Day in the Swamp

As the land manager at Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest, no two days are the same. This is an account for a recent day of boundary line painting.

With over 110 miles of exterior boundary and another 31 miles of interior boundary, there is always plenty of boundary to paint in any year. Some lines are easy to paint as they run parallel to a road or fire break, but some lines run through the swamp. The majority of the in-swamp lines are painted most easily when the water level is lower.  Therefore, before the last bout of rain, a long-neglected in-swamp line was attacked with bright orange paint.

Work in the swamp is a tough sell for most individuals. There are mosquitoes, snakes, alligators, ticks, chiggers, poison ivy, thorny vines, mud, it is hot and humid, one is required to carry all food and water (never enough), restroom options are limited, and there are only lat/long coordinates to give the 911 operator (if there is cell service) should the need arise. Oh, and then EMS needs to find their way to the spot in the swamp (see obstacles and hazards above), which is seldom near an address their system will recognize. For example, the address for lunch in the image below was N33.29782, W80.49187.

Lunch in the swamp - Image by Mark Musselman

Just prior to lunch, one of the swamp's residents moved away from the paint bucket. Wearing safety orange paint would run counter to its attempts to remain camouflaged.

Eastern Cottonmouth - Image by Mark Musselman

Farther east down the boundary line, a large, unseen gator dramatically thrashed the water in annoyance less than fifteen feet from the tree being painted. The alligator, in aptly named Alligator Lake, had obviously heard the less-than-stealthy painting patrol and had slipped quietly into the deeper water to watch. As it became clear that the man with the orange paint was preparing to cross directly atop it, the alligator made its move to the depths (less than three feet) and swam upstream. Approaching the deeper water, the question, "Do I try to wade across deep water to continue painting the line?" was asked aloud. The beast beneath the surface helped make the decision to find a detour crossing downstream

While walking the water's edge to find the downstream crossing, the basking site of the big alligator was encountered.

Alligator tail impression in mud - Image by Mark Musselman

Alligator skin impression in mud - Image by Mark Musselman

Alligator skin impression in mud - Image by Mark Musselman

Alligator foot impression in mud - Image by Mark Musselman

Downstream detour, good choice...not a bad band name either.

Not all encounters in the swamp have the potential to be painful or dangerous to painters, but they can be equally upsetting and do pose a threat to wildlife. Balloons, like the one found below, are an all-to-common discovery in the swamp. As @BalloonsBlow states, "Balloons blow, don't let them go!"

 

New Mammal Sighting at Francis Beidler Forest

It is not often that the staff at Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest gets to say, "We've never seen that before." Granted, we recently wrote a blog describing the discovery of a crashed USAF RF-84F jet, but in this case we are referring to the plants and animals of the sanctuary.

On Sunday, visitor Jennifer LeGrand-O'Brien showed some images of a small mammal scampering on the boardwalk near #15. It looked like a weasel, but we had never seen one on our property. Initially, we thought it might be an escaped pet, but the Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) ranges throughout North America and on into South America. They simply do not present themselves often for easy viewing.

Long-tailed Weasel - Image by Jennifer LeGrand-O'Brien

Long-tailed Weasel - Image by Jennifer LeGrand-O'Brien

Long-tailed Weasel - Image by Jennifer LeGrand-O'Brien

After viewing the short video below, there is no doubt that a Long-tailed Weasel is living near the boardwalk at #15.

Long-tailed Weasel - Video by Jennifer LeGrand-O'Brien

For those keeping tabs on the Francis Beidler Forest Facebook page, #15 is also the location of the Barred Owl nest where both owlets died within days of each other. There are a number of possible reasons for the deaths, including disease, but the close proximity of an aggressive predator willing to attack prey larger than itself, adds intrigue to the situation. Additionally, Long-tailed Weasel young are born in the April-May timeframe and they too need to eat.

USAF Wreckage in the Swamp

Last August, we were in the swamp checking for damage caused by wild pigs. Over the years of Audubon ownership, the area of the sanctuary in which we were stomping had been frequently visited. However, a portion of less than half of an acre had apparently avoided visitation or someone would surely have told this story by now.

At some point in the trek, what appeared to be the tail section of a military jet rested ahead on a small piece of higher ground. Fallen trees and logs at a distance can look like many things, but a closer look was warranted. As seen below, it was indeed the tail section of a military jet.

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

Scattered about the tail section, which was the largest piece of wreckage, were various smaller pieces of the aircraft.

A wheel...

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

A bomb rack...

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

A  pedal control...

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

A fuel bladder...

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

...and various bits of steel and aluminum.

