Current use and Totection status: 

 Blue Fond : 



Blue Pond lies in *he northv/estern portion of the Orton V.'ildlife 

 Manaje-ient Area, and thou[:h privately ov/ned is hence administered by 

 the ri.C. ..'ildlifo ?vesourc9s Coanission. Althoun;h the public access 

 road to t'-.e "ond itself is blocked off, Hue Pond is still presu- = bly 

 open to fishing activities betv/een the r-'onths of f'iarch and October. 

 Frcic October throurh March, the 'I'ildlife \rea is closed to the public 

 and is used privately for huntin.r;', primarily of ducks. Because the 

 Crton .'.'ildlife Management Area is neither well marked nor hirhly publi- 

 cized, relatively few persons know or use the area to any -reat extent, 

 and human impact has been relatively ciini-al. 



An area to the west of Blue 7ond shov;s evidence of havinr been clear 

 cut or of some sicilar lU-zturbance in recent years, though a buffer area 

 between the disturbed plot and Blue Pond v;as left intact, and hence the 

 overall effects of the disturbr.nce appears to have beer, of r.o re:il conse- 

 quence . 



Greatly increased usa -:e of the Blue herd area b;- the -ublic r.t 

 lar.'^G could have a ..unbor of detrimental effects u_'o:: :hc biota. Bh; 

 present ar.ount of vehicular and/or foot traffic has Barrel'- destr.-yed 

 the natural vef^etntional 2;or.ation of the southeast ri::: of the pond, and 

 further darr.aj^e of the relatively fragile rin ecosystor. could be expected 

 to increase proportional to any increase in the flow of traffic. In 

 addition, excessive or constant fishinj activities durin^^ th.e sprinp and 

 early sur;::;cr could cause -^he osprey (Fandion haliaetis ) nestin~ there to 

 abandon the site. 



Little Blue B'ond : 



Little Blue Pond is currently subject to sone hur.tir.- usape during 

 ■ duck and deer seasons v/ithVapparent ir:T7act to the area. "he pines ■./hich. 

 surround the western rir. of the pools have been harvested, and the are* 

 subsequently cleared and replanted '.vithin the last decade, v.-ith relatively 

 r.inimal effects to the ':ond. In ad'^iticn, sor.e cut"inp of the ".ond 

 cypresses ( Baxodi\-.r. a sccndens ) surroundin~ the pond has cccured ■;ithin 

 the last fev; years for no apparent reason, with the intac* lops re-.air.inp 

 in place. 



Bhe area surroun;-.in^- the pond is still rclptivi^ly re-^ote, and r.o 

 i~~ediate throats to the pond vejetational cor.r.unities arc apparent. 



Black -end: 



BB'-ch "end ir '.ubjoc' to hunting usar;e sir:ilar t :^ t;:"t of "i~tle 

 Bl - e Tond, v/i IB: little Bastinp cffeci" or. t^-.o area. I" t; is :r.ct ;:ce rB.; 

 abou: one half cB" tr.c pond is surrounded by an urland area '.:'".'. c'' '-as 

 recently been h'-rvested, cleared, and rc'lanted in 'ines. Bo'/cv-r, tB:- 

 roccsin co~:'.unity none sur^-oundinp Black "ond is r.uc'. wider (apprc"i~" t< 

 7 to TO r,) than that surroundinp Little Blue Ton:^, an r' is noarly inyene- 

 trable around much of the rin, r.akin~ thi- pond -.r.o'- less readily acces- 

 sible than either Blue Fond or Little Blue '/ond. 



Vegetation and plant co-nunicies : 



Discussion of vepetati~nal cor--:uniti-?s ■.■/ill focus pri-~rily on Blue 

 Fond. Both Bittle "lue Bond and Black Bond v.'ere discovered t'^ lato in ''-e 

 co'."._'oe of the field './ork to all:;'.-; a ""horourjh sa-.^linp of the site; they •■•■er 

 locat.? 1 in an atte-:] t to identify ponds si^.ilar in nature to Blue Tend, usi 

 available aerial pho tci^rariliy of the surroundin- area. 



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