Site Summary: Site Summary: Ellisville Harbor
Nominated By:
Margo Zdvardovic, Scott Hecker
Size:
101 acres
Towns and Counties:
Plymouth
Ownership:
Department of Conservation and Recreation, Wildlands Trust
Major Habitats:
coastal beach, oak-conifer transitional forest, pitch pine/scrub oak forest, early successional shrubland, cultural grassland, cultivated field, emergent freshwater wetland, salt marsh, coastal beach, marine/tidal, river/stream
Land Use:
nature & wildlife conservation/land use, hunting/fishing, other recreation or tourism, fisheries/aquaculture, forestry
Serious Threats:
hydrologic changes (drainage, damming, etc.)
Minor Threats:
recreational development/overuse
IBA Criteria:
- Category 1: Sites regularly holding significant numbers of an endangered, threatened, vulnerable, or declining species.
Site Description:
Ellisville Harbor is located at the mouth of a small stream (herring run) on Cape Cod Bay in South Plymouth. The primary feature of this IBA is its barrier beach habitat and small tidal marsh. Other habitats include a freshwater stream and pond, a small sphagnum bog, open meadows, and pine-oak upland. The beach has become increasingly important as a nesting area for Piping Plovers and Least Terns in recent years.
Current Conservation Status:
Currently, several homeowners of the Lookout Point Association are seeking permits to cut a channel through the spit at Ellisville. They claim that this will alleviate beach erosion and protect their homes. At the present time, no homes are threatened, although the beach is being eroded. Coastal Zone Management and the state are allowing the permits. Once the channel is cut, this spit, which is really a growing barrier beach that supports 3 pair of Piping Plovers and a small group of Least Terns, may change.
Federally Listed Species:
Species |
Breeding |
Winter |
Migration |
| Piping Plover | 3 pairs, 2000-2001 | * | * |
| Piping Plover | 5 pairs, 2002 | * | * |
* None known
State Listed Species:
Species |
Breeding |
Winter |
Migration |
| Least Tern | 8 pairs, 1999-2002 | * | * |
* None known
Other Flora or Fauna of Significance:
None listed.
Data Sources:
Mass Audubon Coastal Waterbird Program field data forms (state census forms and nest attempt summaries)