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

Inside the tail section was the first clue as to the origins of the wreckage. The identification plate showed the aircraft to be a RF-84F.

RF-84F, 51-1895 wreckage - Image by Mark Musselman

RF-84F - Image USAF

Having never heard the story of a crashed jet in the swamp, we checked with Norman Brunswig, the original sanctuary manager, who arrived in 1973. He had heard a story, though it appeared to be a tall tale told to the newly posted out-of-towner, of a jet crash occurring in the few years before his arrival. Norman never encountered the wreckage during his tenure, which ended in 2014. With that information, we contacted the Air Force at Joint Base Charleston.

After initially being told that we would need to contact the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) office, three members of the flight safety office came out to the swamp to satisfy their curiosity. After their initial excitement at seeing the older USAF insignia, they examined what could be seen of the debris field and concluded that the aircraft had impacted at a low angle generally from the east and that the crash investigation team likely took portions of the aircraft (engine, cockpit, and sensitive equipment like cameras). As Joint Base Charleston had no records of the incident, we sent our request for information to the FOIA office.

Upon returning from Christmas break, we found a letter from the FOIA office stating that they had no records of the incident in question. After a brief consultation with Fox Mulder, we were confident that there was no coverup involving the 1950s-era reconnaissance aircraft possibly encountering alien craft over Four Holes Swamp. However, we were also confident that the aircraft had not disappeared without someone in the USAF noticing (extra parking space on the runway apron; missed scheduled-maintenance appointments; extra set of keys on the sign-out board; inspectors pointing to serial number on an inventory list). Therefore, just like the movies, we went to the Internet for answers.

Unlike the movies, the detailed information we sought, including ventilation schematics for the aircraft hangers, did not immediately pop up on our computer screen. Earlier searches for military aircraft crashes in South Carolina had produced only a few high-profile crashes and mainly recent incidents. We searched for any military aircraft crashes and found a webpage showing all significant crashes from the 1940s until the present, but were overwhelmed by the volume of losses by the United States alone. We narrowed the search to simply F-84 models and once again were overwhelmed by the number of crashes, including eight flying together when ice formed on intake screens and all the engines flamed out. All of the USAF F-84 crashes occurred prior to the time frame we expected based on our local story, though F-84s flown by foreign governments continued to crash throughout the 1970s. After a rainy Saturday of searching, we found one webpage that showed numerous RF-84F aircraft crashes listed as impacting in South Carolina. Ignoring the Edisto Beach, Aiken and other non-local crash sites, we focused on the handful of crash locations listed as Shaw, AFB.

Looking back at the image showing the tail section of the aircraft wreckage, portions of the buzz number could still be seen. The buzz number was a large alphanumeric designation on the side of the aircraft to help those on the ground identify aircraft that buzzed low over their house, town, or facility. For the F-84 models, FS was the alpha- portion of the buzz number and the last three digits of the aircraft's serial number was the numeric portion of the buzz number. As the wreckage showed FS-89?, we looked at the two aircraft listed on the webpage that had 89* in their serial number. One aircraft was 51-1897 and one aircraft was 51-1895. Although the wreckage does not allow a full identification of the final number of the buzz number, it was clear that the number was not a 7, but could certainly be a 5. The RF-84F (serial #51-1895) was listed as possibly crashing in December 1956. With a specific aircraft and a more precise date for the crash, we emailed the FOIA office.

Before the end of the day, we received a call that, given the updated time frame, they had located the aircraft crash report and would be sending the releasable portions to us. They stated that the aircraft had crashed on January 7, 1957 in a dense swamp northeast of Dorchester, SC. Yep, that would be her.

Opening the manila envelope that arrived revealed photocopies of microfilm records with all names (pilot, maintenance crews, investigation officers, etc.) redacted. Reading the "Report of AF Aircraft Accident" was pretty straightforward: Dorchester, SC; 7 Jan 57; 1509 EST; Shaw, AFB, SC; flight duration 0:29; 21,000 feet; RF-84F-10RE; FltLt; British...what? We do not know the identity of the 168-lb, 71-3/4" Brit, but here is how his half hour went after taking off from TAC, 9AF, 363D TACRECONWG, 363D TACRRECONGRU, 18th TRS stationed at Shaw, AFB over 60 years ago. (Update: from my USMC roommate, 1/31/2017 - He found a webpage showing ejections from aircraft, which identifies the British pilot as Flt. Lt. John West. Update: from Grant Mishoe, 2/1/2017 - John West went on to be a RAF wing commander, flew the Canberra and died on 5/2/2008.)

