A Nature Trail through the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge on Sheffield Island was completed by the Norwalk Seaport Association in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From a viewing platform, a variety of wildlife including nesting herons and other birds can be observed.
The Steward B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge consists of ten separate units located along 70 miles of the Connecticut coast between Westbrook and Greenwich. Currently composed of eight islands within the Long Island Sound, a barrier beach, tidal saltmarsh and uplands, the Refuge manages more than 1,000 acres. Located within the Atlantic Flyway, the Refuge provides important resting, feeding and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, waterfowl, songbirds and shorebirds, and terns, including the endangered roseate tern.
Web sites: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/mckinney/ http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=53546
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service --
Norwalk Seaport Association
Partner To Restore Natural Biological Habitat
In the Norwalk Islands
Due to heavy recreational use, habitat degradation by non-native invasive plant species and unchecked animal populations, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has identified the Norwalk Islands and their habitats as one of the 13 most imperiled natural communities in Connecticut. Through a long-term partnership between the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Norwalk Seaport Association, projects to restore the natural habitat in the Norwalk Islands are underway. The on-going Habitat Restoration and Conservation Project will encompass the 51-acre refuge on Sheffield Island and the 68-acre refuge on Chimon Island.
Among the invasive species that have been targeted for control on Sheffield Island are mile-a-minute, perennial pepperweed, garlic mustard, Japanese barberry, Asiatic bittersweet and phragmites.
Long-term project goals include improving the habitat on Sheffield Island by planting native species of plants for use by migratory birds and to attract a long-legged wader colony to the island. It is very important for continuing conservation of these unique birds to prepare habitat to meet their needs if for some reason their current nesting habitat is destroyed or abandoned. Among the bird species on Sheffield Island that the project participants hope to positively affect are the Least Tern, whose population has been diminished, and the Piping Plover, which is on the endangered species list.
The forest and scrublands of the Norwalk Islands are a regionally significant habitat for feeding birds and a vital nesting habitat for migratory birds as well as quality wintering grounds for local waterfowl. For example, Chimon Island has supported as many as 1,200 breeding pairs of herons, egrets and ibises.
NORWALK SEAPORT ASSOCIATION
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
The Norwalk Seaport Association, a nonprofit environmental, preservation and maritime educational organization, has owned, restored and maintained Sheffield Island Lighthouse since 1986. The Seaport Association is a recognized Friends organization of the National Wildlife Refuge System, with responsibilities for the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and other areas in the Norwalk Islands.
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Volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 53 in Darien have worked with the Seaport Association on projects to maintain and protect Sheffield Island.
During July, 28 Youth Conservation Corps members and 11 leaders from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nw Hampshire and Vermont spent a week cleaning up debris, removing invasive plants and installing a new, upgraded outhouse on Sheffield Island. The debris was loaded onto a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service landing craft, which made three trips to Nowalk's Veterans' Park, where 2-1/2 truckloads of debris were off-loaded onto Norwalk Department of Public Works vehicles.
The YCC is a FWS summer employment opportunity for young people ages 16-18. This is the second year that YCC groups have worked with the Nowalk Seaport Association on habitat restoration projects at Sheffield Island.
Susan Snider, the NSA executive director, says, "We appreciate the collaborative effort by the City of Norwalk and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service this is enabling us to make major progress in our goal to restore Sheffield Island as an inviting sanctuary for migrating bird populations and to enhance the experience of visitors to the island."
Norwalk Seaport Association
Friends of the Norwalk Islands
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