Wilderness Lost. Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. South Carolina Lowcountry Refuge Complex

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Thomas Higgins
6 years ago
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1 Wilderness Lost Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge

2 South Carolina Lowcountry Refuge Complex Waccamaw NWR 22,859 Acres Santee NWR 12,483 Acres Cape Romain NWR 66,287 Acres Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin NWR 11,836 Acres Total Acres = 113,645

3 Photo by Garry Tucker Management Team South Carolina Lowcountry Refuges

4 Cape Romain NWR Class 1 Wilderness Area - Est ,000 Acres Starting at the line of mean high tide, not including the water

5 Not designated wilderness

6 National Wildlife Refuge System Wilderness Areas on 26 Coastal Refuges in Lower ,645 Acres Wilderness Acres on Cape Romain 29,000 Cape Romain 23% Coastal Refuges 77%

Cape Romain NWR Wilderness Management Challenges Staffing Levels Reduced by Downsizing and Complexing Labor Intensive Recovery Program 1 ¼ LE Officers

7 Cape Romain NWR Wilderness Management Challenges Staffing Levels Reduced by Downsizing and Complexing Labor Intensive Recovery Program 1 ¼ LE Officers for 4 geographically distant refuges Habitat Impacts Erosion Submersion Conversion National Register Historic Lighthouses SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

8 Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Workforce Before and After Downsizing Project Refuge Manager Leader Cape Romain NWR Santee NWR ACE Basin NWR Waccamaw NWR Office Assistant Deputy Refuge Refuge Manager Manager Team Leader Maintenance Park Ranger Wildlife Biologist Biologist Maintenance Worker Maintenance Worker Park Ranger Perm Part Time Range Tech Bio Tech Laborer Temp Maintenance Worker Park Ranger Temp Summer Biological STEP From Stimulus Tech $$ Temp Summer Biological SCEP from Stimulus Tech $$ Temp Biological Tech Temp Biological Tech

Cape Romain s Salt Marsh Extends 22 miles along SC coast 45% of Refuge land base Supports SC oyster, shrimp, crab industries Foundation of food web for shorebirds, seabirds, loggerhead sea turtles,

9 Cape Romain s Salt Marsh Extends 22 miles along SC coast 45% of Refuge land base Supports SC oyster, shrimp, crab industries Foundation of food web for shorebirds, seabirds, loggerhead sea turtles, wading birds Rich productive estuaries and tidal creeks Moderates storm surges, prevents mainland erosion, filters sediments and toxicants from water Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

10 The Rate of Sea Level Rise near Cape Romain

11 Wilderness Designation from the Mean High Tide Line Future Acreage Current Acreage SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

12 Sea Level Rise = Habitat in Motion Photo by Steve Hillebrand

13 The Loss of Sandy Point 1875 US Coast Survey SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

14 1994 to 1997 Raccoon Key retreated 27m/year on average. Ref Walter Sexton, Ph.D. of Athena Technologies SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

15 February, SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

16 Historic, Current Nesting on Sandy Point Black Skimmers % Decline Least Tern % Decline

17 Cape Island

18 Cape Island Shoreline Erosion In 7 years 180 feet of shoreline lost SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

19 Cape Island Topography

Bulls Island Shoreline Lost Since 1875 Since 2000 225 ft. Non Wilderness Area: Since 1964 870 ft.

of freshwater habitat management Since 1875 2,950 ft.

20 Bulls Island Shoreline Lost Since 1875 Since ft. Non Wilderness Area: Since ft. Since Actions 1926involve the 1,885 improvement ft. of freshwater habitat management Since ,950 ft. capability to offset the loss of the Jacks Avg rate Pond of Perimeter loss 20 to Levee 25 ft/yr $750K in Stimulus will fund the work SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

21 Maritime Boneyard Forest Beach Lost

22 Island-Building Sediment Supply Short-stopped in 1940 s Historic Annual Mean: 18,500 cfs Impounded 1940 s Current flow 10,900 cfs Coarse sand and sediment drops out in lakes Cape Romain NWR

during low tide only Significant work needed Wilderness Area

23 Cape Romain s Wilderness Area Lighthouses Circa 1827, 1858 National Historic Register Remote low-lying island Accessible during low tide only Significant work needed Wilderness Area prohibitions Maintenance costs prohibitive Safety issues Photo by Steve Hillebrand

