Inventory of the herpetofauna of Russell Cave National Monument

Accipiter Biological Consultants

Russell Cave National Monument is managed under the guidance of the 1916 Organic Act. The National Park Service is responsible for the preservation of native wildlife, including amphibian and reptile species, within Russell Cave National Monument in accordance with the 1916 NPS Organic Act, as amended and this direction is re-enforced through both NPS policy and guidelines affecting natural resource management. The Cumberland/Piedmont Inventory and Monitoring Network was established by the NPS Natural Resource Challenge Initiative. Among the goals set forth by this initiative are documentation of the occurrence of at least 90% of the species of vertebrates and vascular plants that occur within each National Park unit containing “significant natural resources” and documenting relative frequencies of occurrence by habitat type and descriptions of the distribution and relative abundance of species of special concern. Following a preliminary review of the existing inventory data within each network park, the Inventory and Monitoring Network for the Cumberland/Piedmont determined that the largest and most pressing data gaps involved amphibian and reptile species. This lack of information was targeted as one of the network’s highest priorities for funding. It is therefore necessary to conduct a baseline inventory of the herpetofauna resources within these NPS Parks, because the existing information is either non-existent or poorly defined.

Inventory of the herpetofauna of Russell Cave National Monument

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