HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SALAMANDER?

This Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum), is a three-inch long burrowing amphibian that dwells in hardwood forests prone to periodic flooding from rainfall. Adult marbled salamanders live amid leaf litter
where they find earthworms and insects to eat.

In autumn, adult salamanders migrate to isolated woodland pocket ponds to reproduce. After mating, the female seeks shelter under a log near pond’s edge, where she will place a dozen or more silvery-white B-B-sized eggs, and then curl around them to conserve moisture while autumn and early winter rains fill the pond and eventually flood the log.
This phase in the salamander’s life cycle hinges on timing of rains that hopefully flood the log just after each embryo has developed into a 1⁄2-inch larva, complete with a pair of feathery gills that extract oxygen from the
pond’s water.

While marbled salamanders are in decline throughout much of New Hanover County, by good fortune the Northeast New Hanover Conservancy owns and protects several parcels of wooded habitat that support rainpools that we know still support other kinds of salamanders, and we are hopeful our monitoring work will reveal the presence of the beguiling Marbled Salamander.

The Conservancy’s monitoring work is ongoing and marbled salamanders are a focal species for us because they indicate forest ecosystem health, which is relevant to people because biodiverse forests deliver irreplaceable ecosystem services including carbon-sequestration, air filtration, and rainwater storage and cleansing; in addition to providing a compelling sense of place and inherent connection to this place we call southeast North Carolina.

Landfall Nature Trails

Our nature trails within Landfall suffered damage from Florence. They had already had damage from previous storms and we are embarking on a program to repair them.

They were originally designed as walking trails but we hope to improve them enough for bicycles. This will be done in a nature sensitive way without using impervious surfaces.

The climate is causing the wetlands to fill more than normal so that some of the nature trails are wetter in areas than others.

Landfall management had an intern last summer document the parts of the trails that are worse off and those will be targeted first. We will be able to get help building simple bridges over the worst areas by Landfall maintenance.

Update from NENHC

This has been another busy year for the Northeast New Hanover Conservancy! Hurricane Florence was not kind to our conservation areas and we have been working on cleaning up the nature trails and some of the conservation areas near residences. We are fortunate that the adjacent landowners are helping by removing broken trees when it is deemed necessary. Landfall maintenance has been a great help on the nature trails.

North Marsh Osprey Update

In 2014 we replaced Osprey nest platforms in the Conservancy’s North Marsh property located between the Intracoastal Waterway and north end of Figure Eight Island. This past summer (2017), all four Osprey nest platforms were occupied by nesting osprey! While many Osprey chicks were observed during the early part of their respective development, it is not known how many offspring successfully left the nest (fledged).

Ospreys are migratory fish-eating birds that spend winter in southern North America, and Central and South America. Ospreys migrate north in early spring to reach breeding grounds, including the Conservancy’s North Marsh property behind Figure Eight Island. While the North Marsh property is protected by a conservation easement, it is a habitat that needs monitoring and management in keeping with easement requirements…and the needs of Ospreys.

Landfall Lake

Landfall Lake is a 12 acre impoundment that was constructed as an infrastructure to receive stormwater from upland areas within Landfall. Landfall Lake is now a richly diverse ecosystem that supports several kinds of fishes, frogs, and turtles, along with river otter, mink, and gray fox. The lake and its fringing wetlands also draws thousands of birds representing dozens of species including colorful hummingbirds and neotropical songbirds, migratory ducks, shorebirds, herons and egrets, along with fish-eating Osprey, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, and other birds of prey.

 

Landfall Lake was designed and built to help collect and filter stormwater from upland areas, before it flows to the Intracoastal Waterway and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. This ecosystem service is a prerequisite for the lake’s management.

 

In conservation easement parlance, the Conservancy holds the protective easement for Landfall Lake (as Grantee). As the Grantor, Landfall owns the Lake and its edge habitat. Because Landfall Lake was established as a stormwater mitigation project, certain restrictions are in place regarding its use and management. As example, the Lake’s water level is established by the US Army Corps of Engineers, along with guidelines for vegetation diversity and abundance. The financial responsibility for maintenance of the Lake and its perimeter is the responsibility of Landfall itself, not the Conservancy.

