Shinnecock Bay

SIGNIFICANT HABITATS AND HABITAT COMPLEXES
OF THE NEW YORK BIGHT WATERSHED

I. SITE NAME: Shinnecock Bay

II. SITE LOCATION: Shinnecock Bay includes the segment of the barrier beach and backbarrier lagoon system on the south shore of Long Island, east of Moriches Bay and west of Mecox Bay, about 122 kilometers (75 miles) east of New York City.

TOWN: Southampton

COUNTY: Suffolk

STATE: New York

USGS 7.5 MIN QUADS: Shinnecock, NY (40072-74), Quogue, NY (40072-75), Southampton, NY (40072-84), Mattituck, NY (40072-85)

USGS 30 x 60 MIN QUAD: Long Island East (40072-E1)

III. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION: The Shinnecock Bay habitat complex comprises the entire 3,642-hectare (9,000-acre) aquatic environment of Shinnecock Bay, including open water, salt marshes, dredged material islands, and intertidal flats, in addition to the eastern end of the Westhampton Beach barrier island (refers to island between Moriches Inlet and Shinnecock Inlet), the western end of the Southampton Beach barrier spit, Shinnecock Inlet, and the nearshore waters of the New York Bight. The western boundary of this complex is the Quogue Canal in Quogue; the eastern boundary is the eastern edge of Taylor Creek in Southampton Village. This habitat complex also includes the tidal creeks and marshes entering into Shinnecock Bay from the Long Island mainland. This boundary encloses regionally significant habitat for fish and shellfish, migrating and wintering waterfowl, colonial nesting waterbirds, beach-nesting birds, migratory shorebirds, raptors, and rare plants.

IV. OWNERSHIP/PROTECTION/RECOGNITION: The riparian and underwater land ownerships include tribal, state, county, town, and private holdings. Tiana Beach to the west of Shinnecock Inlet is a mixture of Suffolk County and Southampton Town parks, and the easternmost end of Southampton Beach to the east of the inlet is a Suffolk County Park. On the mainland, most of the shoreline is privately owned and developed for residences, marinas, and marine-related industries. Protected open space includes Sears-Bellows Pond County Park at the headwaters of Tiana Creek, the Ruth Wales Dupont Sanctuary along Taylor Creek owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and other small preserves that include the Archibald Manning Brown Preserve, the Zoe B. Deropp Sanctuary, and the Griffith Preserve. The Shinnecock Indian Reservation between Heady Creek and Old Fort Pond is less intensively developed than are other shoreline areas around the bay. Several wetland parcels in Shinnecock Bay are recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as priority wetlands under the federal Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986, including Dune Road Marsh and Shinnecock Bay barrier beach. The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan identifies the South Shore Mainland Marshes of Long Island as a focus area. The focus area plan identifies 39 marsh sites for acquisition and/or restoration along the mainland from the Robert Moses Causeway east to Shinnecock Bay, including four sites along Shinnecock Bay. Southampton Beach and part of Tiana Beach have been designated and mapped as undeveloped beach units as part of the Coastal Barrier Resources System pursuant to the federal Coastal Barrier Resources Act, prohibiting federal financial assistance or flood insurance within the unit. Parts of Tiana Beach have been designated and mapped as otherwise protected beach units pursuant to the federal Coastal Barrier Resources Act.

Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats recognized by the New York State Department of State include Shinnecock Bay, Tiana Beach, Dune Road Marsh, Southampton Beach, and Far Pond and Middle Pond inlets. The New York State Department of State is in the process of developing a regional coastal management plan for the south shore of Long Island (South Shore Estuary Reserve) that includes this area. The New York State Natural Heritage Program, in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, recognizes Tiana to Southampton Beach as a Priority Site for Biodiversity with a biodiversity rank of B2 (high biodiversity significance).

