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Habitat Management For Amphibians and Reptiles

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Occasional fires. Aquatic Habitat Types. Met Meadows, Bogs, and Fens ... Chemical and waste control big issue. Fencing streams/ponds (several hundred feet) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Habitat Management For Amphibians and Reptiles


1
Habitat ManagementFor Amphibians and Reptiles
2
Why Manage for Herps?
  • Population Declines
  • High biomass and protein sources
  • Bioindicators

3
Who Cares?
  • Private Land owners
  • Wildlife Managers
  • PARC
  • You!

4
PARC
www.parcplace.org
Northeastern U.S.
5
Where to Start?
  • Identify and understand the area and species of
    concern.
  • What is the Issue(s)?
  • Justify and implement management options.
  • Monitor

6
Goals and Guidelines for Landowners and Land
Managers
  • Maximizing Compatibility goal is to contribute
    to the conservation of these animals while
    primarily managing their land for other uses.
  • Ideal desire to make amphibian and reptile
    conservation a primary objective.

7
Landscape Scale and Connectivity
  • Connectivity is important, why?
  • Landscape Matrix with herps is complex, but
    necessary.

8
Habitats Important to Amphibians and Reptiles
  • Aquatic
  • Terrestrial

9
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Seasonal Isolated Wetlands
  • Life Zone (1-2 months)
  • Buffer Zone management (450 feet)
  • Maintain naturally
  • Occasional fires

10
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Met Meadows, Bogs, and Fens
  • No to Draining/ditching/damming
  • Mow grasslands around meadows at high blade and
    limit livestock grazing
  • Control encroachment

11
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Permanent Wetlands
  • Watch your water levels!
  • Pollution in the watershed
  • Buffers and roads -Mitigation

12
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Small Streams, Springs, and Seepages
  • Sensitive microhabitats
  • Dump sites?
  • Exceed state forestry BMP www.forestbmp.net
  • Upland forest buffer (gt 2 tree hts._at_ 100-150
    meters)

13
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Rivers
  • Floodplain management 1
  • Avoid exotics
  • Decrease/restrict public use

14
Aquatic Habitat Types
  • Estuarine and Coastal
  • Extremely versatile and complex systems
  • Avoid disturbing during nesting (Summer)

Diamondback Terrapins
15
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Hardwood Forests
  • Biomass!!!!
  • Dry season timber harvest
  • Fragmentation a big issue
  • Leave debris
  • Maintain/restore native forest cover
  • Watch small openings and
    ephemeral
  • pool areas

16
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Spruce and Fir Forests
  • Connectivity of suitable habitats (Cheat Mtn.)
  • Leave small openings
  • Maintain deer populations (understory)

17
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Xeric Upland and Pine Forests
  • Aquatic habitats within critical
  • Minimize soil disturbance
  • Fire important
  • Many Reptiles

18
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Grasslands and Old Fields
  • Fire!!!
  • Grazing important in historical times
  • Watch mowing times
  • Nov. Feb.
  • (ht. 12 inches)
  • Native plants (NRCS)

19
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Rock Outcrops and Talus
  • Fire is necessary
  • Landuse monitoring
  • Monitor closely
  • Den site fidelity

20
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Caves and Karst
  • Extremely sensitive to species specific
  • Limit human activity
  • Protect subterranean systems
  • Buffer zones around sinkholes

21
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Agricultural Lands
  • Buffer natural areas as much as possible
  • All of the above
  • Chemical and waste control big issue
  • Fencing streams/ponds (several hundred feet)

22
Terrestrial Habitat Types
  • Urban and Residential
  • Do the best you can
  • Point source pollution
  • Recognize the many concrete barriers
  • Educate!!
  • All of the above

23
Developing a Management Plan
  • Know what you have..
  • Use maps and aerial photos
  • Find compatibility with other wildlife and land
    management goals.
  • Collaborate with experts and landowner
  • Measure your success..

24
The Basics Management Guidelines for all Habitat
Types
  • Fence water bodies
  • Mimic natural fire tendency
  • Minimize chemical application
  • Protect special habitat components
  • Minimize soil disturbance
  • Exceed state BMPs

25
The Basics Management Guidelines for all Habitat
Types Continued
  • Allow natural decomposition
  • Wise forest management
  • Minimize road construction
  • Open up barriers and create connection
  • Educate!!
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