HABITAT PRESERVATION AND MANAGEMENT 



Natural, undisturbed habitat is rapidly declining along the northeast 

 coast. Identification of the habitat requirements of nesting waterbirds is 

 essential to preserve at least some of the natural resources still remaining. 

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should work jointly v;ith States and private 

 organizations to set aside certain islands or large parcels of land during the 

 nesting period (primarily April to July) for protection. Special attention 

 should be given to those species which are declining (at State, regional, or 

 national levels) and/ or those with \jery specific habitat requirements. 

 Posting and/or fencing, are probably necessary as a minimum measure of manage- 

 ment. 



Efforts should also be made to preserve certain man-created habitats, 

 such as dredge deposition islands (Soots and Parnell 1975), old piers, and 

 buildings because of their extensive use by waterbirds in highly-urbanized 

 areas. These colony sites probably serve as secondary habitats because the 

 natural sites are usurped by development. 



In some States (e.g. North Carolina, Delaware), islands created by dredg- 

 ing are State-owned. State Fish and Wildlife agencies should be encouraged 

 (by Federal matching funds, etc.) to acquire and manage such sites. Periodic 

 burning and clearing is an effective management method for providing nesting 

 habitat for terns, black skimmers, oystercatchers, and plovers (Soots and 

 Parnell 1975). 



Federal, State, and local agencies responsible for managing seashore 

 areas should be encouraged to provide protected areas for nesting birds. 

 Information about the natural history and ecology of colonial nesting water- 

 birds should be made available by the Fish and Wildlife Service to land 

 management agencies and the public. Short brochures describing tern and 

 skimmer nesting activities have been distributed at a number of State, County, 

 and private parks in the northeast with good results. 



Federal agency cooperation should also extend to the military. A number 

 of ordnance testing grounds are used by nesting waterbirds. Agreements should 

 be negotiated to reduce or eliminate testing during the period from April to 

 July. 



To facilitate planning and communication amogg responsible agencies, all 

 data concerning waterbirds and other wildlife resources should be disseminated 

 to all Federal, State, and local resource and planning agencies. 



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