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/project/year_pages/1957.htm

From the report:
HISTORY OF FLIGHT:
At 1330 hours, 7 January 1957, FLT LT XX briefed 2NDLT XX on a formation flight, during which close and tactical formation, oblique photography, and instrument flying were to be practiced. Flight conditions were VFR and the flight was to be conducted in the local area.

Engines were started at 1425 EST. The start of FLT LT XX aircraft, RF-84F NR 51-1895, was normal, with no indication of engine malfunction or over-temperature. Formation take-off was accomplished on Runway 22 at 1440 hours, FLT LT XX leading with 97 percent power for take-off.

Level off was accomplished at 23,000 feet and power reduced to 95 percent. After approximately 10 minutes of tactical formation, FLT LT XX was maneuvering and taking oblique photographs of LT XX aircraft, and after a turn of some 60 to 90 degrees while pulling a slight "G" force (2 to 2-1/2 "G's"), FLT LT XX heard a loud explosion in his aircraft, and the aircraft started to vibrate violently. Power setting was 95 percent, altitude approximately 21,000 feet, and airspeed 340 knots.

The wingman noticed a ball of fire come from the tailpipe, immediately followed by what appeared to be fuel pouring from the underside of the fuselage and sabre drain. The aircraft itself did not catch fire.

FLT LT XX retarded the throttle and turned the fuel valve off. As the airspeed slowed down to 270 knots, the vibration smoothed out and FLT LT XX had satisfactory control of the aircraft. FLT LT XX continued to decrease the airspeed, and at 230 knots the vibration increased again and he decided to eject.

FLT LT XX blew the canopy at 7,000 feet and ejected. The lap belt released automatically and FLT LT XX manually pulled the "D" ring. He retained his P-4 helmet and oxygen mask and landed, without injury, in a large pine tree.

The aircraft continued on in a westerly direction for 4 miles and crashed in a swamp area.

(Update: 4/13/2017 from Grant Mishoe, Flt. Lt. John West's description of his ejection.)

Elsewhere, the report states that the $665,162 aircraft was destroyed primarily by an engine explosion and secondarily by being abandoned in flight. The primary cause of the engine failure "was materiel failure in the first stage of the engine compressor rotor blades," which was caused by "metal fatigue in the compressor rotor blade serrations." The engine was a Buick J65-B3, serial number B-641288.

Annotations on an area map (I-26 and I-95 are conspicuously absent) shows the pilot landing in a tree in the area of the new Volvo plant northeast of Ridgeville. The sketches below show the flight of the aircraft before impact and the resulting debris field. The flight safety team from Joint Base Charleston was correct in their assessment of the crash.

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report sketch - USAF

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report sketch - USAF

The other pilot (Update: 4/13/2017, 2ndLt. Charles L. Lustig) in aircraft 51-1879 landed at Shaw, AFB without incident. That aircraft went on to serve in 1958 with the Iowa ANG 174th TRS and in 1962 with the Michigan ANG 107th TRS.

A few black-and-white/microfilmed/photocopied images were included showing various aspects of the crash site. There was the engine, which was removed from the swamp and studied as part of the investigation.

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report image - USAF

There was the wheel, which remains in the swamp and is shown earlier in this blog.

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report image - USAF

There was the tail section with a much brighter USAF insignia, which also remains in the swamp.

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report image - USAF

Finally, there was an image of the "negligible damage" caused by the aircraft as it impacted the swamp.

RF-84F, 51-1895 accident report image - USAF

With over 17,300 acres in the Francis Beidler Forest, we are going to keep stomping. We will let you know what we find.

(Related news coverage at ABC News4. Corrections: 1) Audubon's Francis Beidler Forest is not part of a national forest. 2) Land manager is responsible for 18,000 acres of Francis Beidler Forest not Four Hole Swamp. Francis Beidler Forest is a portion of Four Hole Swamp. 3) The aircraft in the image is the same model, but not the aircraft that crashed.)

Grassland Burning

In the previous post, we showed the grasslands that Audubon South Carolina established in the fields across from the driveway at the Francis Beidler Forest. Earlier this month, we were able to burn all three fields.

Grassland burn - Image by Mark Musselman

Grassland burn - Image by Mark Musselman

Grassland burn - Image by Mark Musselman

Grassland burn - Image by Mark Musselman

Burning the fields reduces the fuels on site by consuming the dead plant material, returns nutrients to the soil, and invigorates plant growth. New growth is more palatable to wildlife, including seeds and fruits. We look forward to what will emerge during the spring flush. We are also hopeful that the habitat improvements will attract Northern Bobwhite Quail as there are a few in the neighborhood.

