Biological Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and Adjacent Lands
Faccio SD. 2001. Biological Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and Adjacent Lands. Natural Resource Technical Report: Northeast Region. 2005/008. National Park Service. Woodstock, VT
In June, 1996, the 555-acre Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park was established to interpret conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. In order to help guide the development of a forest management plan, a biological inventory of the amphibian and reptiles within the park and adjacent lands was conducted in 1999 and 2000. A variety of field techniques were used to document the composition and distribution of amphibian and reptiles in the park, and assess relative abundance and species richness across three main habitat types – hardwood forest, hemlock/hardwood forest, and conifer plantations. A total of 13 amphibian species (6 salamanders, 7 frogs) and 5 reptiles (3 snakes, 2 turtles) were documented in the park. Significant breeding populations of the rare Jefferson Salamander, along with more common vernal pool-breeding species, were found in 6 of 10 temporary pools. Both relative abundance and species richness were higher in hardwood and mixed stands than in softwood stands and conifer plantations. Although Red-backed Salamanders were the most widely distributed species, visual encounter surveys showed significantly fewer individuals in conifer stands than in hardwood/mixed wood forests. In addition, an artificial cover board experiment revealed significantly higher counts of adult Red-backed Salamanders in hardwood and mixed wood stands than in a conifer plantation. Recommendations for forest management and longterm monitoring are discussed.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Faccio, Steve
- Date of Issue
- 2001-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- MABI , NETN
- Keywords
- Amphibia (Amphibians), Animal Studies, Inventory and Monitoring (I&M), Reptilia (Reptiles)