Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge staff completed analysis of the 10 year gull census, the actual census was completed in the Spring of 2007. Two Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife Biologists, Scott Melvin and Carolyn Mostello, assisted refuge staff with the census.

Although the numbers are still impressive there is a definite downward trend.  Prior to the initiation of the Avian Diversity Program in 1996, there was an estimated 20-25,000 gulls on refuge managed islands consisting of Greater Black Backed Gulls and Herring Gulls and only a few hundred Common Terns. 

In 2007 the staff estimates that there are about 2300 Herring Gull and 3200 Greater Black Backed Gull nesting pairs.  This coupled with an increase of nearly 10,000 Common Tern pairs, 40+ pairs of the federally endangered Roseate Tern pairs, as well as increases in Black Skimmer, American Oystercatcher, and Piping Plover makes the Avian Diversity Program a success. 

These outcomes are due to two things; first the vegetation management and predator control techniques used by refuge staff;  and second, the change from open pit dumping to incineration of garbage.  The latter helped to reduce the overall carrying capacity of gulls on Cape Cod.