To Rattle Or Not To Rattle

Snakes rattle their tails as a warning, but not all snakes exhibiting this behavior are rattlesnakes.

Here an Eastern Cottonmouth rattles its tail to warn of its presence and desire to be left alone.

Rattlesnakes have evolved an amplification method for their tail twitching. Some dry skin remains at the end of their tail each time they shed skin, which allows for a rattle louder than a tail simply moving in dry leaves. Tail twitching is a method of announcing a snake's presence and the rattle is a highly effective design. However, rattling the tail is generally an action of last resort, so many snakes will not rattle even if a human is close.

There are stories suggesting that rattlesnakes are evolving back to quieter snakes without rattles, because non-rattling snakes go undetected and survive. However, there are not any studies that show snakes are rattling less frequently than in the past. Snakes obviously do not want to reveal their location to prey they are trying to eat and unnecessarily revealing their location to non-prey animals may result in death or injury (see the Internet for numerous images of snakes shot or chopped before they could do any "harm"). Remaining motionless and allowing camouflage to work likely allows  snakes to go unnoticed and unharmed. Conversely, if a snake feels that death or injury is imminent, rattling the tail may cause the source of potential danger to move away. It always works with me.

Besides the encounter shown in the video above, other Eastern Cottonmouth snakes have alerted me to their presence when they felt I was too close. While patrolling in the swamp, I saw snake tracks in the mud, but could not find the snake. I did not want to step any farther without knowing exactly what was sharing my close surroundings. The polite cottonmouth, a few feet to my right, rattled its tail against the dead log atop which it rested to let me know its location and that it preferred to be left alone. I obliged and safely moved away. It was possessive of space, but not aggressive.

Eastern Cottonmouth - Mark Musselman

After the great rain of October 2015, I was patrolling the edge of the swamp near the nature center for signs of wild pigs. I hoped that the high water would have them bunched at the edge of the swamp and vulnerable to elimination. I looked up long enough to identify a vehicle moving down the driveway, which was exactly the amount of time needed to step squarely on the back of a Timber Rattlesnake. Sensing the textural difference from my previous thousands of steps, I lifted my foot. The snake moved off a safe distance, coiled and then rattled its disapproval. I took an image, thanked it for its subdued reaction to my "attack" and moved safely away.

Timber Rattlesnake - Mark Musselman

Though the event listed below has become history, we do offer speaker presentations, including one on our friends the snakes. We can all benefit from a better understanding of these reptiles.

Warm Season Burn - Update

One month ago (see previous post), we attempted a warm season burn on 29 acres of old agricultural fields in which our planted longleaf pines were being crowded by other vegetation, mainly dog fennel. Last Thursday, we checked on the progress of the longleaf pines and grasses in the field where the burn was successful.

Grasses under dead dog fennel - Mark Musselman

In areas where the burning was complete, the dog fennel remains dead or absent and the grasses have pushed out new green blades.

With most of the vegetation burned away and the longleaf pine pushing out new needles of a brighter green than the grasses, the longleaf pines are more easily located than before the burn.

Longleaf pine growth after fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf pine growth after fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf pine growth after fire - Mark Musselman

Longleaf pine growth after fire - Mark Musselman

With the majority of the competition removed, especially the tall dog fennel, the young longleaf pine are in full sunlight and should grow rapidly over the coming months. By spring, many will have a root collar of one inch and will begin vertical growth leaving the grass stage behind. We look forward to the day when the longleaf pine stand taller than the neighboring grasses!

Warm Season Burn

In January 2015, University of Missouri students on their alternative winter break planted 29 acres of longleaf pine seedlings in old farm fields north of the nature center driveway. For South Carolinians, the weather was uncomfortably cold (50sF) and wet, but for the students it was a warm contrast to their campus.

University of Missouri students - Mark Musselman

 

 

Step #1 for planting longleaf pine: Using dibbles (orange tools), students would open a wedge-shaped hole in the earth, drop a longleaf pine seedling into the hole, and then used the dibble to close the hole around the seedling. To complete the job, repeat step #1 thousands of times.

 

 

 

University of Missouri students planting longleaf - Mark Musselman

University of Missouri students planting longleaf - Mark Musselman

University of Missouri students planting longleaf - Mark Musselman

As our volunteer workforce was with us in January, we did not have the luxury of applying herbicide to the spring vegetation when it emerged and then repeating the herbicide treatment in the fall for the later emerging vegetation. Therefore, we had plenty of pioneering plants become established during the intervening year. Dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) was the most prolific.