 

The Conservancy is working to craft a long-range management plan and budget, for Landfall’s consideration. Plan objectives include habitat enhancements using wetland plants to filter water and provide food and shelter for fishes, turtles, and birds, while also increasing the visual appearance of the lake for the benefit of its visitors. The primary goal of this plan however, is ensuring the lake’s ecological condition remains within the guidelines of the conservation easement, as defined by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

 

This work is needed, as many residents have recently expressed, and the Conservancy is ready to move forward with developing a comprehensive habitat restoration and enhancement plan in the interest of creating an attractive and ecologically-functional hallmark Landfall feature.

 

This scale of effort will require financial support to achieve. We’ve pursued grants from various foundations and funding agencies but securing conservation funding from outside sources is highly competitive and not assured, especially for a project that is not accessible to the public.

 

We think the surest way to restore Landfall Lake to an attractive and welcoming condition will be accomplished with input and funding from Landfall community members and Associations that are the Lake’s direct beneficiaries.

 

Financial donations to the Conservancy are tax-deductible because they fund work that contributes to the common well-being of our community; a community that includes people, plants, and wildlife; and the habitats that support us all.

CONSERVANCY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

The Northeast New Hanover Conservancy stewards some of the best remaining examples of southeastern North Carolina’s ecosystems. And the great wonder of it all is the fact that these places are located right outside people’s doors.

 

NENHC is currently protecting more than 2,000 acres of compelling natural habitats in the northeast part of New Hanover County. Monitoring and management of these places is provided by Habitats Environmental Services, LLC (Habitats), under the guidance of Habitats’ ecologist and conservation educator Andy Wood. Habitats performs environmental assessments on our properties, prepares baseline documentation reports, responds to issues related to Conservancy property conditions, recommends habitat management strategies, conducts habitat monitoring, and implements habitat restoration and enhancement projects for the benefit of the Conservancy’s properties, and in turn, that of their neighbors.

 

The Northeast New Hanover Conservancy properties are protected places, and some of the best-kept secrets in our community. But as “best-kept secrets” these places can be overlooked and taken for granted. While the properties may be protected from development they are vulnerable to neglect that can lead to diminished aesthetic and ecologic value. Maintaining Conservancy properties is a year-round endeavor to protect habitat integrity, safety, and appearance.

 

Conservancy property maintenance ranges from clearing vegetative debris from trails to removing invasive exotic-invasive plants. We also implement conservation landscaping practices to enhance ecosystem services and increase habitat appeal and a welcoming sense of place within the “urban-wildland” interface where residential and conservation properties meet.

 

Northeast New Hanover Conservancy properties are compelling natural heritage assets that provide ecosystem services to everyone’s benefit. These places are urban oases where people can connect with nature outdoors. They also offer opportunities for volunteer science projects including nest box installations to help cavity-nesting songbirds, owls, and flying squirrels. Additional projects involving pond turtles, painted buntings, and other species and their habitats are ready to implement, along with conservation education programs for groups and individuals.

2017 Year in Review

This has been another busy year for the Northeast New Hanover Conservancy! In addition to conducting habitat assessment and data collection for monitoring reports, we also implemented on-the-ground management projects including removal of potentially hazardous storm-damaged trees adjacent to Conservancy neighbors. Other completed works included enhancement projects to improve the appearance and ecosystem function in a number of interface areas fringing Conservancy properties and adjacent residential properties. This neighbor-requested and funded work included removing invasive plants, hand-pruning rank vines and sensitively cleaning existing but otherwise unkempt plants in advance of installing native trees and shrubs to add visual appeal along with flowers and berries to benefit birds, butterflies, and neighbors.

 

Monarch Butterflies

monarch

A Monarch Butterfly conservation project was implemented at Landfall Lake, with a generous donation from a Lake neighbor. The project involved planting more than 6,000 wildflowers, including 1,500 Scarlet Milkweed, Asclepius curassavica, seen below with a monarch butterfly and Ruby-throated Hummingbird feasting on flower nectar.

We had tremendous support from Landfall residents and it was not only an educational event but a fun one too.

Land Management and Aquisitions

heron

The Conservancy is negotiating a land acquisition to protect a 39-acre tract of undeveloped property inside the Landfall community. The parcel raises the Conservancy’s total protected habitat area inside Landfall to more than 400 acres.

We have retained the services of Andy Wood, through his company,  ANDY WOOD & ASSOCIATES, LLC, to provide environmental assessments on our current properties, recommend habitat management strategies, and conduct a variety of other tasks as deemed necessary for the benefit of the Conservancy and the properties it oversees.  Property assessments are very detailed and follow a plan that meets accreditation guidelines.  Andy and his team have found and documented some wonderful plants and animals on our properties and easements.  His work will continue until all of our parcels are documented.  These reports will serve as a baseline for future comparisons to monitor deterioration or any possible contamination.

