TIPS TO HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR PROPERTY - VINEYARD STYLE

Most information on managing private property as wildlife habitat emphasizes one particular type of wildlife. Many references describe techniques for creating a butterfly garden, or for providing food, shelter and nest sites for birds or for growing native wildflowers. This article takes a different approach. It focuses on ways that property owners can manage their land to promote the over-all ecological integrity of the Vineyard.

The first step is to learn the natural history of your part of the Island. To manage land in an ecologically sound manner, one needs to understand the geology, soil type, human history and natural disturbances such as fire, wind and salt spray that influence the natural communities.

In general, State Road serves as a convenient dividing line between the moraine to the north and west and the outwash plain to the south and east. The morainal land between State Road and Vineyard Sound has steep hills, clay soils and numerous boulders. Although most of this area was once cleared for sheep grazing, it is now regenerating to a mixed hardwood community, with beech, hickory and holly trees scattered among the dominant oaks. As they woods mature, they become increasingly diverse. This process occurs naturally and requires no active management by the landowner.

Many of the birds that nest on the moraine require interior woodlands, away from fields, roads and other openings that provide edge habitat. Skunks, crows, blue jays and other species that prey on eggs and nestlings penetrate the woodlands from these edges. So do cowbirds, who lay their eggs in other birds' nests, leaving the unwitting parents to raise cowbirds instead of their own young. By helping to create large, unbroken woodlands, private landowners can support breeding populations of scarlet tanagers, ovenbirds, veery and similar species, many of which are declining worldwide.

The land from State Road east to Edgartown was created by the sand and gravel washing down from the moraine by the water pouring off the melting glacier. This flat expanse is known as the Vineyard's great plain. Frequent fires and salt winds combined to keep much of this area in grassland, pitch pine barrens or savannah. Landowners can mimic some of the effects of fire by annual mowing of meadows and open areas. Mowing in November helps to spread the seeds of little bluestem, the dominant native prairie grass. Mowing in March or April leaves the cover standing through the winter, but clears the area for new spring growth.

Some general guidelines will help landowners anywhere on the Island to promote ecological integrity. One is to use native plants for landscaping whenever possible, preferably from Island seed or stock.

Minimizing the size of lawns and keeping non-native species close to the house while maintaining native species toward the property boundaries also helps. Invasive non-native species especially Russian olive, bamboo, bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, purple loostrife, Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose and porcelain or chine berry - should be avoided, because they quickly spread and take over nearby areas.

Protecting wetlands is of paramount importance. Avoid the temptation to "improve" marshes or boggy areas by digging them out to make ponds. In most cases they are more valuable to wildlife in their natural state. Don't cut shrubs and other vegetation growing around wetlands. They prevent excess organic matter and other pollutants from reaching ponds and streams, and they provide cover and a sense of safety for wildlife using the wetland. Seasonally flooded areas known as vernal pools dry up for part of the year and therefore have no fish. Fairy shrimp and some salamanders and toads will only breed in such fish-free ponds.

Minimize outdoor lighting and turn off outside lights when they are not needed. Even a porch light will attract swarms of moths and other nocturnal insects, which become easy pickings for skunks at night and birds at daylight. Finally, avoid that ultimate symbol of suburbia, bug-zappers. They are not only ineffective but kill many beneficial insects. If mosquitoes are a serious problem, consider putting up bat houses or tree swallow nesting boxes, since both species eat massive amounts of mosquitoes.