Biological Inventory for Vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the Southern Plains Network

Delisle, Jennifer; Busby, William

This project was undertaken as part of the National Park Service’s biological inventory program. Assessments were made of the completeness of data on the vertebrate and vascular plant species of Fort Larned National Historic Site. In 2001, surveys were conducted for those groups for which data were lacking or incomplete. Birds and fish were the primary focus of these surveys; mammal and herpetological surveys targeted gaps in data for those groups. Fifty-seven bird species were documented at the fort during the breeding season. Six species of fish were identified in the Pawnee River. Thirteen mammal species, four of which had not been documented previously at the fort, were observed. Nine species of amphibians, turtles, and reptiles also were documented. Inventory completeness for each taxonomic group was quantified using a master list approach and by plotting number of species observed against survey effort after fieldwork was completed. None of the animal groups has reached the goal of documenting 90% of the predicted species. Bird data is 73% complete; fish data is 35% complete; mammal data is 56% complete; and data on amphibians, turtles, and reptiles is 49% complete. Documentation of additional bird species likely could be accomplished with another season of surveys. Additional survey work for fish would better document the fish fauna of the Pawnee River. Attaining complete documentation of mammal and herpetological species will require considerable effort. Enlisting the help of the staff at Fort Larned may provide the best mechanism for documenting additional species.

Biological Inventory for Vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the Southern Plains Network

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