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SANDY CAY ANNUAL REPORT June 2008 — June 2009 Prepared by: Jean -Pierre Bacle island resourcesFOUNDATION Prepared for:BVI National P arks Trust INTRODUCTION This is the first annual report prepared by Island Resources Foundation since the trans- fer of Sandy Cay from the Estate of Laurance S. Rockefeller to the BVI National Parks Trust in May of 2008. The report contains a summary of activities and observations during this time period, including all visits to the island related to caretaking, mainten- ance, monitoring, training, and general project oversight. During the period of June 2008 to June 2009, the island was visited on eleven occa- sions by members of four organizations: Jost Van Dykes Preservations Society (David Blyden); Resortscapes, Inc. (Chris Thomas and Al Romero); National Parks Trust (Keith Grant and Marcus Maturine); and Island Resources Foundation (Jean-Pierre Bacle). TRAIL MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES AND OBSERVATIONS The island was visited on a regular basis by David Blyden (island caretaker from Jost Van Dyke). Visits were carried out according to schedule throughout the period ex- cept during the first quarter of 2009 due to weather conditions, primarily heavy seas, which reduced the number of visits to two for the quarter instead of the required four caretaking trips. island resourcesFOUNDATION Direct your reply to:6292 Estate Nazareth #100 St. Thomas, VI 00802 340/775 -6225; fax 779 -2022 1718 P Street NW, Suite T4 Washington, DC 20036 202/265 -9712; fax 232 -0748 123 Main Street, PO Box 3097 Road Town, Tortol a BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS VG1110 Tel. and fax: 284/494 -2723 Or via the Internet at: irf @ irf.org http://www.irf.org — The general condition of the trail is very good. However, a short section along the southeast side will re- quire intervention, following discussion with the National Parks Trust. Ongoing erosion due to heavy seas along with foot traffic to and from the beach has contributed to removal of some beach vegetation. As a consequence, erosion is slowly encroaching on the trail (Figure 1 and Photo 1). Eventually this trail section (estimated between 15 – 30 metres) will have to re-routed further inland. Figure 1. Sandy Cay showing 2005 re-routed trail section; trail section currently experiencing erosion; and area fenced off for restoration. Aerial imagery is from Google Earth (2009). A similar situation happened in the past just to the east (see Bacle, 2005). Remedial measures taken at that time required that a 30-metre trail section be re-routed 5 to 10 metres inland on the land side of the beach berm adjacent to the wetland (Figure 1). The intervention was successful in that very few trees were removed, and the new realignment provided an oppor- tunity for visitors to have a closer look at the mangrove wetland. Since then, we have noted that vegetation has reclaimed most of the abandoned trail section and stabilized the berm section. Along the northeast section of the ridge, the vista clearance created by visiting film crews Photo 1. Erosion along the edge of trail section (June 2009). — has been fenced off since April 2008 (Figure 1 and Photo 2). The plastic fencing is holding on but requires some periodic maintenance, such as retightening and adjustments. The closure has partially discouraged trail walkers from accessing the edge of the cliff; however, there is still evidence that some visitors are skirt- ing around the fence to gain access to the view. More fencing carefully laid out may have to be consi- dered. A temporary sign labeled “Vegetation Restoration Area — Please Do Not Pass” should be placed at this site to further discourage access. Earlier this year (January 2009), Keith Grant and Marcus Maturine from the National Parks Trust accompa- nied Chris Thomas, Al Romero and J. P. Bacle for a day-long training exercise in trail maintenance and envi- ronmental monitoring (Photo 3). POST -RAT -ERADICATION MONITO R ING We found no sign of rat activity during all monitoring trips since the transfer of the island (May 2008). There was no evidence of rat droppings in and around the bait stations, no rat trails, as well as no signs of gnaw- ing on branches, twigs, or fruits. Furthermore, during our last visit in June of 2009, we noted an increase in land and sea bird nesting on the ground, which is a very positive indicator the rats are absent (see Wildlife Section below). During the June 2009 trip we continued to replace some of the older, dilapidated rat monitoring stations and also added a new one. The number of rat monitoring stations currently totals 16. Photo 2. Fence preventing access to the vista viewpoint and allowing site restoration. Photo 3. Pictured (left to right): Al Romero and Chris Thomas (from Resortscapes) and Keith Grant and Marcus Maturine (from NPT). — WILDLIFE Bird observations were made on two occasions during two different seasons and at approximately a six- month interval. The most active period was in the summer of 2009 with at least seven different species nest- ing: White-tailed Tropicbird, Laughing Gull, Bridled Tern, Scaly-naped Pigeon, Zenaida Dove, Yellow Warb- ler, and Bananaquit (Table 1). Noteworthy is our observation that many Zenaida Doves