V. GENERAL AREA DESCRIPTION: The Long Island barrier beach/backbarrier lagoon system extends in an east-west direction for 145 kilometers (90 miles) along the south shore of the island, from Coney Island in New York City east to Southampton at the eastern end of Shinnecock Bay. The bay complex occurs in the Coastal Plain physiographic province, also referred to as the Coastal Lowlands ecological zone. The bay and barrier beach sediments are composed predominantly of sand and gravel derived from glacial outwash and marine sources. The Shinnecock Bay complex as defined here includes the easternmost 16 kilometers (10 miles) of this system from the Quogue Canal east to Taylor Creek. The western portions of Shinnecock Bay are shoal, 2 meters (6 feet) or less in depth, while the eastern portions average 3 meters (10 feet) in depth. The shallow water areas are highly productive, especially the salt marshes and mudflats that fringe the barrier islands and the estuarine habitats around the creek outlets. The deeper water habitats are composed of sandy shoals and eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds that provide cover and nursery habitat to many species.

Shinnecock Inlet was formed as the result of a breach of the barrier beach in 1938, and was subsequently stabilized with stone jetties over the period 1947 to 1954. Large areas of sand deposition occur both seaward of the inlet and in a floodtide delta just inside the bay. Shinnecock Bay's tides average 0.2 meter (0.7 foot), and the tidal velocity at the inlet averages 4.6 kilometers/second (2.5 knots/second). Shinnecock Bay is connected to Great Peconic Bay to the north by Shinnecock Canal, which is controlled to discharge only Peconic Bay waters into Shinnecock Bay and does not permit the flow of Shinnecock Bay waters into Peconic Bay. The bay is also connected to the west to Moriches Bay by the Quogue Canal.

The backbarrier areas of both Tiana and Southampton barrier beaches contain extensive tidal wetlands, including salt marshes, dredged material islands, mudflats, and sandflats. Vegetation on the barrier island is typical of coastal plant communities in this region; tidal areas on the back side are dominated by cordgrasses (Spartina alterniflora and S. patens), while dense shrub thickets comprised primarily of beach plum (Prunus maritima), bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), sweet gale (Myrica gale), poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), and beach heather (Hudsonia tomentosa) have developed in backdune sand swales and other areas above tidal influence. American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) occurs on primary dunes. Dredged material has been placed on the beaches at both sides of the inlet; these areas are sparsely vegetated.

VI. ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE/UNIQUENESS OF SITE: Shinnecock Bay is a regionally significant habitat for fish and shellfish, migrating and wintering waterfowl, colonial nesting waterbirds, beach-nesting birds, migratory shorebirds, raptors, and rare plants. There are 97 species of special emphasis in the Moriches Bay complex, incorporating 42 species of fish and 37 species of birds, including the following federally and state-listed species. (Living resources and their habitats are dynamic; therefore, the ecological significance and species information presented here may not be complete or up-to-date. State and federal environmental agencies [see Appendix III for office contacts] should be consulted for additional information.)

Federally listed endangered
peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
roseate tern (Sterna dougallii)
finback whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Federally listed threatened
loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
piping plover (Charadrius melodus)
seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus)

Federal species of concern⁽¹⁾northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys t. terrapin)

¹Species of special concern listed here include former Category 2 candidates

State-listed endangered
least tern (Sterna antillarum)

State-listed threatened
northern harrier (Circus cyaneus)
osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
common tern (Sterna hirundo)

State-listed special concern animals
Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)

Shinnecock Bay is a highly productive estuary, supporting diverse fish and wildlife resources. The salt marshes and tidal flats serve as nursery, feeding, and juvenile habitat for the many fish species that are found here, especially commercially and recreationally important species such as bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), scup (Stenotomus chrysops), weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), tomcod (Microgadus tomcod), blue crab (Callinectes sapidus), and numerous forage species such as Atlantic silversides (Menidia menidia), American sandlance (Ammodytes americanus), menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), striped killifish (Fundulus majalis), pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus), and sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae family). These species are consistently found during the juvenile growing season, April to November, and as adults. Extensive fisheries studies have been conducted by the Marine Science Station of Long Island University; these captured and identified 141 species, 21 of which are considered common to abundant and 20 more defined as annually present. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also has an extensive data base for the bay and reports 51 species present. Abundant fish that have not been listed previously here include cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus), grubby sculpin (Myoxcephalus aenaeus), naked goby (Gobiosoma bosci), northern pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus), northern searobin (Syngnathus fuscus), and striped searobin (Prionotus evolans). Anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and catadromous American eel (Anguilla rostrata) are common, especially in Heady Creek, and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) are occasionally found. The bay also contains beds of soft clam (Mya arenaria), northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria), bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). The residents of the Shinnecock Reservation have established American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and northern quahog (hard clam) in areas in Heady Creek as part of a subsistence aquaculture program.

