Amphibian And Reptile Conservancy Inc

DEVELOPMENT OF AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVATION AND EDUCATIONAL TOOLS

PARCA DEVELOPMENT, MONITORING, AND ACTION FOR IMPERILED HERPETOFAUNA OF THE WESTERN US

THE AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVANCY (ARC) AIMS TO ADVANCE THE RECOVERY OF THE FROSTEDFLATWOODS SALAMANDER (FFS), A SPECIES FACED WITH SIGNIFICANT CONSERVATION CHALLENGES. THISICONIC SALAMANDER HAS EXPERIENCED STEEP DECLINES OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS ACROSS ITS ENTIRE RANGE(FIG. 2) AND IS NOW CONSIDERED EXTIRPATED FROM TWO OF ITS FOUR RECOVERY MANAGEMENT UNITS(RMUS). IN THE FORT STEWART COMPLEX (RMU-3) ONLY A SINGLE POPULATION REPRESENTS THE LASTSURVIVORS OF THE ENTIRE ATLANTIC GENETIC CLADE (FIG. 1), WHICH REPRESENTS 3 RMUS PREVENTING THISLOSS IS CRITICAL FOR MAINTAINING REPRESENTATION. THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL SEEKS TO EXPAND RECENT ONTHE-GROUND EFFORTS AND BEGIN TO REBUILD THE FFSS ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAINS POPULATION.TO RESTORE THE RESILIENCY AND REDUNDANCY OF THIS GENETICALLY UNIQUE FFS POPULATION, THISPROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON PRIORITY 1 AND 2 RECOVERY ACTIONS TO INCREASE ABUNDANCE THROUGHHEADSTARTING AND ENSURE A COMPLEX OF HIGH-QUALITY HABITAT. THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT ALIGNS WITHTHE CENTRAL GOALS OF THE RECOVERY CHALLENGE BY SEEKING TO RESTORE BREEDING HABITATS, BOLSTERRESILIENT METAPOPULATIONS, AND DEVELOP A PLAN TO MEET THE FFSS BROADER RECOVERY ANDCONSERVATION OBJECTIVES.KEY ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE: EXPANDING HEADSTARTING AND HABITAT RESTORATION EFFORTS TO BOLSTER THE FT. STEWARTMETAPOPULATION COMPREHENSIVE SURVEYS AND HABITAT ASSESSMENTS TO PRIORITIZE RESTORATION OF SITES WITHINTHE ATLANTIC GENETIC CLADE, POTENTIALLY DISCOVERING UNDOCUMENTED OR REMNANT POPULATIONS IMPLEMENTING TARGETED HABITAT RESTORATION TO IMPROVE HABITAT QUALITY AND CREATE CANDIDATETRANSLOCATION SITES DEVELOPING A CONCRETE PLAN TO STRATEGIZE AND SECURE STAKEHOLDER BUY-IN FOR FUTUREREINTRODUCTION SITES WITHIN THE REGIONTHIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE THE NEEDED CAPACITY TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON FEDERAL AGENCIES TOENHANCE AND REBUILD THE FT. STEWART METAPOPULATION AND DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO ENSURE A PROLIFICFUTURE FOR FFS WITHIN THE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN. THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE FRAMEWORK, WE WILLWORK WITH THE FLATWOODS SALAMANDER RECOVERY WORKING GROUP TO SELECT SITES AND IMPLEMENT THEHABITAT RESTORATIONS TO PREPARE FOR TRANSLOCATIONS TO GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTINCT AREAS. ARC IS ALEADING AUTHORITY IN HERPETOFAUNA CONSERVATION, COMMITTED TO FFS CONSERVATION THROUGH ITSMISSION OF INTEGRATING NATIONAL CONSERVATION STRATEGIES WITH LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION. NOW IS APIVOTAL MOMENT TO TAKE THIS FUNDAMENTAL STEP NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT FOR THEFROSTED FLATWOODS SALAMANDER.

PROJECT TITLE RESTORATION OF 5 WETLANDS AT BLUE RIDGE PARKWAYPROJECT STATEMENT:WETLANDS ARE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY NATURAL RESOURCES DUE TO HIGH CONCENTRATION OF BOTH RARE PLANTS AND ANIMALS. THEIR WIDESPREAD DISTRIBUTION IN THE PARK MAKES THEM A HIGH RISK TO BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY PARK DEVELOPMENT AND OUTSIDE IMPACTS. THE RAPID LOSS OF WETLANDS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION HAS BEEN ALARMING AND SERVES TO HEIGHTEN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF REMAINING WETLANDS IN THE PARK.THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY RESTORATION NEEDS AND RESTORE NATURAL HYDROLOGY AT 5 HIGH PRIORITY WETLANDS SITES AT THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY.THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT FOR FY-24 ARE TO 1) IMPLEMENT EXISTING RESTORATION PLAN FOR LAUREL FORK WETLAND, AND 2) DEVELOP RESTORATION PLANS FOR THE REMAINING 4 HIGH PRIORITY WETLANDS SITES, USING TEMPLATES PROVIDED BY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WETLAND SPECIALIST(S).

