Carse Wetlands Natural Area is 225 acres located in Hinesburg, Vermont, and is connected to the Fred Johnson Wildlife Management Area (heinsburg.org, 2021; Environmental Program at UVM, n.d.). The Natural Area consists of a beaver pond, wetlands, vernal pools, hardwood and softwood forests, an abandoned sugar bush, and a primary successional meadow (Paradis, n.d.; NR378 Students, 2014; Land Stewardship Program (LANDS), 2014). Carse Wetlands Natural Area has hiking trails and is a very popular area for birders to visit (Land Stewardship Program (LANDS), 2014). It is home to an abundance of wildlife such as 11 species of mammals, including beavers, otters, bobcats, muskrats, deer, and moose, 6 species of fish, and over 100 species of birds including the American Woodcock, Great Blue Heron, Wild Turkey, and Bald Eagle (Halik, 2019; Wright, 1983). Hunting is prohibited in Carse Wetlands and therefore acts as a wildlife refuge for the animals that inhabit it (insert source). The wildlife in this area have profound effects on the ecosystem. For example, the hydrology of the area has changed greatly over time as the presence of beavers has fluctuated (NR378 Students, 2014). Further, bobcats are predators of small mammals and therefore regulate their populations (Sharphue, 2020). This section is going to explore the wildlife that is characteristic of Carse Wetlands Natural Area and the roles they play within their ecosystems.
North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) and Their Impacts
While Carse Wetland Natural Area consists of a wide variety of ecosystems, the most notable, namely, are the wetlands. These wetlands exist because of beavers. While it is not clear when beavers first began altering the hydrology of the area, Jonathan H. Wright cited a personal interview from 1983 in his Interpretive Master Plan For The Carse Wildlife Refuge (1983) that noted “The beavers apparently prevailed sometime in the early 1950s…” Beavers no longer live at Carse. It is also not clear exactly when the beavers’ presence in this area began to decline.
In 2014, students in the University of Vermont’s NR378 course created a Recreational Assessment and Proposal for Carse Wetlands Natural Area. They noted that “the beaver pond is inactive, and in the process of eutrophication. An adjacent landowner recalls a significantly larger open pond 20 years ago. It is likely that the pond will continue to fill in with vegetation in the future, unless it is recolonized by beavers,” (NR378 Students 2014, p. 4). The shrinking of the wetland is very visible from satellite imagery (Figure 1). The loss of this wetland area may have significant implications for other species. Wetlands provide habitat for a wide variety of species including fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects (USGS 2022). The shrinking of wetlands not only directly harms the species that live in the wetlands, but harms shorebirds and waterfowl by reducing the amount of food available (Blankenbuehler 2016). Additionally, shrinking wetland habitat reduces the available nesting habitat for these birds and forces birds to be crammed together which can increase the spread of diseases (Blankenbuehler 2016).
Figure 1. Carse Wetlands Natural Area aerial photos showing the rapid shrinking of the wetland area. Images from Google Earth Pro.
Predatory Mammals of Carse: Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans) and Eastern Bobcat (Lynx rufus rufus)
The main predatory mammals present at Carse Wetlands Natural Area are bobcats (Lynx rufus rufus) and coyotes (Canis latrans).
Coyotes play important ecological roles (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
n.d.). Specifically, coyotes are natural predators which help maintain the dynamics and health of ecosystems (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.). Coyotes are very adaptable to changing habitats which is part of the reason they have been so successful in rural, suburban, and even urban areas (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.). Coyotes mainly prey on deer, however they will also readily eat the carcas of deer or other dead animals (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.).
Eastern Bobcats are extremely adaptable and can live in a wide variety of habitats (Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute 2022). Bobcats primarily eat small mammals such as mice, vole, rats, chipmunks, squirrels, and hares in addition to deer (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.).
For both Eastern Bobcats and Eastern Coyotes, deer are an important source of food in the winter as the snow allows for easier predation (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.).
Eastern Coyote. Image from VT Trappers Association.
Eastern Bobcat. Image from Estuary Magazine.
Image of the leg bones of an animal (possibly a deer) on a pile of sticks. Image by Alanna Duff.
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
White-tailed deer are very adaptable and can life in a wide range of habitats (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.). They are typically known as preferring forest edges over other habitats and are found in highest numbers in areas that have “a blend of woodlots and agricultural openings” (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.) which makes Carse Wetlands Natural Area a prime location for deer. Deer are herbivores. In Vermont, their diets consist of “maple, ash, birch twigs and leaves,” (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.).
Deer populations are important to manage as an overabundance of deer can lead to habitat damage from over browsing and can pose a danger to drivers (Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department n.d.). Deer are regularly hunted, however hunting is prohibited at Carse Wetlands Natural Area.
White-tailed Deer. Image from WCAX.
