Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge
The Nomans Land Island Wildlife Refuge, is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located on Nomans Land, a 640-acre (2.6 km2) island off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. It is part of the town of Chilmark, in Dukes County. The Island is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long east to west, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) north to south. Nomans Land Island was used for aerial gunnery by the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1996. The USFWS managed an "overlay" refuge on the Eastern third of the Island under a Joint Management Agreement between the Department of the Interior and Department of the Navy since 1975. Following an extensive surface clearance of ordnance in 1997 and 1998, the Island was transferred to the USFWS to become Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was established " . . . for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds" (Migratory Bird Conservation Act).
Nomans Land Island is surrounded entirely by the Atlantic Ocean. About 30% of the island is wetlands which range from emergent marshes to permanently flooded-open water. There are four artificial ponds (that were impounded many years ago by early settlers), two large freshwater ponds, and a number of smaller ponds dot the Island. Common wetland plants include: Virginia chain fern, cranberry, sphagnum moss, broad-leaved cattail, and common reed.
Wildlife and Habitat
Formal comprehensive surveys of wildlife that use Nomans Land Island NWR have only been conducted for a few years, but a variety of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates have been documented on the Island, including many State-listed species.
The Island especially provides important habitat to many guilds of birds including: seabirds, shorebirds, marshbirds, waterfowl, songbirds and raptors. During the summer, large numbers of double-crested cormorants, Virginia rails and various songbirds (Savannah sparrows and common yellowthroats) rely on the Island for nesting habitat. In addition, Leach's storm-petrels have been confirmed nesting on the Island since 2002 (one of only two sites where this species nests in Massachusetts). During the fall migration, numerous species of raptors (such as peregrine falcons and Cooper's hawks) and neotropical migrants use the Island as feeding and resting habitat.
Nomans Land Island Refuge was well forested in the 17th century, but was cleared almost completely during the 19th century for farming and sheep raising, and current vegetation is indicative of a previously forested area. Harsh oceanic winds, salt spray, and lack of shelter have since created a brush, grass, and sedge vegetative complex. Dominant upland vegetation includes rose, poison ivy, bayberry, and arrowwood. Openings created by past fires support grasses and forbs, while areas not affected by fire are dominated by bayberry. Sand dune-beach plant communities along the northern shore include American beachgrass, switchgrass, beardgrass, seaside goldenrod, and beach pea.
External links
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Agawam Lake · Agawam Mill Pond · Ashby · Ashfield Hawley · Attitash · Ayer Game Farm · Baddacook Pond · Bakers Pond · Bay Circuit Trail · Bearse Pond · Becket · Bennett · Birch Hill · Black Brook · Blackstone / West River · Bolton Flats · Boxboro Station · Brayton Point Salt Marsh · Breakneck Brook · Brewer Brook · Bullock Ledge · Burrage Pond · Canoe River · Catamount · Chalet · Chase Garden Creek Salt Marsh · Childs River · Chockalog Swamp · Church Homestead · Clapps Pond · Clinton Bluff · Concord River · Connecticut River · Cook Pond · Copicut · Coy Hill · Crane Pond · Cummington · Cusky Pond · Dartmoor Farm · Darwin Scott Memorial · Day Mountain · Deerfield River · Dogfish Bar Beach Coastal · Dolomite Ledges · Dunstable Brook · E. Kent Swift · Eagle Island · East Mountain · Eastham Salt Marsh · Elbow Meadow · English Salt Marsh · Eugene D. Moran · Facing Rock · Fairfield Brook · Farmington River · Fish Brook · Fisherville Pond · Fisk Forestdale Lot · Fisk Meadows · Five Mile River · Flagg Swamp · Flint Pond · Four Chimneys · Fox Den · Fox Island Salt Marsh · Frances A. Crane · Freetown Swamp · George L. Darey Housatonic Valley · Glen Echo Lake · Gosnold · Grassy Pond (Dennis) · Grassy Pond (Plymouth) · Green River (Franklin County) · Green River (Berkshire County) · Greenfield River · Halfway Pond · Hamilton · Hancock · Harlow / Cooks Pond · Haskell Swamp · Hauk Swamp · Hawksnest State Park · Hawley · Head Of The Plains · Herman Covey · High Ridge · Hinsdale Flats · Hiram H. Fox · Hockomock Swamp · Hog Pond Lot · Honey Pot · Hoosatonic River · Hoosic River · Hop Brook · Housatonic River · Hubbard Brook · Hunting Hills · Hyannis Ponds · Ipswich River · John J. Kelly · Jug End Fen · Jug End · Kampoosa Fen · Katama Plains · Knops Pond · Konkapot River · Lackey Pond · Lake Lorraine · Lake Rohunta · Lake Snipatuit · Lake Warner · Lanesboro · Lawrence Brook · Lawrence Pond Lot · Leadmine · Leyden · Lilly Pond · Little Alum Pond · Long Sought For Pond · Maple Hill · Maple Springs · Martha Deering · Martin H. Burns · Mascuppic Lake · Mashpee Pine Barrens · Mashpee Pond Lot · Mashpee River · Massachusetts Military Reservation · Mckinstry Brook · Meetinghouse Swamp · Merrill Pond · Miacomet Heath · Mill River · Millers River · Mine Brook · Montague Plains · Montague · Moose Brook · Moose Brook · Moose Hill · Mossy Pond · Mount Watatic Reservation · Mt. Esther · Mt. Toby Highlands · Mt. Toby · Mt. Tom · Muddy Brook · Muddy Pond · Mulpus Brook · Nashua River · Natty Brook · Nemasket River · Nissitissit River · Noquochoke · Nordeen Marsh · North Brookfield · North Shore Salt Marsh · Northboro · Oakham · Olivers Pond · Orange · Otis · Packard Pond · Palmer · Pantry Brook · Pauchaug Brook · Peru · Peterson Swamp · Phillipston · Podunk Marsh · Poland Brook · Popple Camp · Popponesset Beach · Poutwater Pond · Powell Brook · Prince River · Provincetown Route 6 Corridor · Purchade Brook · Quaboag · Quacumquasit · Quag Pond Bog · Quashnet River · Quashnet Woods State Reservation · Quinapoxet River · Quinsigamond Marsh · Quisset · Raccoon Hill · Rainbow Beach · Red Brook · Richardson · Robbins Pond · Rochester · Rocky Gutter · Rowe · Salisbury Salt Marsh · Salisbury Salt Marsh · Sandwich Game Farm · Sandy Pond · Satan's Kingdom · Savage Hill · Savoy · Sawmill River · Scorton Creek Coastal · SE Mass Bioreserve · Sevenmile River · Shattuck Brook · Sheperds Island · Shubael Pond · Sibley Brook · Sly Pond · South Barrier Beach · South Meadow Pond · South Shore Salt Marsh · South Triangle Pond · Southampton · Southwick · Spectacle Pond · Springhill Lot · Sputtermill Pond · Squannacook River · Stafford Hill · Sudbury River · Sunderland Islands · Taconic Mountain · Taunton River · Taunton River · Tekoa Mountain · Thad Ellis · Thayer Pond · Three Mile Pond · Townsend · Townsend Hill · Trapfall Brook · Triangle Pond · Tully Brook · Tully Mountain · Tully River · Wakeby Pond · Wales · Walnut Hill · Ware River · Warwick · Wendell · West Meadows · Westboro · Westfield River · Westfield · Weymouth Back River · Whately Great Swamp · Whately Ponds · Whately · Wilbraham Game Farm · William Forward · Williams River · Williamsburg · Winimusset · Wolf Swamp ·
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Billingsgate Island · Carr Island · E. Howe Forbush · Egg Rock · Grace A. Robson · J.C. Phillips · Knight · Penikese Island · Ram Island (Salisbury) · Ram Island (Mattapoisett) · Susan B. Minns · Tarpaulin Cove · Watatic Mountain ·
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Roger and Virginia Drury Preserve · Tatkon Preserve · McElwain-Olsen Preserve · Reed Brook Preserve · Hawley Bog Preserve · Stacy Mountain Preserve · Greene Swamp Preserve · Black Pond Bog Nature Preserve · Halfway Pond Island Preserve · Grassy Pond Preserve · Boat Meadow Preserve · Sandy Neck Preserve · Hockomock Swamp · David H. Smith Preserve and Fire Trail · Hoft Farm Preserve · Katama Plains Preserve · Francis Newhall Woods Nature and Wildlife Preserve · Miacomet Moors Preserve · Homer-Watcha Preserve ·
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Concord Land Conservation Trust · Harvard Forest · Lincoln Land Conservation Trust ·
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