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Blackwater Refuge reports habitat work, drought impacts and acquisitions to Dorchester County Council
Summary
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge staff told the Dorchester County Council they planted crops and performed habitat restoration, reported drought-related low waterfowl numbers and outlined recent land acquisitions and invasive-species treatments.
Dorchester County — Staff from Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge updated the Dorchester County Council on habitat management, acquisitions and recent operational work at the refuge on Feb. 4.
The refuge reported planting and habitat-management totals for the past year and described how a regional drought reduced waterfowl numbers. "This past year, we were able to plant 49 acres of corn, 58 acres of winter wheat, and maintaining a hundred and almost 50 acres of clover," said Marsha Fradings Long, a refuge representative. She added the refuge also planted about 12 acres of Japanese millet and maintains roughly 450 acres of impoundments in moist-soil vegetation.
The update said drought limited duck numbers despite groundwater-well pumping at selected impoundments. Staff also described confirmed avian influenza detections in local birds; the refuge tested birds when warranted after a visitor brought a sick great blue heron for evaluation, Fradings Long said.
Council members heard details about habitat work and construction: the refuge repaired roughly 3,700 feet of levee between Pools 3A and 3B with Ducks Unlimited, and ran forest-thinning and prescribed-fire efforts to improve oak regeneration across multiple units. Fradings Long said approximately 95 acres in one unit and roughly 100 acres in another have been or will be thinned, and refuge contractors prepared about 12,700 feet of fire breaks to enable future prescribed burns. "We've done over 1,100 acres of burning to date," she said.
On acquisitions, the refuge reported closing on about 460 acres adjacent to the visitor center (the “Signal Park Parcel”) using migratory bird conservation funds derived principally from duck-stamp purchases. The refuge also acquired a 51-acre easement in Wicomico County using the same fund, which the presentation described as buying development rights while allowing continued hunting and fishing on the parcels.
Staff described outreach and visitor improvements: more than 4,176 hunting permits were sold across archery, muzzleloader and other seasons; a pilot lead-free-ammunition incentive issued partial refunds ($25 or $50) to hunters who tried nonlead ammunition; a new parking lot was installed at the start of Wildlife Drive; and deferred-maintenance work will include a roof replacement at the visitor center this summer.
Council members and residents raised questions about tax impacts from federal land ownership and the refuge responded that a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT)-style payment of $50,000 is received for roughly 36,000 acres in federal ownership and that the refuge attempts to maximize local economic benefits through tourism and hunters to offset lost tax base.
Fradings Long invited council members and residents to contact refuge staff with questions and said the refuge will continue to provide updates as projects progress.
