St. Marks NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and ...

programs, such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Western Shorebird
Reserve Network Plan. The central premise of Partners In Flight is that the resources of public and
private organizations in North and South America must be combined, coordinated, and increased in
order to achieve success in conserving bird populations in this hemisphere. The Service is a member
of the cooperative effort to promote research, land protection, and education about migratory birds.
Other participants include federal, state, and local government agencies, philanthropic foundations,
professional organizations, conservation groups, industry, the academic community, and private
individuals.
Partners In Flight focuses on species that breed in the Nearctic (North America) and spend the winter
in the Neotropics (Central and South America). These species are commonly known as neotropical
migrants. Partners In Flight coordinates international conservation efforts for all neotropical migratory
landbirds in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. The goal of the initiative is to keep
common birds common. The annual Welcome Back Songbirds festival, which occurs each spring at
Wakulla Springs State Park and the refuge, began in order to promote the Partners In Flight Initiative.
The refuge contains important habitats for 106 priority bird species identified in the Partners In Flight
plans for the South Atlantic Coastal Plain and East Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic provinces. The
refuge provides habitat for 315 avian species (Table 20 Bird List, Section C, Appendix IV). Thirty-six
species are considered incidental. Of the 278 regularly occurring species, 110 are confirmed to
breed on the refuge.
As noted in the South Atlantic Coastal Plain Bird Conservation Plan, the refuge is an important spring
and fall migration stopover site along the Gulf coast. It provides important breeding and wintering
sites. The refuge contains longleaf pine, bottomland hardwood, and hydric hardwood hammock
habitats, which support numerous priority species.
Shorebird and Waterbird Habitat Protection and Management
The Southeastern Coastal Plain and Caribbean Region Shorebird Conservation Plan correlates
roughly to the Partners In Flight, in that it identifies priority species, outlines potential and present
threats to shorebirds and their habitats, reports gaps in knowledge relevant to shorebird conservation,
and makes recommendations for addressing identified problems. General habitat goals for the region
are to (1) provide optimal breeding habitat for priority species; (2) provide high quality managed
habitat to support requirements of species migrating through or spending winter in the region; and (3)
maintain human disturbances at tolerable levels for shorebirds throughout the year.
The plan notes many sites within the refuge that provide breeding and wintering habitat and critical
migratory stopovers for shorebirds. In particular, the refuge contributes to the goals of the plan by
providing feeding, loafing, and roosting habitat in the impoundments. The refuge also provides
nesting habitat on two islands (Palmetto and Piney) for American oystercatchers and willets.
Wilson=s plovers nest on hard pan/open areas in high marsh and occasionally in impoundments.
American oystercatchers and Wilson=s plovers are in the highest regional priority category.
The Southeastern Coastal Plain Colonial Waterbird Conservation Regional Plan follows the same
format as the previous two bird conservation plans, with a focus on herons, ibises, storks, seabirds,
and their habitats. Through public use area closures and habitat protection, the refuge provides
important breeding and wintering habitat for 15 candidate priority conservation species included in the
plan. The refuge has regionally important habitats, such as coastal wetlands, islands, lakes, and
impoundments.
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St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge