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National Park Service Research Needs
TITLE:
Herpetofauna Status
and Survey
SUBMITTING BUREAU: National Park Service
Originating Offices: Intermountain, Southeast and Midwest Field Areas
DATE SUBMITTED: April 04, 1995
BIN NUMBER: NPS11CR98
BRD REGION: Central
DESCRIPTION OF NEED: Amphibians and reptiles are ancient vertebrate groups having persisted successfully as aquatic and terrestrial beings from very early times. Seemingly hardy beasts, their reproductive adaptations make them extraordinarily sensitive to the [biologically] rapid environmental changes wrought in modern times. recently scientist have expressed strong concern over the evident disappearance of these two groups from many regions in North America. There apparent population declines from protected park and reserves, beyond reaches of developed areas, is of particular concern. The general seclusive nature of herptofauna makes them difficult to receive a lot of attention from park managers. Non-charismatic species of herptofauna suffer at the hand of ignorance. The long term approach is a massive resource education approach to improve the attitude among scientists, managers, politicians, and the public that amphians and reptiles are among those taxa which contribute to ecosystem integrity.
Many parks have significant ecosystems which would provide habitat for reptiles and amphibians. The extent of knowledge of individual species is limited to those park staff who are amateur herpetologists or those professional amateurs who collect legally with a permit or illegally for personal profit.
The strategic approach to this work will be to understand, analyze and interpret amphibian and reptile population trends encountered in parks in the broad context of the region. The selection of specific groups will be made for spatial analysis at progressively smaller geographic scope, but with increasing resolution. This will enable use of existing landscape ecological models and theories in spatial characterization particular population habitat needs. Such a process leads to an understanding of metapopulation dynamics and population interactions.
OBJECTIVES:
1) Locate all populations of amphibian and reptile species inhabiting representative, selective habitats within respective parks with particular emphasis on listed or other sensitive populations.
2) Develop spatial characteristics for amphibian and reptile habitats and interpret these in terms of landscape models.
3) Develop general models and hypotheses, data permitting, to predict presence and absence of species, population trends, and populations interactions with the broad geographic context.
4) Interpret landscape characteristics relative to
metapopulation interactions and public land management policy
options.
MANAGEMENT PROBLEM WITH NEED: Management actions within parks
including, but not limited to management ignited prescribed
fires, pesticide applications, could have an impact on
herptofauna. Many parks lack accurate checklists prepared through
systematic surveys to verify species presence. Fewer yet have
conducted mark/recapture activities to accurately assess
population viability. Baseline inventories of herptofauna are
necessary to provide resource managers accurate information on
resources under their direction in order to make accurate
assessment of resource impacts.
BUREAU CONTACT: Ron Hiebert - 402-221-4856
Cluster Contacts:
Great Plains - Steve Cinnamon, 402-221-3437
Gulf Coast - Suzette Kimball, 404-331-3648
Southwest - Nancy Skinner, 505-988-6862
Colorado Plateau - Bill Schreier, 801-834-4108
RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATIONS (FY99): These two BINS are extremely similar, so I usually copy communications regarding them to both agency contacts. I emailed the agency contacts on 3 November, including as an attachment the summary of Central Region herp research that Ed Little prepared in 1997. I also mentioned the SIS database, pointing out the large number of BRD projects involving amphibians. I also mentioned the amphibian research proposed to begin in FY2000.
I received a response from Cinnamon, who mentioned 2 herp-monitoring projects to be done this year at Voyageurs and Badlands National Parks. He may want me to review the study plans for these projects, and may need assistance on future surveys.
The amphibian project proposed for FY2000 includes an increase of $4M for BRD. If this funding is authorized by Congress, then both BINs will be addressed with an intensive research and monitoring program.
DATE SUBMITTED TO REGIONAL OFFICE: December 18, 1998
PREPARED BY: Steve Corn, Vertebrate Ecology Research Section, Fort Collins Science Center, Bozeman Field Station, (406) 542-4191; email steve_corn@usgs.gov
Rocky Mountain - Tom Wylie, 303-969-2970
BRD PRIMARY CENTER: MESC
BRD CENTER CONTACT: Steve
Corn
RESULTS OF BRD-INITIATED COMMUNICATIONS (FY98): I provided the NPS contacts with the report on Central Region amphibian projects compiled by Ed Little (Environmental & Contaminants Research Center) in May 1997, listing 24 separate projects. Six of these projects are taking place in national Parks (Rocky Mountain and 3 parks in the Great Plains).
Another initiative is a proposal to EPA under the EPA/NPS DISPro program to examine stressors of amphibians in 4 national parks (Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia-King’s Canyon, and Olympic).
Two major publications on herpetofauna distributions in national parks will appear shortly:
Corn PS, Jennings ML, Muths E. 1997. Survey and assessment of amphibian populations in Rocky Mountain National Park. Northwstern Naturalist 78:34-55.
Marnell LF. 1997. Herpetofauna of Glacier National Park. Northwestern Naturalist 78:17-33.
NPS contacts will be provided with reprints of these.
Response from Tonnessen, 3 November:
Kathy will distribute the Little report among NPS contacts. She suggests that the following are important NPS National priorities:
1) Development of survey methods to allow for long-term evaluation of amphibian population trends. These methods would be standardized across ecosystem types and should be statistically-based. 2) Development of dose-response relationships for effects of environmental stressors on amphibian populations, with emphasis on contaminant accumulations in amphibians in Sierran national parks.
DATE SUBMITTED TO CENTRAL REGIONAL OFFICE: October 31, 1997
PREPARED BY: Steve Corn, Vertebrate Ecology Research Section, Fort Collins Science Center, Bozeman Field Station, (406)542-4191; email steve_corn@usgs.gov
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/98nps-11.htm
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