Appalachian Trail Mammal Inventory for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut - Project Proposal

Whidden, Howard

Original project proposal filed by Howard P. Whidden concerning the Mammal Inventory to be taken of the Appalachian Trail. Phase I of the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) program involves conducting inventories to document occurrence (presence/absence), and under certain circumstances, a variety of abundance categories for vertebrates and vascular plants (NPS 1999). Using existing verifiable data (e.g., voucher specimens) and field investigations, this effort will attempt to document 90% of the terrestrial mammal species expected to occur within park boundaries (NPS 1999). This information may be used to develop monitoring strategies for select species that will be conducted as part of a long-term monitoring program. Objectives: a) Survey Appalachian Trail fee and easement lands (33,460 acres, 430 miles) b) Survey the Appalachian Trail corridor (500' on either side of the 30 mile trail centerline) c) Document all mammals associated with the sites surveyed for focal species. The inventory will attempt to sample and identify the occurrences of as many species as possible even though the inventory methods and sampling procedures will be chosen to increase the likelihood of detecting the target species.