24 Cape Romain NWR SLAMM Report Open Ocean 10% Undeveloped Land 3% ~29,820 Acres Estuarine Water 35% Salt Marsh 45% Estuarine Beach 2% Undeveloped Land Swamp Inland Fresh Marsh Transitional Salt Marsh Salt Marsh Estuarine Beach Tidal Flat Inland Open Water Estuarine Water Open Ocean Brackish Marsh

25 % loss of Salt Marsh Acres Open Ocean 13% Undeveloped Land 3% Salt Marsh 31% Open Ocean 17% Undeveloped Land 2% -12,116 Acres Salt Marsh Estuarine Beach 8% 1% Tidal Flat 11% Estuarine Water 44% Undeveloped Land Inland Fresh Marsh Salt Marsh Tidal Flat Estuarine Water Brackish Marsh Swamp Estuarine Beach 1% Tidal Flat 3% Transitional Salt Marsh Estuarine Beach Inland Open Water Open Ocean Estuarine Water 58% Undeveloped Land Swamp Inland Fresh Marsh Transitional Salt Marsh Salt Marsh Estuarine Beach Tidal Flat Inland Open Water Estuarine Water Open Ocean Brackish Marsh SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

26 Cape Romain NWR 29,820 Acres (45%) Salt Marsh SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

27 % Loss of Salt Marsh (-5,367Acres) SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

28 % loss of Salt Marsh Acres (-12,226 Acres) SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

Cape Romain NWR Wilderness Vital Habitat for Shorebirds American Oystercatcher Annually supports

American Oystercatcher, 56% of the nesting population Largest population of Marbled Godwits on

for Piping Plover only 6,400 left on the planet Nesting by Least Tern: Redlist Species on Audubon

29 Cape Romain NWR Wilderness Vital Habitat for Shorebirds American Oystercatcher Annually supports majority of shorebirds in South Carolina species 30% of total wintering population of American Oystercatcher, 56% of the nesting population Largest population of Marbled Godwits on Atlantic Coast, peaking at 960 birds during southbound migration Marbled Godwit Critical habitat for Piping Plover only 6,400 left on the planet Nesting by Least Tern: Redlist Species on Audubon s Watchlist 1 of only 20 WHSRN Sites of International Importance in North and South America Piping Plover

30 Nesting areas posted closed Feb 15 Sep 15 Law Enforcement Oversight Population monitoring partnership with DNR Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

31 Nesting Habitat for Loggerhead Sea Turtles Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Threats to nesting success: loss of suitable nesting habitat, predation, rising temperatures Sexual maturity at 25-30 Females nest where they were hatched Egg laying 1-7 times

32 Loggerhead Sea Turtle Threats to nesting success: loss of suitable nesting habitat, predation, rising temperatures Sexual maturity at Females nest where they were hatched Egg laying 1-7 times every 2-3 years Clutch size: Female departs and eggs are untended Incubation period averages 60 days Chance for survival 1 in 1,000 hatchlings Refuge supports 23% of N. subpopulation Nest ID, relocation if necessary, predator control, monitoring Refuge recovery program spans 30 years May October, 7 days a week Annual Cost 2008 = $194,000 Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

33 Relocated Nests on Cape Island Nursery on Cape Island Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

Cape Romain NWR Loggerhead Sea Turtle Recovery Program In 2008 1,431 nests, 54% relocated, 92,640 eggs Photo by Steve Hillebrand Purpose: mitigate impacts of beach erosion and nest inundation on

34 Cape Romain NWR Loggerhead Sea Turtle Recovery Program In ,431 nests, 54% relocated, 92,640 eggs Photo by Steve Hillebrand Purpose: mitigate impacts of beach erosion and nest inundation on incubating eggs; prevent predation Majority of nests on Cape Island, where we are losing 25 ft. of shoreline a year Females interbreed with FL males. However if N. subpopulation extirpated, will not be replenished by regional dispersal SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