At least twelve species of amphibians (salamanders and frogs) were observed in and around ponds located within Conservancy properties. The Amphibians, valuable indicators of environmental quality, include two-toed Amphiuma (a large eel-like aquatic salamander in Landfall Lake) broken-striped newt, slimy salamander, and two-lined salamander. Observed frogs include southern toad, southern cricket frog, spring peeper, pine woods tree frog, gray tree frog, squirrel tree frog, green tree frog, bullfrog, green frog, southern leopard frog, and narrowmouth frog. More work is needed to confirm additional expected species.

To date, more than 120 species of birds are known to use Conservancy properties during all or part of their life cycle. This number will likely grow as more data is collected, and birders are invited to provide us with their avian and other observations.

leaves

Red bay trees, Persea borbonia, the namesake of egg-shaped landscape depressions known as Carolina bays, are dying throughout the southern US, including within Conservancy properties. The die-off is due to a fungal infection transmitted to the tree by a tiny Asian beetle introduced to North America by way of shipping pallets. There is no cure or treatment and at this time we can only monitor the tree decline and hope some specimens are able to resist the blight.

These habitat surveys of the Conservancy’s conservation easement properties have been very productive. The studies are being conducted to collect baseline information about the habitats themselves, including their overall condition and ecosystem services they provide to southeastern North Carolina. They are an ecoregion that contains a rich assortment of habitats supporting a diverse array of plants and wildlife, which in turn enrich the lives of people who inhabit and visit this special place.

The Northeast New Hanover Conservancy stewards 1,500 acres of diverse habitats, including some of the best remaining examples of southeastern North Carolina’s ecosystems. And the great wonder of it all is the fact that these acres are located in and around the residential areas where we live. It may be safe to say that these protected places are some of the best-kept secrets in our community.

storm-debris

But as “best-kept secrets” these places are easy to overlook and take for granted. While the properties may be protected from development, they are vulnerable to neglect that can lead to diminished value. Wild places, especially small parcel habitats within residential neighborhoods can languish if not properly managed in keeping with their natural form. An example of this is best seen in the 39 acre tract being negotiated for trade. While I can extoll the property’s many natural virtues, I must couch my words with understanding that the property needs some tending; clearing vegetative storm debris from trails and removing invasive exotic trees (notably Chinese tallow) as examples.

 

Managing this and other Conservancy properties is not all work and no play however. These places can be augmented with interpretive signage that introduces visitors to the habitats they stroll through. And most sites offer opportunity for volunteer science projects including nest box installations to help cavity-nesting songbirds, owls, and flying squirrels. Additional projects involving pond turtles, painted buntings, and other species and their habitats are ready to implement, along with conservation education programs for groups and individuals; just as soon as we have the financial resources to make them possible.

While this may sound like a shameless pitch for money, it is intended as a transparent request to support the Northeast New Hanover Conservancy’s efforts to steward its compelling natural areas; the greenspace oases that enrich our lives, right outside our doors.

Great Blue Heron wade-fishing in Landfall Lake

Financial donations to the Conservancy are tax-deductible because they fund work that contributes to the common well-being of our community; a community that includes people, plants, and wildlife; and the habitats that support us all.

Osprey Nest Platforms

In 2014 we replaced Osprey nest platforms in the Conservancy’s North Marsh property located between the Intracoastal Waterway and northern end of Figure Eight Island. This past summer (2016), three of the four Osprey nest platforms were occupied by nesting osprey! All told, at least nine Osprey chicks were observed during the early part of their respective development, though it is not known how many offspring successfully left the nest.

Ospreys are migratory fish-eating birds that overwinter in southern regions of North America, and Central and South America. Ospreys migrate northward in early spring to reach breeding grounds throughout much of North America. Shown here is restored Platform 2, with a defensive parent in attendance. The platform was selected by a male Osprey in late April. Soon after, he and his mate completed a stick nest that fledged at least one young bird this summer. Platform 4 saw our first occupancy this year and all the platforms are popular with many fish-eating birds, including colorful Belted Kingfishers that use the high perches to spy fishy prey in the surrounding marsh.

osprey

Map of restored Osprey platforms (left), and image of a platform (right).