Wetland-Upland Dependent Species
Report for Belmont Conservation Commission
June 3, 2003
Belmont Hearing for Notice of Intent
Brian O'Neil, Frontage Road Office Park

June 1, 2003

Report on Species in Lynn Boyd Thesis that are Wetland and Upland dependent and which have been observed in the greater Alewife Reservation area.

[The thesis by Lynn Boyd was written for the Wetland Conservation Professional Program, Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts, http://www.umass.edu/forwild/ September, 2001.]

18 Species of animals have been identified which have been observed (with one case being possible only) in the greater Alewife area and are discussed in Boyd's Thesis, entitled Buffer Zones and Beyond, sub-title: Wildlife use of Wetland Buffer Zones and their Protection under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act. These species all have a need for both wetland and upland for nesting or reproductive success or other reasons.

The descriptions that follow are based almost entirely on Boyd's thesis and are sometimes word for word. Distances are given usually in meters, sometimes in feet and sometimes in miles. As the 200 feet mark is an important length in Wetland buffer law and also corresponds to the distance of the Southwest corner of the proposed O'Neill retaining wall from the Little River, a table [see bottom of this page] will follow the 18 species descriptions below which classifies each species using the Distance from Wetland classification that Boyd uses. Also, it will be useful to remember the following distance conversions: 1 meter=3.281 feet, so 100 meters=328.1 feet; 200 feet=60.95 meters, which is close to 61 meters. For this report, 200 feet will be approximated as 61 meters.

All page references are to Boyd's thesis.

I. Mammals: there are 3 in the Alewife area that need both wetland and upland--

1. Beaver, American. The Beaver is a water-dweller and is clumsy on land. However (p. 23, bottom in Boyd), it goes up to 200 meters into the upland, primarily to cut deciduous hardwood trees. In the Alewife area, the trees would be Aspens. On p. 16, Boyd cites a study showing that Beavers use primary feeding habitat within 100 meters or 328 feet of open water.
2. Muskrat. Muskrats feed on aquatic vegetation and on emergent vegetation along the shore (p. 15, bottom). They generally stay within 50 feet, but occasionally go out to 500 feet.
3. Mink. (p. 23) Most activity is within the high-water mark of body of water, but Minks hunt up to 200 yards from water. The average home range for males has a diameter of 2 to 3 miles. Minks use upland for foraging (p. 16, bottom). Den sites are in forested log-strewn or thicketed areas.

II. Reptiles: 2 at Alewife

1. Painted turtle. The Painted turtle nests in upland. (p. 9) Average distance traveled beyond wetland edge is about 200 feet, but the maximum is well over that. It nests in the upland, usually less than 200 meters from the wetland edge.
2. Snapping turtle. The Snapping turtle uses areas beyond 200 feet from the Wetland edge (P. 12). It nests in the upland, usually less than 200 meters from the wetland. Both Painted and Snapping turtles travel extensive distances into the upland, up to 0.8 miles. In the case of the Snapping turtle, up to nearly 10 miles.
3. Ribbon snake. As numerous Garter snakes have been observed in the Alewife area, and the Ribbon snake is a Garter, albeit a very thin one, I am describing it's habitat here, although confirmed sightings are not yet known. The Ribbon Snake uses upland for feeding and basking. It uses well-drained grassy areas adjacent to marshes for basking. The distance of movement beyond wetland is unknown.