Birds of Carse
Carse Wetlands Natural Area is known as a birding hotspot (Birding Hotspots n.d.). According to ebird.org, 149 species of birds have been observed at Carse (eBird Hotspot n.d.). Of these species, 2 are currently listed as threatened or endangered in Vermont: the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and the Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) (Vermont Natural Heritage Inventory 2022). Eastern Meadowlarks live in farm fields, grasslands, and wet fields (Cornell Lab of Ornithology n.d.). Common Nighthawks live in open areas such as gravel bars, forest clearings, coastal sand dunes, and sparsely vegetated grasslands (Cornell Lab of Ornithology n.d.). Both Eastern Meadowlarks and Common Nighthawks build their nests on the grounds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology n.d.). Proper management of Carse Wetland Natural Area is needed to ensure that these species can continue to survive.
List of birds observed at Carse Wetlands Natural Area (from ebird.org). Bolded species are threatened or endangered in Vermont (Vermont Natural Heritage Inventory 2022).
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna). Image from allaboutbirds.org.
Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor). Image from ebird.org.
Citations:
NR378 Students. (2014, April). Carse Property: An Ecological Inventory and Assessment
Jonathan H Wright. (1983, November) Interpretive Master Plan For The Carse Wildlife Refuge.
Halik, S. (2019, September 19). UVM Forests and Natural Areas Gain 750 Acres. The University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/news/rsenr/uvm-forests-and-natural-areas-gain-750-acres
Paradis, R. (n.d.). Conserving the University of Vermont Natural Areas and Research Forests. In The University of Vermont Natural Areas System. https://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/sites/default/files/University%20of%20Vermont%E2%80%99s%20Natural%20Area%20System.pdf
UVM Natural Areas. (n.d.). Environmental Program at UVM | the University of Vermont. https://www.uvm.edu/environmentalprogram/uvm-natural-areas
Land Stewardship Program (LANDS). (2014). Carse Natural Area: Recreational Assessment and Proposal. https://jamespospsihil.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lands-carse-final-report-w-maps.pdf
Sharphue. (2020). The Importance of Bobcats. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. https://education.turpentinecreek.org/2020/06/01/the-importance-of-bobcats
Interim Management Plan for the Carse Addition to the Hinesburg Town Forest. (2021). In heinsburg.org. https://www.hinesburg.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif6691/f/pages/carse_addition_imp_11-5-2021_vlt_comments_changed.pdf
Why are wetlands important? | U.S. Geological Survey. (2022, June 22). https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/why-are-wetlands-important#:~:text=Wetlands%20are%20among%20the%20most,wintering%20grounds%20for%20migrating%20birds.
Blankenbuehler, P. (2016, February 29). The disappearing wetlands in California’s Central Valley. High Country News. https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-disappearing-wetlands-in-californias-central-valley#:~:text=As%20shorebirds%20and%20waterfowl%20rest,and%20killed%20thousands%20of%20birds.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (2022, May 27). Bobcat. Smithsonian’s National Zoo. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/bobcat#:~:text=Bobcats%20are%20very%20adaptable%20and,and%20scrublands%20in%20the%20southwest
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. (n.d.). Coyote. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/coyote
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. (n.d.). Eastern Bobcat. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/eastern-bobcat#:~:text=Two%20%22wildcats%22%20are%20found%20in,to%20simply%20as%20the%20lynx.
Coyote – VT Trappers. (n.d.). https://vttrappers.com/vt-furbearing-animals/coyote-2/
Young, J. (2021). The Elusive Bobcat. Estuary Magazine: For People Who Care About the Connecticut River. https://estuarymagazine.com/2020/11/the-elusive-bobcat/
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. (n.d.). White-Tailed Deer. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/white-tailed-deer#:~:text=the%20state%20seal!-,Habitat,large%20woodlots%20and%20agricultural%20openings.
New Hampshire, Vermont asked to test deer for COVID-19. (2021, November 26). https://www.wcax.com. https://www.wcax.com/2021/11/26/new-hampshire-vermont-asked-test-deer-covid-19/
Carse Wetlands (UVM Natural Area) – Vermont, US – Birding Hotspots. (n.d.). https://birdinghotspots.org/hotspot/L5912437
Carse Wetlands (UVM Natural Area), Chittenden County, VT, US – eBird Hotspot. (n.d.). eBird. https://ebird.org/hotspot/L5912437
Vermont Natural Heritage Inventory. (2022). Endangered and Threatened Animals of Vermont. In Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/sites/fishandwildlife/files/documents/Learn%20More/Library/REPORTS%20AND%20DOCUMENTS/NONGAME%20AND%20NATURAL%20HERITAGE/ENDANGERED%2C%20THREATENED%20AND%20RARE%20SPECIES%20LISTS/Endangered%20and%20Threatened%20Animals%20of%20Vermont.pdf
Eastern Meadowlark Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Meadowlark/id
Common Nighthawk – eBird. (n.d.). eBird. https://ebird.org/species/comnig
Common Nighthawk Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Nighthawk/lifehistory