the maryland amphibian & reptile atlas atlas v2.pdf · a volunteer-based distributional survey...
TRANSCRIPT
A VOLUNTEER-BASED
DISTRIBUTIONAL SURVEY
THE MARYLAND AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE ATLAS
Maryland Amphibian & Reptile Atlas
GLOBAL DECLINE OF AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
•Amphibians 30% • Salamanders 49%
• Frogs 29%
•Reptiles 21% • Turtles 62%
• Snakes & Lizards 21%
2010 Source: IUCN 2010 Red List Summary Statistics
http://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/summarystatistics/2010_4RL_Stats_Table_4a.pdf
•Birds 12.3%
•Mammals 26%
AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE DIVERSITY
Map of Amphibian Diversity
Global = 6,600+ species
US = ~295 species
MD = 41 species
Map of Reptile Diversity
Global = 6,000+ species
US = ~316 species
MD = 52 species
Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Distribution
(from Peter Paul van Dijk, Conservation International)
REPTILE DIVERSITY
320 turtle species world-wide
57 (20% of the world's turtle species) are found in the US and Canada
Amphibians and reptiles face serious
conservation pressures.
Knowledge of current distribution patterns is vital for
long-term conservation of amphibians and reptiles.
Photographs by Heather Cunningham
MARYLAND AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE ATLAS
• Co-sponsors
• Natural History Society of Maryland
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Last publication on the distribution of Maryland’s herpetofauna was published in 1975
Photograph by Lance Benedict
GOALS
• Document the statewide distribution of Maryland’s amphibians and reptiles using a systematic and repeatable approach
• Find rare species locations for future conservation efforts
• Raise public awareness about
the importance and value of this group of organisms
1983-1987
2002-2006
COORDINATION
Steering Committee
Statewide Coordinator
County Coordinators
Lower Shore Herp Atlas training session
Annual Meeting
SURVEY METHODS
• Grid-based system using U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 minute quadrangles with each divided into six blocks. • 260 Quads & 1,441 blocks (1,293 land blocks)
Google Earth Smartphone App
• 10 species per Atlas block &
• 25 species per Atlas quad OR
• 25 hours per Atlas quad
Photograph by Matthew Kirby
COVERAGE GOALS
DATA COLLECTION
Citizen scientists can collect data in two ways
Observer
Opportunistic sightings
Surveyor Active searches
Photographs are encouraged for all submissions but are not a requirement for all species. Audio recordings of frog calls are also accepted.
RESOURCES
MARA Website
Electronic newsletters
Flyer
Overview
Training manual
Activity calendars
Brochure
SOCIAL MEDIA
1,191 unique viewers
991 unique viewers
657 unique viewers
https://www.facebook.com/MDHerpAtlas
COORDINATED SEARCHES
NHSM
CURRENT RESULTS
• Records per person range from 1 – 2,034 • 695 volunteers submitted 1-10 sightings
• 42 volunteers submitted100+ sightings (76% of records)
• Quads per person 1-100 • 853 volunteers visited 1-10 quads
• Blocks per person 1-379 • 820 volunteers visited 1-10 blocks
• 281 participants recorded active search hours
• Hours searching per person range from .25-
625 hours • 51participants searched from 50+hours
• 27,377 total records
• 13,760 with vouchers
• 24,145.34 total hours
Research Year Total Sightings
2009 466
2010 7015
2011 7486
2012 6639
2013 5769
2014 2
Research Year Person-Hours
2009 487.96
2010 5393.16
2011 7395.49
2012 6327.30
2013 4541.43
OVERALL QUAD COVERAGE
• 246 quads
• 245 quads have data
• 99 % have data
• 63 % have 25+ species
• 75 % have 25+ hours
OVERALL BLOCK COVERAGE
• 1,293 total blocks
• 1,221 blocks with
data
• 94 % with data
• 72 % of blocks with
10+ species
CONTRIBUTION OF TAXONOMIC GROUPS
Photograph by Bonnie Ott
HIGHLIGHTS
Coal Skink Allegany County Photograph by Ed Thompson Rainbow Snake
Charles County Photograph by Lance Benedict
Northern Scarletsnake Howard County Photograph by Kevin Crocetti
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad St. Mary’s County Photograph by Kyle Rambo
Northern Map Turtle Harford County Photograph by Scott McDaniel
Maryland’s rare, threatened, and endangered species
Barking Treefrog Kent County Photograph by Kyle Loucks
Timber Rattlesnake Frederick County Photograph by Heather Cunningham
Mountain Earthsnake Garrett County Photograph by Bill Hubick
Jefferson Salamander Montgomery County Photograph by Rachel Gauza
Eastern Tiger Salamander Kent County Photograph by Kyle Loucks
NON-NATIVE SPECIES 75 reports of non-native species from 62 blocks
Mediterranean House Gecko Cecil County Photograph by Carrie Samis
American Alligator Carroll County Photograph by Samantha Good
Northwest Salamander Calvert County Photograph by Melissa Kapper
Florida Softshell Baltimore County Photograph by Bernard Butrim
California Kingsnake Howard County Photograph by Peter Pavlov
HOW TO GET INVOLVED?
• Submit any and all amphibian and reptile
sightings! • Date, location, photos (if possible)
• http://marylandnature.org/submit-observation/
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• All citizen scientists who
generously donated time to the
MARA project
• MARA Project Planning
Committee
• MARA County Coordinators
• MARA Verification Panel
• Landowners who granted access
to land for surveys
Grants provided, in part, by State Wildlife Grant funds provided to the state wildlife agencies by US Congress and administered through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service. Grant also received from Maryland Coastal Bays Program.
FINDING OUT MORE………..
• MARA website
• www.marylandnature.org/mara
• Contact
• https://www.facebook.com/MDHerpAtlas
• NHSM Meetup Site
• www.meetup.com/marylandnature
