Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex
, is a 2286 acres (9.3 km²) island located at the confluence of the Chester River
and the Chesapeake Bay
. Established in 1962 as a sanctuary for migratory birds, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge provides natural habitat for over 240 bird species — including bald eagle
s and transitory peregrine falcon
s — and is a major staging site for tundra swans.
The refuge comprises the entirety of Eastern Neck Island, projecting into a bend of the Chester River
. The island was one of the first settled places in Maryland, where Major Joseph Wickes was granted 800 acres (3.2 km²) in 1650 and built the now-vanished "Wickliffe" mansion.
Native Americans
, who left shell middens, arrowheads and pottery behind. From 1658 to 1680, Joseph Wickes and his partner Thomas Hynson assembled the entire island under their ownership, farming the land. Captain Lambert Wickes
, Joseph's great grandson and captain of the USS Reprisal
, is memorialized with a monument on the site of Wickliffe. The island was owned by the Wickes until 1902, who continued to raise a variety of crops on the land. After 1902 portions of the island became hunting preserves. In the 1920s, wealthy individuals from surrounding cities were attracted by the waterfowl concentrations and bought portions of the island for hunting retreats. The present visitor contact station was built as a hunting lodge in 1930.
During the 1950s a property developer proposed to subdivide a portion of the island into 293 house lots. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the entire island between 1962 and 1967, preserving the land for wildlife. This purchase was largely in response to concerns over the development made by the local community. The sole house built for the Cape Chester subdivision now houses park personnel.
The Kent County Department of Parks and Recreation operates the Ingleside Recreation Area, under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, from May 1 to September 30, with facilities for crabbing and car-top boat launching.
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge serves as a land-use model within the Chesapeake Bay watershed
through its sustainable agriculture, wetland restoration and native landscaping.
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge is an increasingly popular nature tourism destination on Maryland's upper Eastern Shore, attracting over 70,000 visitors annually to its waterfront vistas, peaceful walking trails, and "watchable wildlife."
in the United States
to install a wind turbine
on its grounds. The project was made possible when the Maryland Energy Administration received $58,800 dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy as a result of the State Energy Program solicitation. The project also include the construction of a solar renewable energy system at the refuge.
The purpose of the 10 kW wind turbine is to provide on-site electric power to an administration building, while publicly demonstrating the concept of renewable energy. The project also exists to measure any avian interaction with the refuge's wind turbine. The DOE's Federal Energy Management Program
(FEMP) has allowed Eastern Neck NWR to contract the services of an expert in order to document the extent to which bird behavior is altered by the operation of the turbine.
The turbine itself consists of three blades, which cover a circular area 23 feet (7 m) in diameter
. The tower is 60 feet (18.3 m). Considering the average wind speeds of the area, the system was designed to produce about 10,000 kW-hours per year.
The two solar array panel groups generate peak levels of 150 and 167 watt
s, respectively.
Eastern Neck Island Road begins at the Tundra Swan Boardwalk at the refuge's entrance and runs down the center of the island to the Wickliffe Historic Site, nearly to the southern tip. All trails and activities at the refuge are accessed from secondary roads off the main strip.
Trails include the Tidal Marsh Overlook trail, the Bayview/Butterfly trail, the Duck Inn and the Boxes Point trail, accessed directly off Eastern Neck Road. The latter is a popular site for bald eagle
sightings.
s, ruddy duck
s, canvasback
s, bufflehead
s, redhead
s, and pintail
s. Numerous marsh and shore birds migrate through in spring and fall. Mallard
s, black ducks, wood duck
s, great blue heron
s, and green-backed herons nest at the refuge.
Birds of prey are also common and in some cases abundant at the refuge according to visitor guides. Bald eagles have fledged young each year since 1986, osprey
establish nests in the spring and head south before the fall, and turkey vulture
s are abundant throughout the year.
Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a National Wildlife Refuge complex in the state of Maryland located near the Delmarva Peninsula.-Refuges within the complex:* Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge* Martin National Wildlife Refuge...
, is a 2286 acres (9.3 km²) island located at the confluence of the Chester River
Chester River
The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long, and its watershed encompasses , which includes of land. Thus the total watershed area is 20% water. It forms the border between Kent County and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, with its...
and the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Established in 1962 as a sanctuary for migratory birds, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge provides natural habitat for over 240 bird species — including bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s and transitory peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s — and is a major staging site for tundra swans.
The refuge comprises the entirety of Eastern Neck Island, projecting into a bend of the Chester River
Chester River
The Chester River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is about long, and its watershed encompasses , which includes of land. Thus the total watershed area is 20% water. It forms the border between Kent County and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, with its...
. The island was one of the first settled places in Maryland, where Major Joseph Wickes was granted 800 acres (3.2 km²) in 1650 and built the now-vanished "Wickliffe" mansion.
History
The island was visited in precolonial times by Woodland periodWoodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, who left shell middens, arrowheads and pottery behind. From 1658 to 1680, Joseph Wickes and his partner Thomas Hynson assembled the entire island under their ownership, farming the land. Captain Lambert Wickes
Lambert Wickes
Lambert Wickes was a Captain in the Continental Navy.-Revolutionary activities:Wickes was born sometime in 1735 in Kent County, Maryland. His home was on Eastern Neck Island, in the family home, Wickcliffe. Prior to the American Revolution, Wickes was captain of the merchant ships the Neptune and...
