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Young Island
Location:Grand Isle, Grand Isle County
Bird Conservation Region: BCR 13
Size: 6.5 Acres
Latitude: 44:44:30
Longitude: 73:20:45
IBA Criteria:
- Vermont High Conservation Priority Species (Criteria 2)
- Single species Concentrations (Criteria 4c)
- Long-term research and monitoring (Criteria 5)
Land Ownership:State
Habitats:Shrub/herbaceous plants/plants
Land Use: Nature & wildlife conservation, research
Threats: Cormorant overpopulation
Site Description
Young Island is a island that lies in Lake Champlain, northwest of Grand Isle, Vermont. It is owned and managed by the state of Vermont Depatment of Fish and Wildlife. The island's vegetation consists primarily of low shrubs herbaceous plants and saplings, most of which are less than two meters high. There are several large cottonwood trees on the north end of the island but most of these are dead or dying. The perimeter of the island consists of shale beaches and ledges. There is an abandoned house on the eastern side of the island.
Birds
The island is a significant location for colony-nesting birds and supports the largest concentration of breeding gulls and Double-crested Cormorants in the state of Vermont. Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Double-crested Cormorant and Great Black-backed Gull (S1) all nest here. Other species that have nested here in the past include Black-crowned Night Heron (S1), Cattle Egret (S1) and Snowy Egret. The island also supports some of the highest concentrations of nesting ducks in the state.
Conservation
The site is protected and managed by the state of Vermont and has been the location of long-term monitoring and management projects and scientific research. The presence of large numbers of nesting gulls and cormorants has resulted in a longstanding debate as to how the island and the birds should be managed. Concerns include unsightliness, odor and the impacts of cormorants on fish populations. The rapid rise in cormorant numbers during the 1980s and 1990's also resulted in the displacement of herons and egrets, either directly or by loss of habitat. In 1999 the state began to actively control the reproductive success of cormorants through egg oiling. The outcome of these actions is still uncertain and their effects on population growth may not be ascertained for several years.
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