Inventory of the Herpetofauna of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Hays, Thomas; Hays, Nancy

This report documents a two-year inventory of the reptiles and amphibians of the Blue Ridge Parkway, funded by the Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring Network. The goals of the project were to: 1) determine species presence, both habitat-specific and across landscapes, and to document at least 90% of the species thought to occupy Parkway lands; 2) document relative frequencies of occurrence by habitat type within the park; 3) describe the distribution and relative abundance of species of special concern within the park; and 4) collect voucher specimens or photographs of species occurring in the park which were not already documented. Various methods were used to capture or otherwise document species occurrence, including placement of cover boards, drift fences and pitfall traps in terrestrial habitats, minnow traps and turtle traps in aquatic habitats, timed searches of random plots in specific habitat types, general collecting and observation including riding the roads at night, and audio surveys for calling frogs and toads during breeding season. The report includes electronic databases of all collections and observations, including geographic coordinates. In addition, several large museum collections were located that housed specimens collected from the areas of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and databases of specimens from on or near the Parkway are included. Species accounts are provided for all species, along with distribution maps for each species within the park. Conservation and management recommendations are offered to assist park managers in conserving the herpetofauna of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Inventory of the Herpetofauna of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Collections