were nesting on the ground and on lower branches of trees (Photos 4 and 5). This is further indication of the absence of preda- tors such as rats. In January 2009 we observed a rare visitor to the island — the Mangrove Cuckoo. This species had been observed only on five occasions since January 1970, the last time in May 2005 (Bacle and Towle, 2008) Sea turtles were not observed during the reporting period; however, nest pits were seen on a few occasions along upper reaches of the beach, for example, by David Blyden (October 2008), reported on in the quar- terly Caretaker Report Form submitted by the JVD Preservation Society to NPT. Termite control measures along the trail’s corridor and sides were applied on several occasions during the reporting period. Overall, the number of termite nests throughout the island appeared normal. Photo 4. Zenaida Dove nest located on the ground within a coastal, beach grass environment. Photo 5. Two chicks (Zenaida Doves) nesting on top of an abandoned termite nest. The nest is about one metre above ground, adjacent to the trail. — Table 1. Recent b ird observations at Sandy Cay. Species 1 / 30 /0 9 6/12/09 White -tailed Tropicbi rd 3 2* Magnificent Frigatebird 2 1 Brown Pelican 6 8 Brown Booby 3 1 Green Heron 1 Laughing Gull 14* Royal Tern 2 Bridled Tern 7* Least Tern 3 White -cheeked Pintail 4 Scaly -nap ed Pigeon 1 30* Common Ground Dove 4* 1 Zenaida Dove 6 28* Mangrove cuckoo 1 Green -throated Carib 3 Gray Kingbird 1 2 Yellow Warbler 3 23* Bananaquit 8 18* * nesting activity VISITATION As expected, Sandy Cay remains a popular destination for recreational users (see figures reported in Table 2). Generally speaking, the tourist season commences in November and December, and we recorded peak activity in January. Clive Petrovic, an IRF research associate, also recorded anchoring data during this period from his vantage point at his residence on Tortola. His observations are shown in italicized blue font on Table 2. — Table 2 . Visitation at Sandy Cay. Date Anchored Boats Dinghies on beach People on beach People on trail June 1, 2008 5 June 15, 2008 6 July 22, 2008 8 6 30 7 August 3, 2008 6 August 10, 2008 5 August 19, 2008 3 3 10 8 August 31, 2008 2 September 16, 2008 3 2 9 4 October 21, 2008 9 3 43 12 November 6, 2008 4 3 19 2 November 20, 2008 8 December 22, 2008 7 3 6 9 December 26, 2008 7 January 29, 2009 11 6 13 20 January 30, 2009 9 4 36 16 February 25, 2009 6 March 2, 2009 10 3 24 11 March 22, 2009 11 May 10, 2009 3 May 25, 2009 5 3 23 20 June 12, 2009 6 3 12 15 OTHER OBSERVATIONS On his November 2008 report form, David Blyden notes that residents from Tortola have been harvesting coconuts from the island. On his August 2008 report form, he also notes evidence of camp fires on the beach (Photo 6). Although these activities (especially coconut harvesting) have occurred many times in the past, Dave suggests that they seem to have increased since the transfer of Sandy Cay from private to public ownership. This observation by the Caretaker suggests that early installation of the visitors’ sign, as designed by the NPT, is important to avoid a pattern of misunderstanding and misuse from developing dur- ing the early years of NPT stewardship of the island. The sign makes clear that Sandy Cay is a protected area and highlights permitted and not-permitted activities on the island. — Photo 6. Remnants of a campfire on the beach (June 2009). FUTURE ACTIVITIES AND RECOMMEND A TION S FOR 2010 (1) Trail section re-routing should be considered in early 2010 when Chris Thomas undertakes his annual visit to the island. This task could be undertaken jointly with routine trail maintenance activities. An annual coconut tree count and application of fertilizer should also be carried out during this pe- riod. It is estimated that the effort will take two full days. Representatives from NPT, JVDPS, Re- sortscapes, and IRF should be present during this exercise. (2) We recommend ongoing maintenance of the fence closure on the ridge. This should become part of regular trail maintenance, with any observations of change noted on the trail maintenance reporting forms. This activity should be continued until restoration is complete. A small sign affixed to the fence, as discussed above, is suggested. (3) A refresher course on trail maintenance, rat monitoring, wildlife observations, visitation, and a re- view of reporting procedures should be done at least once a year. REFERENCES Bacle, J.P., 2005. Sandy Cay Field Trips: Annual Report for 2005. Island Resources Foundation. Tortola, BVI and Washington, DC. Bacle. J.P. and J. Towle, 2008. Four Decades of Site Maintenance and Environmental Monitoring at Sandy Cay, British Virgin Islands, 1968-2008. Prepared by Island Resources Foundation for the Estate of Laurance S. Rockefeller. Tortola, BVI and Washington, DC. — Report Distribution: National Parks Trust — Joseph Smith Abbott Esther Georges Nancy Woodfield Pascoe Keith Grant Marcus Maturine Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society — Susan Zaluski Philiciano Callwood David Blyden Bruce Donath Resortscapes — Chris Thomas Estate of Laurance S. Rockefeller — Clayton W. Frye, Jr. Ellen R.C. Pomeroy William S. Moody Island Resources Foundation — Jean-Pierre Bacle Judith Towle Bruce Potter Clive Petrovic Barbara Lausche