Environment DEC
From the November 2008 issue
New Bird Conservation Area Designated
The Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Area is the newest addition to New York State's Bird Conservation Area (BCA) Program. The designation includes 890 acres of marshlands at the southern end of Seneca Lake and will help protect the habitat and diverse population of waterfowl, shorebirds and other bird species that use this area.
The prothonotary warbler is threatened due to the loss of its preferred breeding habitat - bottomland woods near large lakes and rivers.
The Catharine Creek BCA comprises DEC's Catharine Creek Wildlife Management Area between Watkins Glen and Montour Falls in Schuyler County and contains an unusual natural area of cattail marshes. Sedimentation and manipulation of the lake level has led to the formation of a marsh complex that supports a diverse number of bird species, as well as turtles, muskrats, ducks, beaver, deer and other wildlife.
This marks the 52nd BCA designation in New York State, following the designation of the Albany Pine Bush Preserve BCA announced last month. The Wildlife Management Area is named for Catharine Montour, a local, historical Seneca Indian queen. Queen Catharine Marsh also is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Audubon New York.
DEC chose Catharine Creek to become a BCA because of its importance in species concentration and bird research and because of the number of diverse species--including those deemed at-risk--that live in or migrate to the area. They include American black duck, common loon, pied-billed grebe, American bittern, least bittern, osprey, bald eagle, American woodcock, willow flycatcher, sedge wren, wood thrush, blue-winged warbler, prothonotary warbler and rusty blackbird. Other wetland-dependent species breeding here include Virginia rail, sora, marsh wren and swamp sparrow.
The BCA also contains two critical habitat types: a floodplain forest and a silver maple-ash swamp. Three rare plants, including marsh horsetail, Leiberg's panic grass and spreading globeflower and one watch-list species--swamp agrimony--have been documented as well.
