Maryland Wood Duck Initiative - A Total Wetland Experience
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B&W illustration of wood duck nest box

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MWDI Background

MWDI’s mission is to enhance Maryland’s Wood Duck population and to generate a greater appreciation of the wetland habitats in which they live by advocating and demonstrating a “Best Practices” approach in artificial nest box programs. Educational and other youth oriented activities which complement the “Total Wetland Experience” are increasingly being incorporated into our projects.

Beginning in late 2004, this all volunteer effort has made some notable strides. Field operations began in Kent Co. at the Eastern Neck Federal Wildlife Refuge, Chesapeake Farms – Dupont’s conservation property and at MD DNR’s Millington WMA. Since then, MWDI’s scope has grown to 68 public project sites in 2009, up from 20 during the 2004 nest season. More than 1,650 boxes are now involved on these sites and a Best Practices resource management approach is now either in effect or being implemented at each participating site. Project sites will exceed 75 in 2009.

More than 1,700 new boxes and predator guards will have been installed on public sites and in private programs for the 2009 nest season as a result of MWDI’s efforts since 2004. Box capacity on public sites has grown more modestly despite the increase in project sites as many old boxes are being replaced to upgrade housing quality or removed from existing sites to de-cluster the program design so that productivity can be enhanced. Strategic placement (re-locations) and predator protection have also being upgraded. As a result, productivity of each functional box has been substantially improved and further gains are expected.

MWDI Highlights - As of August 13, 2008

MWDI’s statewide collaborators are currently the MD Dept of Natural Resources’ Wildlife & Heritage Service (MD DNR), the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USF&W) and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (Collaborating Partners). Many other wildlife and conservation organizations are directly involved in MWDI’s efforts and collaborate in a variety of ways. MWDI has received exemplary cooperation and support of many Federal, State and County organizations and their employees. Currently, more than 100 organizations and private program sponsors are participating. This network is growing monthly! (See MWDI’s February 2008 Director’s Message in the Archives for a specific list of our public project supporters at that time!). MWDI is also actively supported in numerous ways by members of its Advisory Board.

Funding & Operational Support
MWDI does not seek dues. MWDI has obtained project funding for materials from more than 20 different sources whose mandate it is to support wildlife conservation and from others who wish to sponsor box building affairs. MWDI has a multi-year Partnering Agreement with MD DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service which provides among other things, funds to pay for predator guard metal and related box building and mounting hardware as well as website support. MWDI provides all labor and administrative support for its volunteers and utilizes tool shops and equipment provided by certain companies.

Used street sign poles are salvaged with cooperation from the MD State Highway Administration at various locations. Predator guards for private programs are provided by Chappell Central (Minn). The Hagerstown Correctional Facility manufactures predator guards for use on MWDI’s public sites.

First Survey of Maryland's Public Land Nest Boxes
The first ever survey of MD public land nest boxes has been completed. Once final 2009 data has been captured and analyzed, a new detailed report will be made available. 2008 preliminary results are presented below.

MWDI Nesting Survey Results on Public Lands

An important feature of the Public Lands Survey has been to identify and quantify the other desirable “Creatures” that use artificial nesting structures intended for wood ducks. A conservative 12% use was documented.  With the exception of screech owls, these nest box occupants are often supplemental users and not typically direct competitors.

MWDI - Other Creatures - Nest Box Use

Hooded Merganser Nests Located
MWDI volunteers documented 34 hooded merganser nests during the 2006 nest season, which were submitted to the Breeding Bird Atlas Survey.. This data uniquely confirmed a substantial increase in the nesting range for these birds. Since then, hooded merganser nests have been confirmed in two new Maryland counties.

Various research projects have been initiated which will increasingly become statistically significant over time. The re-cycled Freon canister nesting program and use of horizontal nest boxes as starling deterrents are examples.

MWDI’s youth oriented projects have involved more than 20 box building programs and more than 600 hours of effort.
Internships for five high school individuals have been managed and a temperature study on Freon canisters was conducted by another student on behalf of MWDI. Presentations to various schools and collaboration with others on their respective field programs have occurred. MWDI has also arranged with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to provide a one year free subscription to NWF’s award winning children’s magazine, Ranger Rick, to all MWDI youth volunteers. See our various Activity Reports for current highlights of youth oriented events.

Private Wood Duck Program Support
One of MWDI’s ultimate goals is to leverage the Best Practices results demonstrated on public sector projects into privately managed artificial nesting programs since there are “thousands” of these boxes. The productivity upside is large if all of these programs will adopt a Best Practices approach. Cooperation and active collaboration with private programs is growing. Data collection to demonstrate the gains achieved from better quality boxes, predator guard protection, re-locations, inspections and cleaning is not available for public discussion at this time. Progress has been significant and may exceed that portrayed in MWDI’s public survey results.

MWDI assists private programs in many ways. Site inspections, project evaluations and tactical advice have been routinely provided to more than 100 projects. MWDI aggregates lumber orders between public and private programs to obtain excellent wholesale cedar prices for both parties and then obtains volunteer labor to cut up the boards into kits at no charge. Occasionally, MWDI has arranged for kids to make the kits into boxes for certain programs who pay the kids for this service. At other times, when MWDI has obtained a small supply of used boxes that do not conform to our program designs, we have given them to private sponsors to repair and utilize in good habitat.

In early 2008, the J.M. Tawes Technology & Career Center fabricated 29 boxes which MWDI helped sell to private programs. Funds received by Tawes will now support a 50 box program available to the private sector in the fall of 2009 – the selling logistics for which MWDI will handle for Tawes. Predator guard supply has been cost effectively arranged on several occasions and a source developed for individual orders going forward. Our primary limitation is time in helping private program sponsors but many of these individuals are also some of our best volunteers.

While MWDI’s website, www.mwdi.net, has many content areas to more fully develop, we hope you get a good perception of our direction and intent from what is currently on display.

MWDI recently debuted on FaceBook. Here you can add photos and comment on your project or experiences in the field. Click on link below to access:

Maryland Wood Duck Initiative (MWDI) on FaceBook

For more information and to get on the email distribution list, contact Cliff Brown, Executive Director, at cliftonabrown@aol.com or call at 703-447-5142.

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This page updated on August 27, 2009