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Management

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: USFWS

Refuge managers employ a variety of tools to support the goal of biological diversity. Water level manipulation in the refuge's two impoundments at the Concord Unit creates favorable conditions for a diversity of wildlife species. The draining of each pool is variably timed to benefit different groups of migrating birds. One pool is drained earlier in the season to encourage the growth of native forage plants that benefit fall-migrating waterfowl. The other pool is drained later in the summer to expose the invertebrate-rich mud flats that provide food for wading birds such as herons and egrets. Both pools are flooded in the fall and remain inundated until the following spring and summer. In addition to providing improved wildlife habitat, the refuge's new water level management strategy has resulted in a decrease of the alien invasive water chestnut.

The occurrence of invasive plants (native and non-native), at Great Meadows NWR has a depreciative effect on the value of refuge lands and waters to wildlife. The first step in managing invasive species is to determine the identity, distribution, and prevalence of each species. Refuge biologists, ably assisted by a group of committed volunteers, are mapping invasive species at Great Meadows. Data collected in the field with geographic positioning system (GPS) units will ultimately be mapped and analyzed using the station's new geographic information system (GIS) equipment. The resulting invasive plant inventory will provide the baseline information needed in order to produce a new habitat management plan for the refuge. The same volunteers who assisted with the plant inventory work also collected plant specimens for a new and valuable herbarium at the refuge.

SuAsCo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) Partnership

The Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers (SuAsCo) watershed Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) is a group of federal, state and local land owners and land managers committed to controlling invasive species within the SuAsCo watershed. We signed our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May 2009 and currently have 32 participating organizations. We have established a steering committee, administrative subcommittee, control subcommittee, early detection subcommittee, and an education and outreach subcommittee. To learn more about this cooperative effort please read our 5 year management plan and brochure. Please contact Amber Carr if you have any questions. amber_carr@fws.gov 978-443-4661 x33.

CISMA Invasive Species Management Plan July 16, 2010 (pdf - 537 KB)

CISMA Buyin Flier (pdf - 3.49 MB)

SUASCO CISMA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) November 2, 2009 (pdf - 481 KB)