News

"Refuge" series to be broadcast on UNC-TV

STRS Productions Inc. has recieved a contract with UNC-TV out of Chapel Hill North Carolina to broadcast all of the "Refuge" programs in the series. The broadcast will begin with "Refuge - Mattamuskeet" this fall, followed by "Refuge Pocosin Lakes", and then "Refuge Pea Island". All the new "Refuge" films will follow as they are being completed.

Wildfire On The Refuge

So, what happens when their refuge burns?

"It would be unrealistic not to say there will be some animal
mortality," said Wendy Stanton, Wildlife Biologist for Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. "However, unlike domestic animals, wildlife in pocosin habitat have adapted in this fire-adapted ecosystem and have developed the instincts to survive. No one likes to see an individual animal suffer, but as biologists we think at the population level. This fire will benefit the majority of the habitat or homes where these populations of species live. In fact, as a management tool, we regularly conduct prescribed burns on the refuge. Not only do these fires produce prime wildlife habitat, they also reduce fuels- making wildfires less intense.

"I think we can safely say that most wildlife have been able to
escape the blaze. I would guess that the wildlife caught by the fire have been the ones that have tried to burrow down to escape the heat - since the fire is burning down into the peat soil in many areas. Also some later-nesting birds that have not fledged or learned to fly would have a harder time escaping. The majority of these populations would bounce back quickly. Almost all the wildlife on 35,000-plus acres have dispersed. They've had to leave their homes."

Stanton said that the displaced wildlife are usually heading toward the thinner smoke (where the air is clearer) and less heat and may behave very much like adolescent wildlife offspring when the parents chase them off from their home range. They wander until they find a place that suits them, and then they settle in. But, there can be a lot of trial and error in that process. Like human adolescents, they may get a few bumps and bruises along the way.

"As you can imagine, there is tremendous stress associated with running from a fire, and you get a lot of roaming wildlife that are not behaving very predictably," said Stanton. "In the early stages, they're likely looking for places to hide. But, as time goes on, they'll be looking for food."

Encounters of the wild kind

Folks should follow the same rules as always when seeing an animal roaming around or in an unusual place.

1. Do NOT feed wildlife. Feeding these animals might seem like the best way to help, but it will produce destructive behavior in wildlife- a situation not safe for wildlife or people.
2. Do NOT approach them, leave them alone. Usually, if given a little time, the animals will move on. They're looking for food and shelter. There is still plenty of water in the area in ditches and canals. If food or shelter is not provided, they will eventually move on. If there are bears in your yard, stay inside until they leave.
3. Do NOT leave any outdoor cooking equipment, bags of trash, containers of pet food, etc anywhere that may be accessible to wildlife.
4. If you encounter a bear, DO NOT RUN. Slowly wave your arms, make lots of noise and slowly back away from the animal.

Remember, these animals are scared and stressed. Use common sense and be aware of your and your children's surroundings.

Will the animals return to the refuge and other habitat after the fire is out?

Stanton says that's a likely scenario. "A few months - even a few weeks- after the fire is out, the refuge will begin to 'green-up' and provide even better habitat than what existed prior to the fire. The wildlife species we have on this refuge have adapted to a fire-based, even fire-dependent, environment. This hasn't been the first fire, and it’s likely it won't be the last fire we have in this area. But, we hope to have better water management and more areas safely burned through our prescribed fire program in the future."

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission has a WILDLIFE HOTLINE - 1-800-662-7137 where people may ask questions about wildlife issues. The NC District Biologist for the counties involved in the Evans Road Fire is Chris Turner. Turner advises to call the WILDLIFE HOTLINE if there are any emergencies or law enforcement-related issues relating to wildlife. "But, if folks have questions about the wildlife and their behavior, it's fine to call me at 252-221-9961," he added.

For more information about Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/pocosinlakes, or call the refuge office at 252-796-3004.

_____________________________________________________________________

By Amy Kibler
Six & Special Projects Producer
Published: September 16, 2008

Some ducks are in luck! They have new homes thanks to high schoolers in the east. Students at Washington High School are teaming up with Friends of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. They’re creating wood duck boxes for the ducks after the Hyde County wildfire destroyed their habitat earlier this summer. The teenagers plan to make 40 boxes. They’ll act as makeshift homes for the ducks until their natural habitat can grow back. Members of the refuge say it’s a great way for students to get involved with nature. Next month, the students and faculty will go to the area and place the boxes.

Click on image to view video

______________________________________________________________________________

Washington Daily News

Thursday, September 18, 208

WHS students lend their talents to aid Pocosin Lakes wood ducks

Beaufort County Schools News Release

When the Friends of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge put out a call for help, Washington High School’s Charles Daniels and his construction students answered.

Supporters of the refuge needed someone to build wood duck boxes to help replace natural nesting habitat destroyed by the Evans Road Fire.

Upperclassmen enrolled in the Construction Technology II – Furniture/Cabinet class are currently building 40 boxes, which they are hoping to help put up on the refuge next month.

Mackey’s Ferry Saw Mill of Roper along with ACE Hardware and Lowe’s, both of Washington, donated materials. Daniels and his 19 students are making the donation of their time a learning experience.

“The chance to participate in something like this is a perfect way for me to help teach my students about giving back,” Daniels explained.

Ernest Marshall, president of the Friends organization, and member Emily Scott were on hand Tuesday to see the students at work. Both were impressed by attention to detail shown by the class.

