Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge


	Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge
	PO Box 495 Rockport, ME 04856 E-mail: Phone Number: 1 207 546 2124
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Franklin Island National Wildlife Refuge
Franklin Island NWR is managed by the Petit Manan NWR Complex.

Located about six miles from the town of Friendship in Muscongus Bay, this 12-acre island supports nesting gulls, eiders, black-crowned night herons, Leach's storm petrels, and ospreys. The island is partially covered by red spruce with abundant raspberry thickets, grasses, and forbs. Franklin Island was listed on the State Register of Critical Areas in October, 1977 for its unique value to nesting eiders. At one time, the eider nesting density was the highest in the state with over 1,400 nests packed into six acres. Fewer eiders nest there today, mainly due to an outbreak of cholera that hit the area in the 1980's. The U.S. Coast Guard transferred the island to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1973 and still maintains the historic light house on the island.

Getting There . . .
Franklin Island lies six miles off the coast from the town of Friendship. The island can be accessed by personal boat only. Franklin Island is open during daylight hours from September 1 to March 31 and closed to public access during the seabird nesting season from April 1 to August 31. For more information, contact Refuge Manager at (207)236-6970.

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Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge consists of six islands: Cross Island (1,489 acres), Scotch Island (10 acres), Outer Double Head Shot (14 acres), Inner Double Head Shot (8 acres), Mink Island (11 acres), and Old Man Island (6 acres). All six islands are located in the town of Cutler, Washington County, Maine. The refuge was acquired in 1980, and is now managed as part of Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The varied topography of Cross Island includes hills, bays, inlets, high sea cliffs, and several cobble beaches scattered along all but its rugged south shore. Vegetation on the island is dominated by dense stands of red and white spruce, balsam fir, yellow and paper birch, and red and striped maple. Several grassy opening and wetlands support a diversity of plant and wildlife species. Botanical species of note include livid sedge and coast blite goosefoot, both State-listed threatened species, and maritime slope bog, a rare plant community. A pair of threatened bald eagles has nested on the island in recent years.

The vegetation on Mink and Scotch Island is dominated by red spruce and balsam fir. Bald eagles have recently nested on Mink Island, and it is believed that the same breeding pair of eagles has also nested on Outer Double Head Shot and Cross Islands. The vegetation on Outer and Inner Double Head Shot Islands is divided between red spruce and balsam fir on the northern portions of the islands, and mixed grasses dominating the southern portions of the islands. Herring and great black-backed gulls, Leach's storm petrels, and common eiders nest on the islands. Old Man Island is dominated by granite ledges and sea stacks. Vegetation on the island is sparse. This island is one of only seven islands in the Gulf of Maine to support nesting razorbills.

Inter-tidal wetlands surrounding the six islands within Cross Island NWR provide extensive foraging opportunities for a variety of breeding, migratory, and wintering species. Spring and fall migrations draw flocks of waterfowl, particularly American black ducks, blue and green-winged teal, common goldeneye, bufflehead and long-tailed ducks. Raptors and songbirds also use the islands to rest and feed during migration. Shorebirds feast on invertebrates in the saltmarshes and mud flats, putting on fat to carry them on their long flight to South America.

Cross and Scotch Islands are open year round from sunrise to sunset. Mink, Inner and Outer Double Head Shots, and Old Man Islands are open during daylight hours from September 1 to March 31 and closed to public use during the seabird nesting season: April 1 to August 31. For more information, contact Refuge Manager at (207)546-2124.

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The U.S. Government acquired Franklin Island in 1806 and completed construction of the lighthouse in 1808. This was the third lighthouse built in Maine, and the U.S. Coast Guard continued to staff the lighthouse for 160 years before the station was automated in 1967. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired Franklin Island in 1973, making this the first island acquired for the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Franklin Island once supported one of the largest common eider colonies in Maine. Unfortunately, the eider colony was decimated by avian cholera in the mid 1980's. The population has slowly recovered, and a 2003 survey documented over 330 pairs of eiders and over 100 pairs of great black-backed and herring gulls.

Franklin Island is open during daylight hours from September 1 to March 31 and closed to public use during the seabird nesting season: April 1 to August 31. For more information, contact Refuge Manager at (207)236-6970.

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There is no active management on the island. Refuge staff monitor the island to assure that natural resources are protected.