Avian Diversity

On June 8 1997, the Center released its biological opinion on avian diversity of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. The Center's independent biological opinion, which was prepared at the request of U.S. Congressman William Delahunt, came following the commencement of a plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill thousands of seagulls on one part of the refuge in an effort to increase nesting opportunities for other species. The refuge, off Chatham, Cape Cod, is considered one of the premier bird-watching sites in the country, providing feeding stopover or nesting habitat for over 300 species of migratory birds.

The issue probably most on people's minds is whether piping plovers, terns and other species are likely to return to the Monomoy refuge if herring and great black-backed gulls are removed from a portion of it. Our assessment team found no compelling evidence that gulls had prevented any species from nesting, other than terns and laughing gulls. With respect to terns and laughing gulls, we suggest the primary threat comes from predators including great-horned owls, short-eared owls, and black crowned night herons. Therefore, we think it unlikely that these species would respond to gull removal by occupying a "cleared" area which, historically, has not been a significant nesting area for these species.

Key findings and recommendations in the biological opinion include:

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) should take a broader ecosystem approach to management and coordinate its planning and activities with the neighboring Cape Cod National Seashore, towns and private landowners. In particular, management should be based on the entire Nauset-Monomoy Barrier System (running from Coast Guard Beach in Eastham to South Monomoy Island in Chatham). Plans should also consider a much longer time scale, since many aspects of Monomoy's bird population depend on Monomoy's isolation as an island complex, and will change again as these islands reform and eventually reattach to the mainland.

• USFWS should review and revise its master plan for Monomoy and redefine its concept of avian diversity. It appears that USFWS places primary importance on the need for evenness (the relative numbers of individuals of different species) and endangerment (endangered species are valued more highly than others). On the other hand, USFWS appears to place relatively little weight on the exceptional level of species richness that already exists on the refuge, or the uniqueness of the great black-backed gull colony. The panel recommends that USFWS reduce its emphasis on the assumed harmful effects of gulls, reduce its emphasis on promoting roseate terns and piping plovers, and increase its emphasis on promoting other scarce species and other ecosystem values.

• The 1996 Restoration of Avian Diversity project should undergo formal scientific peer review. Until this takes place, no further gull removal measures should be undertaken. In the meantime, intensive management of piping plovers should continue, including use of nest site exclosures and measures to control human disturbance.

• The USFWS should cease trying to attract terns, laughing gulls and black skimmers to Monomoy until criteria for selecting sites for restoration as tern colonies are developed by the Roseate Tern Recovery Team. In the meantime they should investigate other locations within the Nauset-Monomoy Barrier System with low risk of predation as potential sites.

• More resources should be allocated to the Monomoy refuge, which has been chronically underfunded and understaffed. One factor contributing to the recent controversies has been the inadequate nature of background research resulting from lack of funding.

For the project on Monomoy, we assembled a Scientific Advisory Panel, chaired by Dr. Norton Nickerson, director emeritus of the Tufts University Environmental Studies Department. Members included Dr. Graham Giese, a co-founder of the Center, geologist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and authority on Cape Cod barrier beaches; Edwin Hoopes, a biologist who has worked on piping plover recovery with the Cape Cod National Seashore; Dr. Paul Cavanagh, an authority on gulls who is a biologist for the Massachusetts Army National Guard; and Dr. Ian Nisbet, senior science advisor to the Manomet Observatory and a world authority on terns. Center Conservation Director Russell DeConti coordinated the project with assistance of Center field naturalist Peter Trull.

Special thanks to the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust, the Sudbury Foundation, and the Chase-Miller Public Policy Fund, who have provided start-up funds for the Coastal Solutions Initiative.