Refuge Manager’s Update November, 2024
As fall winds down and early winter approaches, refuge work changes along with the seasons. In many ways that is one of the real benefits of working on a National Wildlife Refuge. Seasonal changes bring different species of wildlife to the refuge or shift the needs of resident species and require a refocus of refuge priorities. As these changes occur in nature, they are reflected in how people (and wildlife) use the refuge, which also alters our work priorities.
For many, the changes are limited to the foliage we all appreciate and the flocks of geese which materialize in the sky in September and October. But as you become more tuned in to the natural world, nuances of change become apparent, like seeing the last mourning cloak butterflies still hanging on after all others seem to have disappeared. Or subtle changes in the calls and behavior of woodland birds, which are suddenly more muted and often found hanging out in “mobs” rather than spending much of their time alone or in pairs. It is these things which make living through the seasonal change so much richer, and also make spending time on a National Wildlife Refuge so much more rewarding.
On the refuge we are moving through the waterfowl season, which has been a rather slow one for us at Missisquoi. While we had a bumper crop of wild rice, a favorite food for our migrating waterfowl, the low water conditions made much of the habitat unavailable. Hopefully we will see some rain in the coming weeks to improve the habitat conditions for the continued migration of waterfowl through the refuge.
As winter approaches, the refuge staff spends increasing amounts of time indoors as the cold weather drives many of our migratory birds south, and our fields and other habitats go dormant for the winter. This is a time for making sense of the previous field season and planning for the next. We will spend much time evaluating survey data and contemplating the strides we have made in invasive species control and other management actions. In many ways, it’s a time to catch our collective breath. But the beauty of refuge work is that we are always looking towards the next seasonal change, as this directs so much of our work.
I hope that many of you can experience these subtle changes on the refuge this fall and winter. But I especially hope that you are able to follow up throughout the seasons to see the remarkable changes nature brings to Missisquoi.
by Ken Sturm, Refuge Manager, Missisquoi NWR