact
on the birds eating the insects
as well as the fish in the waters nearby. At Chesapeake Farms field
day this year CWH was
pleased to learn that Pioneer will have an experimental “Bt” variety
of corn for soil insects in
2002 and will be ready for 2003. This variety will be primarily geared
towards control of corn
root worms and corn borers but may have some effect on white grubs.
Perhaps we may try this
new type of corn as we are thinking of trying another method of targeted
insect control.
Woodworking for Woodies (Fall 2001)
Led by CWH’s Mike Rajacich, volunteers converged on the National Aquarium
in Baltimore on
a near perfect day, not for fish, but for birds. Chesapeake Wildlife
Heritage, in conjunction with
the National Aquarium, held it’s annual Wood Duck Box building day
in Baltimore at the
beginning of May. Thirty Aquarium volunteers produced 320 Wood Duck
boxes in one day-- a
feat that could have taken two CWH staff a couple days. We would like
to thank all those who
came out to help! Some of these Wood Duck boxes have since been installed
at Loch Raven
reservoir in Baltimore.
To date, CWH has installed over 7,900 Wood Duck nesting boxes on creeks
and rivers
throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Mike reports tremendous success
of the program
during the 2000 nesting season. Mike and crew observed a record number
of occupied “woodie”
boxes this year. Their most recent data shows that an average of 60%
of the boxes are used by
Wood Ducks and many others serve as a home for Screech Owls, Tree Swallows,
flying
squirrels, Pileated Woodpeckers, Great-crested Flycatchers, flickers
and Prothonotary Warblers.
We estimate that our Wood Duck boxes enable more than 25,000 ducklings
to fledge each year.
Don’t forget that maintenance of existing woodie boxes is an important
part of successful Wood
Duck nesting. Regular maintenance involves cleaning out old nesting
materials, removing
unwanted wasp and starling nests, repairing weather damage and adding
fresh nesting materials.
CWH thanks the Waterfowl Festival, the Snyder Foundation for Animals,
the Fair Play
Foundation, and the Nathan Foundation for their continued support of
this important program.
Coffee for Wildlife (Fall 2001)
By Andi Pupke
Did you know that the choices you make while shopping can have a significant
impact on the
wildlife in your backyard? That’s right a simple thing like buying
coffee at the grocery store can
impact the songbirds that come to your feeder. Coffee drinkers’ choices
affect environmental
conditions on millions of acres of coffee crop land in Latin America.
Many of the birds that visit your backyard during the breeding season
migrate to Latin America
to over winter. Once they make the exhausting journey back to Central
and South America they
must find proper habitat to survive the winter before returning north.
Coffee plantations
traditionally grew plants in the shade of other trees, but as agriculture
became “industrialized”,
varieties of coffee bred for full-sun exposure were planted.
Devoid of trees, full-sun coffee plantations do not provide adequate
bird habitat. Studies show
that on coffee plantations converted from shade to sun, the diversity
of birds plummets. Full-sun
plantations host only a fraction of the number of bird species, as
little as 5 percent, of the nearby
shade farms.
On shade plantations, coffee shrubs are grown under a canopy of trees.
The foliage and leaf litter
provide foraging sites for birds seeking insects, spiders, or other
small prey. While not a
substitute for natural tropical forests, shade plantations can meet
the habitat needs for many
forest dependent migratory and resident birds. Sun coffee crops require
more chemical fertilizers,
pesticides and herbicides, all of which can be damaging to birds directly
and to their food source.
So, while you are adding native fruit producing shrubs and trees to
your backyard to attract native
song birds and other wildlife, you can also make a difference in their
winter habitat by buying
your coffee carefully.
You can find shade grown coffee over the internet or in progressive
groceries. A local source for
shade grown coffee is Coffee East on Goldsborough Street and Railway
Market on Marlboro
Street in Easton.
Students Gardening for Butterflies (Fall
2001)
Grasonville, MD – Students from Grasonville Elementary School got to
dig in the dirt for class
this spring to build a garden for butterflies. The butterfly garden
will not only provide a food
source for butterflies and caterpillars, it will also help to beautify
the Grasonville Elementary
schoolyard.
Twenty kindergarten students from Grasonville Elementary School worked
with Chesapeake
Wildlife Habitat (CWH) staff, parent volunteers and teachers to plant
over 40 plants in a 20 ft. x
100 ft. garden on the front side of the school. Among the beneficial
plants included in this garden
to feed butterflies were Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis and honeysuckle
native to Maryland.
Students did not forget about the caterpillars and planted Dill, Parsley
and Fennel as a food
source for the earlier stages of the butterfly life cycle. Many more
plants will be added to the
garden in the fall. After learning about these beautiful insects for
a month, students of the class of
2013 were finally able to put the finishing touches on their butterfly
unit and the school year by
leaving behind a butterfly garden for other students, parents and visitors
to enjoy.
This butterfly project was made possible through support from the Chesapeake
Bay Trust,
member donations and Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage.
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