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If one looks at a map, the largest area of potential and continuing ingress and <br />egress from the habitat area is the landward border of the refuge. It is this <br />contiguous landward border that is the largest threat to species. The City <br />recommends closing access at Whipple and joining with the NWRS to encourage <br />redesign of the Whipple Street access to discourage predator intrusion. Maintaining <br />a long common border of the refuge with its largest potential threat is <br />counterproductive. An attractive, yet predator -proof fence along the landward <br />contiguous boundary of the Refuge will provide more protection to the species than <br />open Whipple Street access. <br />The most common terrestrial predators of <br />clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mice (raccoons <br />and fox) are all capable of swimming. <br />Unfortunately, because we did not have access to <br />the NWRS plan or draft EIS we are unable to study <br />plans the refuge has to control the waters <br />surrounding Bair Island. Nor could we evaluate a <br />predator control plan on Bair Island. <br />Instead, the City recommends that access to the refuge be strictly limited to <br />pedestrian access bridges. The bridges to Bair Island should be designed to protect <br />the refuge from <br />access by predator. <br />Special care should <br />be given to the <br />design of the bridges <br />to ensure that <br />10 <br />Common predators swim easily <br />