From December to early May, the Shinnecock Inlet area becomes a regionally important haulout for harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), gray seal (Halichoerus grypus), and other Arctic seals that feed on the rich fishery resources of the bay and nearshore waters. Cetaceans include minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) which occur in the nearshore waters throughout the year, and bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) which occur inshore during the summer and fall. January through March, finback whales feed close to shore along the southern Long Island coast from Shinnecock Bay east to Montauk Point. Northern right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are occasionally sighted off of Shinnecock Bay, generally individuals migrating through the New York Bight between March and June. Juvenile loggerhead sea turtles regularly use Shinnecock Bay in the summer and adults and juveniles occur in nearshore waters all along Long Island's south shore. Juvenile green sea turtles feed in Shinnecock Bay during the summer. Northern diamondback terrapins inhabit the marshes and waters of the bay, going ashore to breed in the dunes and sandy swales of the barrier beach.

Shinnecock Bay is a significant waterfowl wintering area on Long Island. Between November and March, large concentrations of greater and lesser scaup (Aythya marila and A. affinis), American black duck (Anas rubripes), red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), brant (Branta bernicla), common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and, to a lesser degree, mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis), canvasback (Aythya valisineria), and bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) use the bay for wintering except when prohibited by the extent of ice cover. The bay is also used as a migration stopover during the spring (March to April) and fall (October to November) migrations. Diving ducks are distributed throughout Shinnecock Bay and are most concentrated in the north and east parts of the bay. Dabbling ducks are concentrated along the back side of Tiana Beach and Southampton Beach.

The salt marsh and dredged material islands in Shinnecock Bay support significant nesting colonies of terns, gulls, and wading birds. Lanes Island and the Warner Islands support large colonies of common terns (Sterna hirundo), and two of only a limited number of roseate tern colonies on the East Coast; 59 pairs of roseate terns nested on Lanes Island and 34 pairs nested on the Warner Islands in 1995, the two largest colonies on the south shore of Long Island during that year. Black skimmer (Rynchops niger), herring gull (Larus argentatus), and great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) also occur on these islands. Common tern also occur, or have recently occurred, at several other islands in the bay including Sedge Island, Greater Greenbacks Island, and Lesser Greenbacks Island. Ponquogue Spoil Island, a dredged material island near the Ponquogue Bridge, is important to a variety of waders, including black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), great egret (Casmerodius albus), snowy egret (Egretta thula), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), and little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), as well as to great black-backed and herring gulls. American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) nest in small numbers at several islands in the bay; a total of eight islands were used in 1995, including Greater Greenbacks Island, Lanes Island, and the Warner Islands. The salt marshes behind the barrier beaches, especially the large area of marsh behind Hampton and Tiana beaches known as Dune Road Marsh, also support nesting by mallard, Canada Goose, clapper rail (Rallus longirostris), sharp-tailed sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus), and seaside sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus). The marshes, flats, and shallows in this tidal wetland complex are used extensively for feeding by the birds nesting here, as well as those migrating through, particularly shorebirds.

The entire length of Tiana and Southampton beaches supports or has supported significant nesting for least tern and piping plover; numerous colonies are spread out over this 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) stretch of beach. American oystercatcher also nests at several beach sites. The undeveloped beach, dunes, and marshes on the barrier islands, especially Tiana Beach, provide critical foraging and resting areas for thousands of migrating raptors each year. The most numerous species seen at Southampton and Tiana beaches include sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), merlin (Falco columbarius), northern harrier, osprey, Cooper's hawk, and peregrine falcon. These barrier beaches also contain rare plant species, including the federally listed threatened seabeach amaranth and the globally rare seabeach knotweed (Polygonum glaucum).