Dog fennel in longleaf pine tract - Mark Musselman

The dog fennel made it difficult for us to move through the tract. However, rabbits, rodents, and a wide-variety of birds--including wild turkey, painted bunting, blue grosbeak, summer tanager, indigo bunting, Mississippi kites, and swallow-tailed kites--found ample forage and shelter within and above the fennel thicket.

Dog fennel in longleaf pine tract - Mark Musselman

A longleaf pine is practically hidden in grasses and dog fennel (above the red line in the image below). Though the dog fennel seemed to form a thicket dense enough to block sunlight from reaching the ground, sufficient light reached the seedling longleaf pines to allow them to survive. However, to grow out of the grass stage, the longleaf pines would need more direct sunlight. Bring on the fire!

Longleaf pine hidden in vegetation - Mark Musselman

Our opportunity to light a prescribed fire came when a cold front dipped down from the northeast a week ago. If you were in the area, you will certainly remember the severe thunderstorms that accompanied that cold front, including tornadoes to our north. Cold, in this case, was relative. The high temperature two days after the storm was only to reach 83F and winds were forecast to be 15 mph from the northeast.

This week's fire was the first for this longleaf pine stand. The six prescribed fire volunteers arrived on schedule, but the winds did not. After several failed attempts to ignite the smaller of the two longleaf pine fields, we moved to the larger, less sheltered field where even a slight wind might have a chance to push fire through the dog fennel and grasses.

In some areas, the fire was 100% effective in consuming the fuels at ground level, killing loblolly pine and sweet gum seedlings, and wilting or consuming dog fennel.

100% fuel burned - Mark Musselman

60% fuel burned - Mark Musselman

60% fuel burned - Mark Musselman

Overall, approximately 60% of the field burned leaving refugia (unburned green areas) for wildlife to use until new vegetation emerges.

Longleaf pine in unburned area - Mark Musselman

Grasses began showing new growth after only two days. New vegetative growth is more palatable to wildlife, which is yet another reason for periodic fire. Additionally, after a fire, many plants will germinate and/or produce seeds or fruit desirable to wildlife.

Grasses new growth - Mark Musselman

Although uneven burning of a tract is beneficial, as it provides refugia for wildlife and fails to consume all of the woody material in more mature stands, it is not planned. Terrain, wetlands, fuel loads, and wind are some of the factors that dictate where and how a fire will burn. In the image below, there was plenty of suitable fuel for the fire to continue on its path. However, the wind died and the fire could not span the gaps between clumps of grass without a slight push from the wind. (Note the spacing between grasses in the "100% fuel burned" image earlier on this page.)

Burned/unburned boundary - Mark Musselman

Some areas burned hot enough to consume the grasses and wilt the dog fennel, but left longleaf pines green and unaffected.

Longleaf pine - Mark Musselman

Some areas burned hot enough brown the needles of the longleaf pines. Closer inspection at the needle bases reveals that they are green, having successfully insulated the terminal bud of the tree.

Brown needles of longleaf pine - Mark Musselman

Green at base of needles - Mark Musselman

Areas at the boundary of the fire provided a combination of heat, but still exposed the longleaf pine to increased sunlight.

Partially scorched longleaf pine - Mark Musselman

Some areas burned hot enough to consume the longleaf pine needles. The future of the longleaf pine shown in the image below is uncertain. In the grass stage, longleaf pines are close to indestructible. The tap root the longleaf pine has sent into the ground may be sufficient to allow new needles to grow. With the neighboring vegetation eliminated, the longleaf pine may thrive in the abundant sunlight and begin rapidly increasing its height above the ground. Conversely, the tree may have been cooked and become part of the anticipated loss within the planted stand.

Longleaf pine - Mark Musselman

A mature longleaf pine stand has been described as a prairie with some trees. There should be an abundance of space and light between the longleaf pine trees. Therefore, we always plant more trees than we intend to see reach maturity. Mortality begins a planting. Some seedlings are not physically fit or are improperly placed in the ground. Weather (drought, hurricanes, lightning, ice storms), insects, wild hogs, fire, competing vegetation are but a few of the factors that affect longleaf pine survival. However, more than enough of the well-adapted trees become large enough to elude the previously listed threats and we have to selectively cull less desirable trees (crooked growing, weather damaged, multiple trunks, etc.) to create the open stand we seek.

This longleaf pine stand is scheduled to be burned again in fall of 2017. What is certain is that the stand will look different in a year and the fire will be unlike the one we conducted this week.