35 Erosion Destroys Nesting Habitat Erosion Exposes Eggs to Predation Photo by Steve Hillebrand

36 Hot Chicks Cool Dudes Temperature during incubation determines gender Pivotal temp 29.5 C (85.1 F) Some studies show that more females are being produced today than 20 years ago Nesting is occurring 7-10 days earlier in the year, possibly due to increased temperatures. Photo by Steve Hillebrand SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

37 Recovery Program Successes Hatch rate increased from 25% to 78% Predation from 70% to 0. No significant difference in temperatures between in situ nests and relocated nests. Females nesting on refuge today may be hatchlings we helped to survive 30-years ago

Recovery Program Challenges Due to Sea Level Rise Suitable nesting beaches are eroding Refuge islands likely to destabilize, fragment More nests are subject to inundation then mortality More

38 Recovery Program Challenges Due to Sea Level Rise Suitable nesting beaches are eroding Refuge islands likely to destabilize, fragment More nests are subject to inundation then mortality More frequent storm events, each creating escarpments that turtles can t navigate Rising global temps may affect gender ratio Increased workload needed to address above - not possible with current staff

Planning For a Moving Target Comprehensive Conservation Plan 15 year view forward Currently developing goals and objectives. Included are: 1.

39 Planning For a Moving Target Comprehensive Conservation Plan 15 year view forward Currently developing goals and objectives. Included are: 1. Inventory and Monitoring for Marsh Birds and Shorebirds 2. ARC View/GIS Analysis of historic through current habitats to predict, prepare 3. LIDAR Elevation data to improve SLAMM model 4. Emphasis on land acquisition upslope Photo by Steve Hillebrand

40 Planning Ahead to Regain 3 tracts available within ME Boundary, suitable as new Wilderness Acres Mainland tracts: 1. From willing sellers 2. Undeveloped 3. Containing creeks, wetlands, and natural habitats 4. Under development risk Policy changes needed: Lost Habitat Streamlined land acquisition processes

41 Streamline Land Protection Processes as a Solution to Sea Level Rise Prioritize refuge boundary expansions when sea level rise is a threat Add Climate Change factors to the LAPS scoring process Return appraisal services capability to the FWS to ensure that appraisals are timely and responsive to acquisition needs Expand flexibility on funding options i.e., Greenbelt dollars Allow a floating acreage target area rather than targeting specific tracts Land acquisition processes take years. Tracts are disappearing from the market and becoming subdivisions overnight. As sea levels rise, developed land will not contain the habitat that is needed for displaced species. Delays in acquisition reduce the availability of suitable habitat

42 South Carolina Lowcountry Complex National Park Service Resource Organizations Dept. Health Env. Quality NOAA Actions Underway to Address Climate Change Seeking Partners: For a landscape level, multi-disciplinary partnership Universities National Wildlife Federation Scientists Corps of Engineers Nature Conservancy Dept. Natural Resources USGS Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Share information Pool resources Identify solutions Facilitate research Increase awareness Work together toward common goals Coastal Conservation League

Cape Romain NWR Future Wilderness Area Management Challenges Ominous SLAMM predictions depict significant loss of Wilderness Acres Insufficient baseline info on species and habitats

43 Cape Romain NWR Future Wilderness Area Management Challenges Ominous SLAMM predictions depict significant loss of Wilderness Acres Insufficient baseline info on species and habitats to ID what we had, have, will get Habitat and species impacts are outpacing research and modeling efforts Staffing levels prohibitive to workload expansion SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

Positive Role of Cape Romain Wilderness Areas in the Climate Change Arena Climate Change is a new scientific frontier SEND SCIENTISTS Refuge offers a living laboratory for scientific study of habitat

44 Positive Role of Cape Romain Wilderness Areas in the Climate Change Arena Climate Change is a new scientific frontier SEND SCIENTISTS Refuge offers a living laboratory for scientific study of habitat and species impacts Models that are currently being developed can use real time data from Cape Romain NWR to more precisely measure species vulnerability, timeline of habitat transformations, shoreline losses SC Lowcountry Refuge Complex

45 Questions? Sunset Photo by Steve Hillebrand

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Climate Change Impacts

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge Climate Change Impacts Climate Change Impacts How will the Refuge be Affected by Climate Change? Salt marsh fragmentation by rapidly eroding tidal creeks Salt marsh submergence during high tide events leading to habitat conversion