Inventory of Mammals at Four National Parks in Pennsylvania

Ross, Bradley; Kubel, Jacob; Yahner, Richard; Karish, John

We inventoried mammalian populations from July to October in both 2002 and 2003 at Fort Necessity National Battlefield (FONE) and Friendship Hill National Historic Site (FRHI) and from July to October in both 2004 and 2005 at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) and Johnstown Flood National Memorial (JOFL), using live-trapping surveys, vehicular-road surveys, and incidental observations. Our objectives were to (1) review existing literature and documentation of the National Park Service and other sources for historic and potential occurrence of mammals at the four parks, (2) inventory of mammals at the park, and (3) provide general recommendations for monitoring mammals at the parks. We noted seven mammalian species that had been historically documented at FONE prior to our inventory, and 18 species not previously known to occur within the park. We detected 12 of 18 (66.7%) mammalian species that had been historically confirmed at FRHI prior to our inventory. We also found 6 species not previously documented at FRHI. The only species of special concern recorded during the inventories, fisher (Martes pennanti), was identified at FONE in April 2002. We observed 23 and 16 mammalian species at ALPO and JOFL, respectively. Monitoring programs for mammals should be based on a variety of survey techniques, including live trapping for small-sized mammals (eastern chipmunk [Tamias striatus] and smaller) and vehicular-road surveys for medium to large-sized mammals (larger than eastern chipmunk). We recommend that a formal inventory of bat species be conducted at the parks. Data obtained during our project contribute to an understanding of presence and distribution of mammalian species within each park.

Inventory of Mammals at Four National Parks in Pennsylvania

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