[texbirds] Fwd: Concerns at Anahuac NWR

From: DHanson139@xxxxxxx
To: jimmy_laurent@xxxxxxx, texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:42:16 -0500 (EST)
I would like everyone out there in the birding world that uses our refuges  
to see the kind of answer I just received from one of our Anahuac National  
Wildlife Refuge employees. I was perfectly happy with the answer I got 
about why  the refuge was not being flooded until this just came through. All 
you birders  out there might want to think twice before you go there. This 
shows exactly what  they think of us and apparently they don't know we help pay 
there salary.  Without all the birders and duck hunters they would not have 
a job. I just also  want everyone out there to know why I asked the 
question in the first place. A  friend of mine tried asking why this was 
happening 
and he was basically told to  mind his on business with no explanation at all
 
Please read the reply below.
 
David Hanson
 
 
  
____________________________________
 From: patrick_walther@xxxxxxx
To: jimmy_laurent@xxxxxxx
CC:  david@xxxxxxxxxxx, chambersnature@xxxxxxxxx, DHanson139@xxxxxxx
Sent:  11/21/2013 5:16:41 P.M. Central Standard Time
Subj: Re: Concerns at Anahuac  NWR

On the second reading of your email, I don't think I can add much  to it, 
it really was good.    


But I would love to reply "Hey dumbass you are more ignorant than the cow  
ya'll hate on the refuge, but there is a reason we do most things we do.  
Damn good reasons.  Now if you want to go get a degree in the  resource field 
and put up with all the ignorant birders that don't know poison  ivy from 
cattail, and ask stupid questions, then you can start questioning the  refuge 
habitat decisions.  Otherwise, trust us, we typicially are doing a  fairly 
darn good job.  


But that type reply would likely get us all in trouble.  



On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 10:42 AM, Laurent, Jimmy <_jimmy_laurent@fws.gov_ 
(mailto:jimmy_laurent@xxxxxxx) > wrote:


Folks

I have been getting questions regarding the Skillern Tract at  Anahuac NWR 
and watering fields within this unit.  In the past, we  would put water on 
the Skillern Tract for several reasons.  The first  being that many of those 
fields are identified in the refuge farm program  and this is part of the 
protocol for harvesting rice.  Another reason  we hold water is to support the 
refuge's mission.  The mission is to  support and protect waterfowl (ducks, 
etc.) and its much easier to hold  water in the fall without having to 
combat the spread of invasive species  during the hot summer months.  With that 
said, we have had an  invasive species (Mud bank millet) that has slowly 
taken over many of the  fields in the Skillern Tract.  Those fields have been 
purposely left  without water this fall so that the refuge can continue to 
combat this nasty  invasive.  Mudbank millet is an aggressive invasive that 
has a root  ball that extends well below the surface of the ground.  If 
detected  early enough the plant can be controlled.  But more often than not, 
it  
takes multiple passes with a disk as the root ball continues to break and  
sprout out over time.  If we continue to add water to those units, the  mud 
bank millet will thrive and eventually choke out all other wildlife  
dependent vegetation.
 
There was another question regarding the 700 acres of water that the  
Anahuac NWR has already purchased from Chambers Liberty County Navigation  
District (CLCND) that the refuge was not going to use.  I'm here to say  that 
this 
is not the case.  Those 700 acres have already  been distributed amongst 
the landscape.  There is water on Old  Anahuac in the: Grandberry unit (north 
of Shoveler's Pond), Shoveler's Pond  and on the East Unit in: Rail 
reservoir, Rail moist soil unit and one of our  farm fields (#57).  
 
It was decided that we would "water up" the above identified units  based 
on the infestation of mud bank millet in those fields.   

As the year progresses we will continue to combat these infested  fields.  
This may include fire, disking and eventually chemical  spraying if we are 
unable to again re-gain control of these areas.
 
I'm not sure who is posting these blogs on texbirds but I am more than  
willing to take questions about the refuge before the rumor mill gets  started. 
 
 
Thank you,
Jimmy


 
Jimmy Laurent
Refuge Manager 
Anahuac National Wildlife  Refuge
409.267.3337 x123
409.284.2710  cell









-- 
Patrick  Walther 
Wildlife  Biologist 
Texas  Chenier Plain Refuge Complex 
Anahuac,  McFaddin, Texas Point, & Moody 
P.O.  Box 278 
4017  FM 563 
Anahuac  TX, 77514 
409-267-3337  office 
409-540-0498  cell 
âWe  listen to what we wanted to hear, ignore the implications of what we 
did not  want to hear, and fail to think through the consequences of truisms 
or the  dogma of game management to which we are exposed and with we were 
comfortableâ  â James Peek


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[texbirds] Fwd: Concerns at Anahuac NWR

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