“It is extremely exciting to see the students here at Washington High School get so excited about doing this project,” Scott said. “We are thrilled also because it is so important that our young people get involved in the environment and in nature.”

Students plan to have the 40 “new homes” completed by this Friday.

The Nature Corner, by Ernie Marshall

A WINTER DAY – PUNGO LAKE

        Well, they have gone and done it again.

Blake and Emily Scott, filmmakers and Producers for the Washington-based STRS Productions, have created yet another breathtakingly beautiful DVD on one of our National Wildlife Refuges. The film is made in collaboration with Lewis Forrest, Executive Producer and founder and Executive Director of the Mattamuskeet Foundation. Their first DVD in this series, A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet, issued in November of 2006, is now followed by the newly released A Winter Day – Pungo Lake. The Lake Mattamuskeet DVD has received a total of 10 international awards, and the Pungo Lake DVD has already won 2 videographer awards. Hats off to Blake, Emily, and Lewis for these achievements.

        The 2800 acre Pungo Lake is the centerpiece of the Pungo Unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. The Pungo Unit was originally the Pungo N. W. R. established in 1963, and through a 93,000 acre land donation was expanded to become the present day Pocosin Lakes N. W. R. This portion of the Pocosin Lakes N. W. R. is located just south of Lake Phelps in Hyde and Washington Counties.

        A Winter Day – Pungo Lake generally follows the very successful format of A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet. It begins at sunrise at 7:05 a.m., as the sun breaks over the horizon at Pungo Lake, and concludes at 5:15 p.m. with sunset and the rise of a full moon. There is no voice narration, only the sounds of the wildlife and other natural sounds of the place, and an intermittent musical score. The strengths of A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet that I noted in this column in February of 2007, Blake and Emily have fine tuned in this DVD. They allow Pungo Lake to speak for itself and convey on its own terms the beauty and enchantment of the refuge and its wildlife.
        The brief captions that note the time and offer important information about the refuge and its wildlife keep viewers aware of how they are experiencing changes of light and movements of wildlife in real time. Thus despite the meditative quality of the film you are immersed in the reality of Pungo Lake.
A few examples may help my point along. We tend to think of a sunrise as just momentary, the sun “pops up” into the sky. The long sunrise segment beginning at 7:05 shows us the complex process of changing reflected light and shifting shadows. At 7:32 as thousands of Snow Geese leave the lake for nearby fields, we hear their musical hubbub anticipating their flight long before we see them in the sky. At 8:45 Tundra Swans gradually materialize before our eyes as the ascending sun burns the mist off the lake.
As well as being superb cinematographers Blake and Emily are natural born naturalist. Their film continually captures information for us about the ways of wildlife.
A segment of Tundra Swans in flight shows us the grace and power of these magnificent birds. Their rapid, deep wing beats reveal the strength and stamina that carry this 20 pounds of flesh, bone, and feathers some 4,000 miles to the Arctic tundra in western Canada and Alaska, and back again to Pungo Lake in the fall. (Anyone who has banded Tundra Swans can attest to the strength of those wings.)
Watching a Northern Harrier course low over a field, rather like a coon or deer hound searching for the quarry’s scent, we see exactly how this raptor finds a meal. (The segment concludes with the hawk having located and captured its prey.) One of nature’s many amazing adaptations, the Northern Harrier hunts more like an owl than a hawk, using hearing more than its keen eyesight. It flies only a few feet from the ground when hunting to listen for the telltale rustling of a mouse or vole.
The film includes a wonderful study in the family dynamics of American Black Bears. Two cubs scamper, roll, and play, sniff and poke about, while the mother relaxes but remains vigilant to any sign of danger. The cubs are born blind and hairless during the period of winter dormancy and stay with the mother until the second year. Mother and cubs remain together as a family unit throughout this period.
A Winter Day – Pungo Lake includes many of the 200 species of birds and 40 species of mammals to be found on the refuge (amphibians and reptiles are rather absent due to the time of year). The credits at the end of the film include “Cast”, a listing of all the wildlife species that put in an appearance. An appropriate way to conclude an excellent wildlife documentary, a film on the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, whose motto as part of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is “Wildlife First”.
To obtain the DVDs in the Winter Day series, A Winter Day – Lake Mattamuskeet and A Winter Day – Pungo Lake, go to the website www.awinterday.com. Or go to the website for Friends of Pocosin Lakes N. W. R., http://www.pocosinlakes.com, and click on the link for the Winter Day Series.
Blake and Emily Scott are currently engaged in making yet other wildlife documentaries. They have begun the Refuge Wildlife Series consisting of 5 or 6 videos. Refuge – Mattamuskeet is soon to be released, and Refuge – Pocosin Lakes is currently in production. They are also producing a 15-minute educational film on the Pocosin Lakes N. W. R. for viewing at the Refuge Visitors Center. The DVDs in The Refuge Wildlife Series will be quite different from those in the Winter Day Series, having full voice narration and in general being more sweeping in scope, following more closely the expected format of a nature documentary. For updates on these DVDs go to the website www.refugewildlife.com, or again go to the Friends of Pocosin Lakes N. W. R. website, http://www.pocosinlakes.com/, and click on that link.
   Blake and Emily Scott are Charter Members of the Friends of Pocosin Lakes N. W. R., and are dedicated supporters of our National Wildlife Refuges. The Friends of Pocosin Lakes N. W. R. in turn is a vigorous supporter of their endeavor. Working together they can do much to protect our National Wildlife Refuges, perhaps our region’s greatest treasure.

____________________________________________