IV. Birds: There are 12 species at Alewife needing both upland and wetland.

1. Herring Gull. (p. 19) The Herring Gull nests adjacent to wetlands on grassy hummocks or tall clumps of vegetation or drift. Distance traveled upland is unknown.
2. Hooded Merganser. (p. 19) The Hooded Merganser nests in tree cavities or nest boxes, preferring those near water. It uses trees of a certain diameter range. The distance traveled upland is unknown.
3. Mallards. (p. 18) Mallards nest on ground in dry or slightly marshy areas from 1 to 91 meters (3 to 300 feet) from the water. Occasionally, it will nest as much as 1.2 miles from water.
4. American Black Duck. (p. 19) Black ducks generally nest on dry ground in elevated hollows, well camouflaged by vegetation. Upland nests may be as much as 1 mile or more from water.
5. Green-winged Teal. (p. 18) Green-winged Teals nest in depressions on dry ground in dense grass, at the base of shrubs, or under a log, usually within 1-91 meters, but up to 400 meters from water.
6. Wood Ducks. Wood ducks prefer natural cavities (p. 19) within 500 meters of water and near openings in the forest canopy. They usually nest within 0.5 mile of but, rarely, more than a mile from water.
7. Canada Goose. (p. 18, top) The Canadian Goose typically nests near water, but sometimes nests as far as 150 feet from it. The Goose prefers slightly elevated sites including Beaver lodges and old stumps for nesting.
8. Great Blue Heron. The Blue Heron requires distance from human activity for successful breeding (p.24). (p. 19, bottom) Great Blue Heron colonies are usually near water, though herons may use upland away from the water for nesting. Because they are sensitive to human disturbances, Boyd recommends a buffer zone of 250 feet or more on land around heronries.
9. Belted Kingfisher. The Belted Kingfisher (p. 18, bottom) generally is a bank nester. It burrows deep into sandy clay fairly close to water, but can nest as much as a mile away from water. In Cornwell's study, 2 nests were found over water, 3 were 500 feet (152 meters) from a lake, while 4 nests were between 0.3 and 1.0 mile away from water.
10. Tree Swallow. Boyd classifies the Tree Swallow in the category of occupying upland from the wetland edge to 200 feet (61 meters) (p.18). He cites a Page 3 study showing that Tree Swallow nests were more successful at 48 meters from shore than at 26 meters. That is, their nests did better at a greater distance, but within the 200 feet from shore mark.
11. Northern Waterthrush. (p. 17) The Northern Waterthrush nests in banks close to water. It uses edges of swamps, ponds, streams, and woodland pools. Sometimes, it nests on the sides of fern clumps and under cover of banks of wooded ponds or streams.
12. Louisiana Waterthrush. (p. 17) The Louisiana Waterthrush nests in banks close to water. It uses both banks and gullies.

Remarks on the Sources of Identification of species present at Alewife:
All of the above species, with the exception of 3, were chosen from either David Brown's online [bird survey and mammal survey] (at the FAR site) or printed Bird and Mammal surveys or from the Biodiversity Days 2002 Wildlife Survey on the Friends of Alewife Reservation website. Brown's survey of the Alewife Reservation,commissioned by FAR, was conducted between March and June of 2002.

The Louisiana Waterthrush was included because it had been observed by Ralph Yoder, a naturalist. A third species, the Ribbon snake, was identified here as being only a possibility as far as being present. Many species present at Alewife, such as the Piliated Woodpecker or Woodcock or the Woodchuck, were not chosen because there is no demonstrated dependence by them on Wetland. Only species needing both wetland and upland were chosen.

Table showing 18 Wetland and Upland-dependent species vs. Distances from wetland.
The following categorizes the species using the system in Boyd's thesis.
Wetland Edge to 200 feet means that the species uses Upland that is up to 200 feet from the Wetland.
Wetland Edge to >200 feet means it uses Upland that is more than 200 feet from the Wetland.

Report Prepared by: Ralph Chang- Arlington

Report designated by Friends of Alewife Reservation
Ellen Mass
For the Steering Committee

Some information about Lynn Boyd, from http://www.sycllc.com/team.html#boyd:
Lynn Boyd - Wetland Specialist & Biologist Lynn Boyd combines a solid academic background with several years of field experience to provide clients with assistance on wetlands, hydrology, botany, and wildlife issues. Ms. Boyd conducts field surveys of wetlands, plants, and wildlife habitats. Her surveys of special-status species have included San Francisco Bay Area species, kangaroo rats, desert tortoises, and several desert plant species. As a biologist/hydrologist at Sycamore Associates, Ms. Boyd conducts wildlife, botanical and wetland surveys, studies special-status species and habitats, collects and analyzes hydrologic data, prepares reports, monitors construction and mitigation sites, and provides public outreach. Ms. Boyd's diverse knowledge in biology and hydrology enhances her abilities to look at resource issues holistically and identify technically defensible restoration approaches. At the same time, her education has included substantial exposure to policy aspects pertaining to resources, including her Master's thesis on wildlife use of wetland buffer zones and their protection under state law. Ms. Boyd brings a broad pragmatic view to the resource issues of concern to Sycamore's clients.