Wildlife Movement & Habitat

Recommendations Wildlife Movement & Habitat

It is recommended that Farm & Wilderness continues with its thoughtful forest and wetland management practices that protect important habitats and natural communities.

Supporting wildlife movement in a changing climate is essential to the survival and genetic diversity of a species. Farm & Wilderness can support animal movement within their landholdings and across busy Route 100 by Woodward Reservoir through road crossing assistance and other practices.

Strategies: • Work with local, regional, and state agencies to implement specific animal crossing assistance practices. Such agencies might include:

- Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) - Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife (VDFW) - Vermont Natural Resources Council

- U.S. Forest Service

- Coolidge State Forest - Okemo State Forest

- Forest Legacy Officials - Local conservationists and ecologists - The Nature Conservancy - Staying Connected Initiative

• Install “Wildlife Crossing” signs along the stretch of Route 100 by Woodward Reservoir. This area might benefit from signs that flash when triggered by an animal that has entered the road (Leoniak et al. 2009).

• Consider incorporating speed bumps, rumble strips, painted road striping, or decreased speed limits along this stretch of road.

• Identify culverts that may be providing wildlife crossing value and maintain the capacity for animals to travel through these beneath the road. • Install a game camera to capture images of wildlife that cross at this area to help prove a need for infrastructure and secure funding.

• Monitor the roadside for salt licks to reduce moose and other wildlife attraction to roadway edges. Identifying salt licks and mixing them with mulch, logs, or animal fibers can make the salt lick less appealing to wildlife and deter them from using it (Rea et al. 2021).

• Connect and consult with organizations that specialize in habitat connectivity and wildlife crossings, such as the Wildlands Network, a nonprofit organization that is committed to reconnecting and restoring important habitats in North America.

• Apply for grants to have wildlife bridges, underpasses, tunnels or other wildlife-assisting structures installed. The INVEST Act which passed into law in 2021 provides funding for a national effort to improve wildlife connectivity through the Wildlife Movement Grant Program. $50 million per year in funding will be allocated to state and tribal agencies as well as private landowners to improve habitat connectivity.

Regional efforts to identify wildlife crossings

In 2009, the National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Regional Center in Vermont initiated a project with other organizations in the state to identify high-risk, high-priority areas of wildlife crossings along the Green Mountain Range. This project identified 11 priority zones out of 38 wildlife crossings. One of these zones is less than five miles south of the Ninevah Area in Mount Holly along Route 103 (Figure1). This area is similar to Route 100 by Woodward Reservoir, as it has wetlands and streams near the road and is surrounded by large blocks of forestland. The management techniques for this area that have been recommended include adding coniferous vegetation along the roadside in an area where animal crossing should be encouraged. Creating fencing that funnels animals toward this area helps secure the likelihood of animals crossing in a safer area. By creating a specific area that is appealing for wildlife to cross creates a space for motorists to be more vigilant while driving (Leoniak et al. 2009).

Recommendations Wildlife Movement & Habitat

Build on current efforts to support wildlife habitats and support endangered species.

Strategies: • Connect with organizations such as Vermont

Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS) and

Audubon for bird monitoring. Obtain a baseline bird survey for the area, and continuously monitor every few years. Bird surveys can offer an opportunity to teach the public about the types of birds that are in the area and how to support them.

• Connect or partner with the International

Rusty Blackbird Working Group, a group focused on documenting any sightings of this bird, especially during its spring migration.

Farm & Wilderness can also report any sightings of this endangered bird to eBird, a bird documentation system that is run by

Cornell lab of Ornithology.

• Expand responsible timber harvesting practices to include no harvesting within 100 feet of suitable nesting habitat for the Rusty

Blackbird, found at the Ninevah area.

• Install bat houses on both Woodward and

Ninevah areas. This may encourage bats to nest on Farm & Wilderness lands. Perhaps campers could help build these!

• Maintain the deer wintering area on the ridge at Woodward Area to support populations of deer during the winter months. • Avoid the talus area at the southern end of

Woodward Reservoir during March and

April which is bobcat mating season.

• Post signs throughout the Farm & Wilderness area explaining different habitats and wildlife.

• Hold informational gatherings and opportunities for the public and for campers on Farm & Wilderness land that focus on maintaining and protecting wildlife habitats.

• Implement the plan for a pollinator-friendly garden space. Include the campers’ input and design thoughts as an opportunity to increase their understanding of the importance of pollinators.

• Pollinator garden signs are a great and fun way to engage and share knowledge with campers, staff, and the public. These signs, along with example plots, might even encourage others to try incorporating pollinator plants to their yards and gardens.

• Encourage neighbors to help support pollinators and birds by planting native host plants for lepidoptera, bees, and wasps.

• Continue limiting the use of pesticides and herbicides on the property.

• Continue removing invasive terrestrial and aquatic species.

Why Pollinator Gardens?

Supporting native pollinators is important for many reasons. Offering a garden space that contains native host plants for caterpillars and successively blooming flowers for pollinators is a simple and beautiful way to help these small creatures survive. With increasing development, higher use of pesticides and herbicides, and more frequent plantings of genetically-modified, monoculture crops, the pollinators in North America are struggling to survive.

Encouraging population growth of pollinators is also important for providing food for young birds! Baby birds rely almost exclusively on insects while they are growing. Caterpillars are the preferred meal, as they are easily digested due to a relatively thin exoskeleton, and are very high in protein.

Choose native plants to further support pollinators and insects who are dependant on certain plants. For example, black swallowtail caterpillars rely on Queen Anne’s Lace as their host plant. The ever-loved monarch caterpillar famously dines exclusively on milkweed.

Consider the trees! Birds nest in all types of hollows, branches, and trunks. Standing dead trees or “snags” also host many birds. Leaving these trees if they are not of a safety concern is good practice. Additionally, oak trees support more caterpillar species than any other plant in North America. The space beneath oak trees is a place to be mindful of, as many insects can be found there. Reducing mowing or grazing beneath oak trees might be a practice to consider, so more pollinators can be supported.