Black Tern – photo by Ken Sturm, Refuge Manager

I am a small, dark bird found in freshwater marshes. You will see me buoyantly flying low over the water or marsh grasses, a dark shadow zig-zagging to catch insects on the wing. My closest bird relatives tend to be a crisp black and white, but I am the black sheep of the bunch.

In Vermont, the best place to see me is at the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge where I like to nest. My nest is built on floating masses of grasses in the marshes with many other birds of my kind in a loose colony.

On Lake Champlain, I am right on the edge of my breeding territory and am listed as threatened in Vermont. The refuge staff come out and count my numbers every year and work hard to protect the marsh habitat from invasive species and disruption by boaters.

Who Am I?

BLACK TERN (Chidlonias niger)

Refuges are indeed a unique land management system because the primary purpose is one founded in wildlife and habitat protection first and foremost.  It is through this lens that all other decisions are made – from what types of habitat to manage and protect to what types of public uses should be permitted and facilitated.

Most would be surprised to know that public uses on refuges are only secondary to the mission of ensuring the ecological integrity of the refuge and fulfilling the purpose the refuge was established for.  Many more would probably be surprised that anytime a National Wildlife Refuge purchases land, this land is closed to all public uses.  Only when the refuge is methodically opened for those uses which are deemed “compatible” with the purposes of refuge or mission of the Refuge System are they allowed.   It is for this reason that the National Wildlife Refuge System has adopted boundary signs which read “Unauthorized Entry Prohibited” – the use has to be authorized by the USFWS in order to be permitted on those lands.

There are some public uses which are automatically given higher priority over others in the Refuge System often referred to as the “Big 6”: wildlife observation, education, interpretation, photography, hunting and fishing.  Although these uses are priorities they are not all necessarily compatible on every refuge.  Additionally where these uses are permitted, they are typically permitted in a fashion to ensure that they remain compatible.  From here it gets rather complicated as each use is evaluated independently as well as together to ensure that they are and can remain compatible uses. 

Policy directs us mainly through the Appropriate Uses Policy and Compatibility Policy (if interested view these here:  http://www.fws.gov/policy/603fw1.html ,  http://www.fws.gov/policy/603fw2.html).  These basically tell the refuge how to evaluate what proposed uses are #1 appropriate to occur on refuges and #2 compatible.  Further guidance is found within a rather interesting policy called the biological integrity, diversity and environmental health policy (view here: http://www.fws.gov/policy/601fw3.html).  This policy states plainly that “.. the fundamental mission of our System is wildlife conservation: wildlife and wildlife conservation must come first.” Biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health are critical components of wildlife conservation. 

This policy to my knowledge is unique to the Fish and Wildlife Service and that other land management agencies, even those with similar management and focus, don’t have language which clearly defines wildlife and wildlife conservation as the first and foremost priority.

So what are refuges?  They are different.  They are places where wildlife comes first and public uses are permitted when they don’t interfere with the purpose of the refuge or System Mission, including ensuring the ecological integrity of the land(s) the refuge is responsible for.   Refuges are part of a National System almost 113 years old, with 556 units including over 150 million acres and make up some of the best places left for our wildlife in an ever changing landscape.  And yes, refuges are different; they are not a park, nor a recreation area.  They are a place where wildlife live and humans visit.

When you do visit Missisquoi I hope that those signs which shout out “Unauthorized Entry Prohibited” don’t scare you off.  Rather I hope that in visiting the refuge you find a special place and take heart in the fact that there still are areas left in the United States protected and managed for wildlife, plants and natural processes.   And from your visit I hope you begin to feel connected to nature and wildlife.  It is through this connection that I believe the true understanding of refuges and their role in the conservation of the Nation’s fish, wildlife and plant communities is made.    And also I hope that a visit also includes stopping at our Visitor Center on Tabor Road.  Feel free to ask for me if you want to talk more about what makes a refuge a special place!

 Rough-legged hawks typically breed in the far north, in the tundra and boreal forests of northern Canada and Alaska.  This bird migrates south for the winter in search for food and is more common in the northern United States.  However, rough-legs are often seen in Vermont during the fall and winter months.  During Christmas Bird Counts over the past 10 years an average of 75 rough-legged hawks have been counted throughout Vermont. 

 The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge provides ideal hunting grounds for rough-legged hawks during the winter months. These birds require open areas such as old fields, wet meadows, bogs and marshes for hunting. They feed primarily on small mammals such as voles and mice during the winter months but will take other prey when available. If you are lucky enough to see a rough-legged hunt you may see it make passes back and forth over fields and meadows or hover in place while searching for prey.

 Ideal areas to look for rough-legged hawks on the refuge are the fields along Tabor Road and the walking the Old Railroad Passage Trail. Rough-legged hawks typically begin migrating back to their northern breeding ranges by March so be sure to get out this winter, visit the refuge and watch one of the Vermont’s wintering birds of prey.

 - Ken Sturm

Ken studied wildlife fisheries and biology at UVM, and he even did his senior project at the Missisquoi refuge. After college he worked for three seasons for the Green Mountain Club, which maintains Vermont’s Long Trail, and for the Student Conservation Association. Through the SCA he worked as a volunteer at the Salton Sea NWR in southern California, where he was eventually hired as a biotech and stayed for 6 years.

In 1999 Ken transferred to Canaan Valley in West Virginia, where he says the wetlands and conifers reminded him of Vermont and he knew he would like it. CVNWR was only five years old at the time and 1400 acres. During his 12 years as supervisory wildlife biologist, the refuge grew to more than 16,000 acres. Ken was directly involved in evaluation of land for acquisition and its integration into the refuge, working to restore habitat and water resources. He worked closely with the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (a coalition of federal, state, private, and non-profit organizations) to restore historic red spruce ecosystems typical of Appalachia, including organizing many volunteer planting events at the refuge. He also was acting refuge manager at CVNWR from time to time, including the last 8 months.

Although moving is always difficult, applying for and accepting the manager’s position at Missisquoi was pretty much of a no-brainer for Ken, considering his Vermont roots. He comes here with his wife Angie, whom he met when he worked in southern California, and his 10-month-old son, Finn. He is in the process of reacquainting himself with the refuge and learning about its needs and priorities. He says he wants to get UVM students involved in the refuge, as he was years ago. And he is looking forward to meeting and working with the Friends of MNWR.

So if you haven’t met Ken yet, stop into the refuge headquarters to say hello and welcome him “back” to the refuge and Vermont!

Muskrats love to eat my roots and fish are known to take shelter in the shade of my leaves. Dragonflies and damselflies lay their eggs on my leaves and will crawl up stalks to metamorphose into adults. Waterfowl will feed on the seeds I produce as my flowers fade in August and September.

I am…

PICKEREL WEED! (Pontederia cordata)