Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Monarch Butterfly: Photo by
Veronique Schejtman
Chapter 3: Refuge and Resource Descriptions
approximately three feet deep, although there are some springs in the pond
(Cutting 2000). Cutting Pond is man-made, and has had no public access.
Approval was given to purchase land around the pond at the April 2004
Sudbury Town meeting, and public access will be provided in the future.
Yellow perch, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and sunfish inhabit the pond
according to the current owner, Mr. John Cutting.
Invertebrates
Comprehensive surveys for invertebrate species across the entire refuge
have not yet been conducted. Aneptek (1991) surveyed the Taylor Drop
Zone and its surrounding habitat in June and July of that year for
invertebrate species. One hundred and ten taxa of annelids, mollusks,
crustaceans, arthropods, and insects were found. Identification was made
to the family and, in some cases, to the genus level.
Mello and Peters (1992) completed a survey of the lepidoptera in
portions of what is now the northern portion of Assabet River NWR.
Efforts were concentrated in the areas bordering Willis Pond and
along Puffer Road, and included both deciduous upland habitat and
the edges of a small wet meadow draining into Taylor Brook. Eighty
five species of moths were recorded. No state-listed species were
documented. The fact that night-light traps were not used and cool
weather encountered during the survey period may have reduced the
number of species observed (Mello and Peters 1992). Additional
surveys were recommended, particularly within the Atlantic white
cedar swamp area.
Threatened and Endangered Species
With the exception of occasional (most likely wintering) bald eagles,
no federally listed threatened or endangered species are currently
known from the Assabet River NWR. A small number of New
England blazing stars (a federal candidate species in 1992) were
recorded in 1992, but were not found by the New England Wildflower
Society during a 1999 re-survey for the Massachusetts Natural Heritage
and Endangered Species Program (NHESP).
Although surveys of the refuge are far from complete, 8 state-listed plant
species, 4 state-listed birds, and 4 state-listed amphibian and reptilian
species have been recorded to date (see Tables 3-3, 3-5 and 3-6).
Special Designations
Assabet River NWR is included in the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SuAsCo)
inland river priority for protection focus area under the NAWMP. The
refuge area is also included within the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act
of 1986 and is included in the USEPA’s priority wetlands of New England
Comprehensive Conservation Plan - 37 -