VII. THREATS AND SPECIAL PROBLEMS: Development of remaining open space in the watershed is the most pressing problem; development activities adversely affect the bay and its biological productivity. Water pollution affects all forms of fish, wildlife, and plants. Chemical contamination, oil spills, excessive turbidity, sedimentation, and waste disposal all affect the water quality and the food chain dynamics. Increasing development of the mainland shoreline to private residences, including high density condominiums and townhouses, is altering and eliminating tidal and freshwater wetlands, thereby posing a threat to wildlife species dependent on these habitats. The expansion of marina facilities, increased recreational fishing pressure, and water quality degradation from road runoff and septic systems is negatively impacting the Shinnecock Bay ecosystem.

Beach stabilization projects are being planned for west of Shinnecock Inlet. These erosion control projects on the barrier beaches may eliminate natural habitat variability on the barrier islands, limit the amount of foraging habitat for piping plover, and destroy or degrade seabeach amaranth populations. Lack of permission from private landowners in Westhampton Beach to allow fencing and predator exclosures to protect nests of piping plovers and least terns on the barrier island allows human disturbance and predation of these beach-nesting birds. Off-road vehicle use is extremely high on beaches east of Shinnecock Inlet (Shinnecock Inlet County Park and Southampton Town beaches). Off-road vehicle use also occurs to the west of Shinnecock Inlet.

VIII. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS: Disturbances to wintering and nesting bird populations need to be minimized or eliminated entirely, particularly for colonial beach-nesting birds such as least terns and piping plovers. Human intrusions into beach nesting areas during the critical nesting season (April to August) should be prevented using a variety of methods, including protective fencing, posting, warden patrols, and public education. Because of the large degree of privately owned lands, public education and cooperative approaches with landowners are essential to successful protection of beach species in this area. When determined to be a problem, as it is at most mainland-connected nesting beaches, predator control and/or removal should be instituted. Those tasks and objectives of the piping plover and seabeach amaranth recovery plans that are applicable to this area should be undertaken, including restoration or enhancement of degraded sites where appropriate. Fencing and protection of beach-nesting birds should be expanded to include protection for seabeach amaranth and seabeach knotweed, where appropriate. Efforts should be made to identify and implement pertinent tasks and objectives of the piping plover, roseate tern, and seabeach amaranth recovery plans that may be applicable to this area.

The single most important factor to preserve the aquatic habitats is controlling wastes and nonpoint sources of pollution entering the estuary in order to protect the bay fishery and maintain habitat quality. Efforts should be made to designate the bay as a "no discharge zone" for sewage from recreational boating. Dredging new boat channels should be avoided and alterations to the inlet should be minimal to preserve the present tidal pattern. Active management of colonial waterbird nesting islands may increase the productivity potential of the presently used sites and encourage recolonization of other suitable nesting areas. Maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of islands for roseate tern nesting is especially critical. Several areas in Shinnecock Bay have been identified for restoration as habitat for American black duck and associated species by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan - Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. Three sites, Dave's Creek and Weesuck Creek in East Quogue and Halsey Neck Pond in Southampton Village, have been identified for possible restoration in a plan put together by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Erosion control projects along Southampton and Tiana beaches should be done in a way that recognizes the dynamic nature of barrier islands and the natural processes such as overwash and breaching, the needs of the natural communities, and fish and wildlife species that occur in the nearshore waters, on the beach and dunes, and in the backbarrier bays and marshes. Before projects proceed, more information is needed on the impacts of various erosion control options on the bay resources and the beach resources, especially the federally listed threatened seabeach amaranth and piping plover.

IX. REFERENCES:

Buckley, P.A. and F.G. Buckley. 1980. Population and colony-site trends of Long Island waterbirds for five years in the mid-1970s. Transactions of the Linnaean Society of New York 9:23-56.

