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Shipwreck at Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Susan J. Russo/USFWS

Management

Currently, refuge staff are focused on collecting baseline data of flora and fauna on the island to help determine priority species and develop a management plan to ensure conservation of these species. During the spring, breeding bird surveys are conducted at permanent points using a standardized survey method to document songbird use Island wide. In the summer, nesting leach's storm-petrels, double-crested cormorants, terns, and shorebirds are censused by counting active nests. Fall migrating songbirds and raptors are recorded during the fall. Beginning in 2003, refuge staff began carefully censusing Virginia rails to get an accurate count of the number of adults nesting on the island.

In addition, invasive species that occur on the refuge are being carefully inventoried and mapped using a global positioning system and ArcMap. The most abundant invasive species are autumn olive and common reed. Refuge staff began removing invasive species in 2003 using a combination of hand, mechanical, and chemical methods. Prescribed burning is also utilized to prevent further spread of invasive species.

Check out our video tour to learn more.