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The Flickr site is brought to you courtesy of Seney Natural History Association.
Plant identification. Credit: Marco Sánchez, SNHA Intern.
Marking trees for a study. Credit: Marco Sánchez, SNHA Intern.
Measuring a Bald Eagle's beak. Credit: USFWS.
Vegetation measurement plot. Credit: Marco Sánchez, SNHA Intern.
E-Pool data collection. Credit: Jim Hill.
Common Tern banding. Credit: Marco Sánchez, SNHA Intern.
Plant identification.
Credit: Jim Hill.
Bald Eagle researcher, 1987. Credit: USFWS.
A trap set to catch Prairie Chickens for a banding study, 1938. Credit: USFWS.
Staff weighs a Canada Goose during a banding operation, 1963. Credit: Glen Sherwood, USFWS.
In 1982, a female fisher was released near Chicago Farm in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in an effort to reestablish a breeding population. Credit: James Kesel, USFWS.
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Wildlife and Habitat Management
Seney National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for a wide variety of organisms in multiple habitats. Over 200 species of birds, 26 species of fish, 50 species of mammals, 22 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 420 plant species have been recorded on the Refuge. To maintain Refuge biodiversity management is directed at preserving, conserving, and restoring ecosystem patterns and processes.
Habitat Conservation and Restoration
Wetlands Water levels are controlled on over 6,400 acres of Refuge pools, with water levels manipulated to provide a variety of wetland conditions for plants and animals. By raising and lowering these water levels; a natural wetland cycle can be mimicked. More information on water level management can be found starting on page 37 of the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PDF file size 8.01MB).
ForestsForest management is conducted on the Refuge to maintain habitat diversity and to restore (PDF file size 1.24MB) some forest ecosystem structure and composition. In some areas harvests are combined with prescribed fires. Many areas of the Refuge are managed as reference stands, where cutting isn't permitted.
Published research regarding forests at Seney:
Fire History Reveals Surprises about Mixed-pine Ecology in Eastern Upper Michigan (PDF file size - 587 KB).
Fire The fire history at Seney is largely responsible for the diversity of trees, shrubs, and plant life present. Lightning-caused fires naturally occurred during dry years and created the present mix of community types. Today, prescribed fire and natural fire are used to maintain the Refuge's diversity. More information on fire management can be found starting on page 41 of the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (PDF file size 8.01MB).
Published research regarding fire history at Seney:
Pre- and post-European settlement fire history (PDF file size 1.55MB)
Interactions among forest composition, structure, fuel loading and fire history (PDF file size 1.24MB)
Websites Related to Fire:
Pine Restoration
Lake State Fire Science Consortium
Research An extensive listing of research papers can be found on our research page. If you are a researcher and wish to conduct research at Seney NWR please see our research guidelines.
Research Natural Areas:
Learn about Research Natural Areas at Seney Refuge.
Wilderness:
Learn about the Refuge's Wilderness Area at Seney Refuge - Strangmoor Bog.
Important Bird Areas:
Seney National Wildlife Refuge and its satellite, Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area (WMA), have both been designated by the American Bird Conservancy as Important Bird Areas. To see a list of all 500 Important IBA's by state, visit the ABC website.
Learn more about the Kirtland's Warbler WMA Comprehensive Conservation Plan.
Invasive Species:
2011 Invasive Plant Management Report
Invasive plant websites:
Midwest Invasive Species Information Network
Upper Peninsula Invasive Council
Inventorying and Monitoring:
Seney NWR participates in a number of inventory and monitoring programs that help guide wildlife management actions by the Refuge and its conservation partners. Because most wildlife management at the Refuge is done indirectly by managing vegetation, the Refuge has a number of long-term vegetation monitoring plots established. Often, these plots are established in conjunction with Refuge research. Examples of monitoring programs that guide population-wide (often national) wildlife management goals and objectives include the Kirtland's Warbler Census, fall and spring Sandhill Crane Surveys, the American Woodcock Singing-ground Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey's Breeding Bird Survey. Monitoring programs that aid our state partners include the Frog and Toad Survey, the Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Survey, and the Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey. Seney NWR monitors Common Terns on the U.S. Coast Guard facility in St. Ignace, MI and (with our conservation partners) other colonial waterbirds at Michigan Islands NWR. Seney NWR also works with non-profit partners such as the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory which band birds at the Whitefish Point Unit and Common Coast which monitors Common Loon populations on the Refuge.
Biological Review:
2006 Formal Review of the Biological Program at Seney NWR. |
Yellow Rail banding. Credit: USFWS.
Recording data.
Credit: Marco Sánchez, SNHA Intern.
Common Loon banding. Credit: USFWS.
Invasive species management - spraying glossy buckthorn. Credit: USFWS.
Ancient red pines that have survived numerous fires often have "cat faces" which are burned areas on their trunk. Credit: USFWS.
Staff taking a GPS point. Credit: Greg McClellan, USFWS.
Staff visiting island units. Credit: USFWS.
Anaesthetized River Otter that was live trapped for a study conducted by the Michigan Conservation Department in 1960. Credit: USFWS.
Staff used Sandhill Crane chicks to perfect puppet rearing techniques before beginning to work with Whooping Cranes, an endangered species. Here staff trains isolation-reared Sandhill Crane chicks to follow an ultralight aircraft, 1995. Credit: Richard Urbanek, USFWS.
A staff member puppet feeds a Sandhill Crane chick so it will not imprint on humans, circa 1990. Credit: USFWS.
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