England, M. E. 1989. The breeding biology and status of the northern harrier (Circus cyaneus) on Long Island, New York. Master's thesis, Long Island University, C.W. Post Center, Greenvale, NY.

Litwin, T.S., A. Ducey-Ortiz, R.A. Lent, and C.Liebelt. 1993. 1990-1991 Long Island colonial waterbird and piping plover survey. Conducted by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cooperation with the Seatuck Research Program, Stony Brook, NY.

MacLean, D.C., T.S. Litwin, A.M. Ducey-Ortiz, and R.A. Lent. 1991. Nesting biology, habitat use, and intercolony movements of the least tern (Sterna antillarum) on Long Island, N.Y. Conducted by the Seatuck Research Program in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Stony Brook, NY.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 1985. National estuarine inventory: data atlas, vol. 1: physical and hydrologic characteristics. Strategic Assessment Branch, Washington, D.C.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 1996. 1995 Long Island colonial waterbird and piping plover survey. Division of Fish and Wildlife, Region 1, Stony Brook, NY.

New York State Department of State. 1987. Significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats program. Habitat narratives for Shinnecock Bay, Tiana Beach, Dune Road Marsh, Southampton Beach, and Far Pond and Middle Pond Inlets. New York State Department of State, Division of Coastal Resources and Waterfront Revitalization, Albany, NY.

Ringers, B. and S. Tettelbach. 1994. List of fish species from R/V Shinnecock. Long Island University, Southampton, NY.

Sadove, S. and P. Cardinale. 1993. Species composition and distribution of marine mammal and sea turtles in the New York Bight. Final report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern New England - New York Bight Coastal Ecosystems Program, Charlestown, RI.

Safina, C. 1990. Foraging habitat partitioning in roseate and common terns. Auk 107:351-358.

Stone, S.L., T.A. Lowery, J.D. Field, C.D. Williams, D.M. Nelson, S.H. Jury, M.E. Monaco, and L. Andreasen. 1994. Distribution and abundance of fishes and invertebrates in mid-Atlantic estuaries. ELMR Rep. No. 12. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division, Silver Spring, MD. 280 p.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1995. Piping plover (Charadrius melodus) Atlantic coast population revised recovery plan, technical/agency draft. Region 5, Hadley, MA.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1995. Technical/agency draft recovery plan for seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus Rafinesque). Southwest Region, Atlanta, Georgia.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992. Proposed coastal wetland restoration and enhancement pursuant to the South Shore mainland focus area plan.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1991. Northeast coastal areas study: significant coastal habitats of southern New England and portions of Long Island Sound, New York. Southern New England - Long Island Sound Coastal and Estuary Office, Charlestown, RI.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1989. North American waterfowl management plan: South Shore mainland marshes focus area plan (Long Island), Atlantic Coast joint venture. Newton Corner, MA.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1989. Roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) recovery plan, northeastern population. Region 5, Newton Corner, MA.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983. Fish and wildlife resource studies for the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point, New York, beach erosion control and hurricane protection project reformulation study estuarine resource component. Cortland Field Office, Cortland, NY.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983. Fish and wildlife resource studies for the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point, New York, beach erosion control and hurricane protection project reformulation study terrestrial resource component. Long Island Field Office, Upton, NY.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1965. Progress report on waterfowl resources related to the Fire Island cooperative beach erosion control and hurricane protection project, Montauk Point to Fire Island Inlet, Long Island, NY. Letter to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with maps.

Young, B.H., K. A. McKown, V. J. Vecchio, and K. Hattala. 1992. A study of striped bass in the marine district of New York VI. Completion report AFC-16, jobs 1-4. New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Marine Resources, Stony Brook, NY. Mimeographed.

Young, B.H., K. A. McKown, V. J. Vecchio, and J. D. Sicluna. 1989. A study of striped bass in the marine district of New York VI. Completion report AFC-14-1. New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Marine Resources, Stony Brook, NY. Mimeographed.

List of Species of Special Emphasis

Maps

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