THE FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST FMNF IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST HERPETOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT REMNANT EXAMPLES OF THE LONGLEAF PINE ECOSYSTEM ON THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD YET, PRIOR TO 2015, A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE POPULATIONS HAD NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED AND THE STATUS OF RARE AND DECLINING HERPETOFAUNA SPECIES REMAINED UNCLEAR SINCE 2015, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FWS , THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE USFS AND SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SCDNR , ARC HAS BEEN CONDUCTING THE FIRST EVER COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF ITS KIND ON THE FMNF SINCE 2017, ARC HAS BEEN CONSULTED ON HABITAT MANAGEMENT DECISIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TARGET SPECIES BEGINNING IN 2019, ARC AND PARTNERS BEGAN TRANSITIONING INTO PROACTIVE POPULATION AUGMENTATION FOR ONE SPECIES GOPHER FROG THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR A CONTINUATION OF THIS WORK

OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION, CONNECTIVITY & MANAGEMENT NEEDS OF AT-RISK AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE POPULATIONS ON THE FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST, HUGER, SC

HERPETOFAUNA SURVEY AT NAVAL AIR STATION (NAS) MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI

THROUGH THIS TASK AGREEMENT WE AIM TO CONDUCT A NATURAL RESOURCE CONDITION ASSESSMENT OF GRSMS HELLBENDER POPULATIONS THROUGH TRADITIONAL SURVEY METHODS, MODERN TECHNIQUES, AND DEVELOP NEW TOOLS FOR DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF HELLBENDER LARVAE, AND THEREFORE REPRODUCTION. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVANCY WE PLAN TO SURVEY HELLBENDER PATHOGEN PREVALENCE, POPULATION AGE STRUCTURE, RECREATIONAL IMPACTS, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, REPRODUCTION, AND POPULATION GENETICS. WE HOPE TO USE THESE DATA TO INFORM PARK MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MORE ACTIVE CONSERVATION TOOLS SUCH AS TRANSLOCATIONS AND RE-INTRODUCTIONS. BENEFICIARIES ARE STUDENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, TRIBAL PARTNERS, SCIENCE COMMUNITY AND PARK STAFF.

OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION, CONNECTIVITY AND MANAGEMENT OF THREATENED AND AT-RISK AMPHIBIAN & REPTILES IN FRANCIS MARION NATIONAL FOREST

SURVEY PARK FOR POPULATIONS OF GREEN SALAMANDER

TRAININGS AND E-READERS FOR PARC

USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DNA TO FIND THREATENED BOG TURTLES

PROJECT STATEMENT - THE WATERROCK KNOB WILDLIFE SURVEY IS A PROPOSED EFFORT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WILDLIFE, ESPECIALLY RARE SPECIES, THAT OCCURS AT THE SITE PRIOR TO THE PARK CONSIDERING AND DEVELOPING SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. THE SCOPE OF WORK FOCUSES ON BIRDS, SMALL MAMMALS, AND AMPHIBIAN REPTILES. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING THE SITE BEYOND ITS CURRENT SCOPE.THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE AND LIKELY ABSENCE OF RARE, THREATENED, AND ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES UNDER THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE NPS, BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, AT WATERROCK KNOB.PROJECT OBJECTIVES:1.TO SURVEY FOR AND IDENTIFY RARE WILDLIFE SPECIES THAT OCCUR AT WATERROCK KNOB (APPROXIMATELY 3,000 ACRES). 2.IDENTIFY, DESCRIBE, AND MAP SPECIFIC HABITAT TYPES THAT HARBOR RARE ANIMALS3.PROVIDE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON RARE, THREATENED, AND ENDANGERED SURVEYS TO AID MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING DECISIONS FOR RARE ANIMAL CONSERVATION, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, AND HABITAT ENHANCEMENT

NPS-FY21-SER 2 - -COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROGRAMS-RESOURCES OF NPS - BSTRAKA

AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE TRAINING MATERIALS

PRIORITY AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVATION AREAS

PROVIDE RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EDUCATION FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH

AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE CONSERVANCY