Long Point Wildlife Refuge

IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape

BWf1

The Long Point Wildlife Refuge is a 632 acre ( 2.6 km ²) large nature reserve on the island of Martha 's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the United States, which is administered by the organization The Trustees of Reservations.

History

The Long Point area, according to which the reserve is named, was already used by the Wampanoag Indians for agriculture and hunting. In the 17th century, took over the European settlers on the island gradually the techniques and traditions of the Indians and bought them within 30 years from gradually the land that is known as Long Point today.

Initially it was used as a commons, but divided at the beginning of the 18th century into plots and sold to individuals. In the following almost 100 years of use was focused in the exploitation of natural resources by large-scale deforestation, sheep breeding for wool production, commercial fishing and industrial cultivation of silt grasses.

In the early 20th century bought wealthy people who lived seasonally on the island, abandoned farms on the site and set up there a hunting clubs for water fowl. Due to steadily decreasing membership numbers, the three remaining members of the Tisbury Pond Club gave the first portions of the territory in 1979, the Trustees of Reservations. More donations followed 1990, 1993 and 1999.

Sanctuary

With a total area of more than 2.5 km ² the Long Point Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest publicly accessible areas on Martha 's Vineyard. It consists of coastal areas, dunes and forests that surround a sprawling moorland, and is due to this variety popular with visitors - the especially appreciate the bird-watching - and at the same time ecologically very significant.

The site is the remains of a vast prairie, which had been formed after the last ice age. The occuring in animals and plants have adapted to the dry landscape with its acidic soils. Visitors can relax on the beach or explore the area on a 2.1 mi ( 3.4 km ) long trail.

The Long Point is also part of a major Badlands ecosystem that spans different sections of New Jersey to Maine. It offers many rare plant species such as the bush - oak habitat.