, Joseph's great grandson and captain of the USS Reprisal
USS Reprisal (1776)
USS Reprisal, 18, was the first ship of what was to become the United States Navy to be given the name promising hostile action in response to an offence...
, is memorialized with a monument on the site of Wickliffe. The island was owned by the Wickes until 1902, who continued to raise a variety of crops on the land. After 1902 portions of the island became hunting preserves. In the 1920s, wealthy individuals from surrounding cities were attracted by the waterfowl concentrations and bought portions of the island for hunting retreats. The present visitor contact station was built as a hunting lodge in 1930.
During the 1950s a property developer proposed to subdivide a portion of the island into 293 house lots. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired the entire island between 1962 and 1967, preserving the land for wildlife. This purchase was largely in response to concerns over the development made by the local community. The sole house built for the Cape Chester subdivision now houses park personnel.
The Kent County Department of Parks and Recreation operates the Ingleside Recreation Area, under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, from May 1 to September 30, with facilities for crabbing and car-top boat launching.
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge serves as a land-use model within the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
through its sustainable agriculture, wetland restoration and native landscaping.
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge is an increasingly popular nature tourism destination on Maryland's upper Eastern Shore, attracting over 70,000 visitors annually to its waterfront vistas, peaceful walking trails, and "watchable wildlife."
Alternative Energy Program
In 2002, Eastern Neck Island became the first National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to install a wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
on its grounds. The project was made possible when the Maryland Energy Administration received $58,800 dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy as a result of the State Energy Program solicitation. The project also include the construction of a solar renewable energy system at the refuge.
The purpose of the 10 kW wind turbine is to provide on-site electric power to an administration building, while publicly demonstrating the concept of renewable energy. The project also exists to measure any avian interaction with the refuge's wind turbine. The DOE's Federal Energy Management Program
Federal Energy Management Program
The USA Federal Energy Management Program promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources at federal sites, helping agencies save energy, save taxpayer dollars, and demonstrate leadership with responsible, cleaner energy choices, because as the largest energy consumer in the...
(FEMP) has allowed Eastern Neck NWR to contract the services of an expert in order to document the extent to which bird behavior is altered by the operation of the turbine.
The turbine itself consists of three blades, which cover a circular area 23 feet (7 m) in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
. The tower is 60 feet (18.3 m). Considering the average wind speeds of the area, the system was designed to produce about 10,000 kW-hours per year.
The two solar array panel groups generate peak levels of 150 and 167 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s, respectively.
Activities
Aside from birding and other wildlife viewing, Eastern Neck Island offers facilities and trails for hiking, boating, crabbing, fishing, hunting and biking.Eastern Neck Island Road begins at the Tundra Swan Boardwalk at the refuge's entrance and runs down the center of the island to the Wickliffe Historic Site, nearly to the southern tip. All trails and activities at the refuge are accessed from secondary roads off the main strip.
Hiking
Nearly six miles of roads and trails are open to visitors most of the year. Three wildlife trails and a handicap-accessible boardwalk and observation tower are available for those wishing to observe the varied habitats of the refuge.Trails include the Tidal Marsh Overlook trail, the Bayview/Butterfly trail, the Duck Inn and the Boxes Point trail, accessed directly off Eastern Neck Road. The latter is a popular site for bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
sightings.
Wildlife
The refuge bird list contains 243 species recorded on the refuge and includes wintering lesser scaup, oldsquaws, white-winged scoterWhite-winged Scoter
The White-winged Scoter is a large sea duck.-Description:It is characterised by its bulky shape and large bill. This is the largest species of scoter. Females range from 950-1950 grams and 48–56 cm , averaging 1180 grams and 52.3 cm . She is brown with pale head patches...
s, ruddy duck
Ruddy Duck
The Ruddy Duck is a small stiff-tailed duck.Their breeding habitat is marshy lakes and ponds throughout much of North America, and in South America in the Andes. They nest in dense marsh vegetation near water. The female builds her nest out of grass, locating it in tall vegetation to hide it from...
s, canvasback
Canvasback
The Canvasback is the largest of the North American diving ducks, that ranges from between long and weighs approximately , with a wingspan of . The canvasback has a distinctive wedge-shaped head and long graceful neck. The adult male has a black bill, a chestnut red head and neck, a black...
s, bufflehead
Bufflehead
The Bufflehead is a small American sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Anas albeola.-Description:...
s, redhead
Redhead
Redhead may refer to:* A person with red hair* Redhead , an album by Bleu* Redhead , a North American duck, Aythya americana...
s, and pintail
Northern Pintail
The Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator...
s. Numerous marsh and shore birds migrate through in spring and fall. Mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
s, black ducks, wood duck
Wood Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...
s, great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s, and green-backed herons nest at the refuge.
Birds of prey are also common and in some cases abundant at the refuge according to visitor guides. Bald eagles have fledged young each year since 1986, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
establish nests in the spring and head south before the fall, and turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
s are abundant throughout the year.