Long Point Wildlife Refuge
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Long Point Wildlife Refuge
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| location | Massachusetts , United States | |
| surface | 2.56 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 55553821 | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 21 ′ N , 70 ° 38 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1979 | |
| administration | The Trustees of Reservations | |
The Long Point Wildlife Refuge is a 632 acres (2.6 km² ) large nature reserve on the island of Martha's Vineyard in the state of Massachusetts of the United States , which by the organization The Trustees of Reservations is managed.
history
The Long Point area , after which the reserve is named, was already used by the Wampanoag Indians for agriculture and hunting. In the 17th century, European settlers on the island gradually adopted the techniques and traditions of the Indians and, over the course of 30 years, gradually bought the land that is now known as Long Point from them .
At first it was used as a common land , but at the beginning of the 18th century it was divided into parcels and sold to individual people. In the almost 100 years that followed, the main focus of use was the exploitation of the existing natural resources through large-scale clearing , sheep breeding for the production of wool, commercial fishing and industrial cultivation of silt grasses .
In the early 20th century, wealthy people who lived on the island seasonally bought abandoned farms on the property and set up water fowl hunting clubs there . Due to steadily decreasing membership numbers, the three remaining members of the Tisbury Pond Club donated the first parts of the area to the Trustees of Reservations in 1979. Further donations followed in 1990, 1993 and 1999.
Protected area
With a total area of more than 2.5 km², the Long Point Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest publicly accessible areas on Martha's Vineyard. It consists of coastal areas, dunes and forest areas that surround an extensive heathland , and because of this diversity is popular with visitors - who especially appreciate bird watching - and at the same time very important ecologically.
The area is the remains of a vast prairie that was formed after the last ice age . The animals and plants found there 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 ) hiking trail.
The Long Point is also part of a major wasteland - ecosystem that spans several sections of New Jersey to Maine extends. It provides a habitat for many rare plant species such as the bush oak .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Property History. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed February 6, 2014 .
- ↑ About Long Point Wildlife Refuge. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed February 6, 2014 .
Web links
- Long Point Wildlife Refuge in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- Long Point Wildlife Refuge on TripAdvisor
