Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

NAAMP III Archive - accepted papers
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Survey of Iron County Reptiles and Amphibians

C.A. Strojny

Wisconsin set national precedents in the 1980s when it established a frog and toad survey in 1981 and the Wisconsin herpetological atlas in 1985. In Iron County, anurans were regularly surveyed using the Wisconsin frog and toad survey, but no method existed to monitor salamanders and reptiles. Five different habitat sites in Iron County were monitored throughout the summer using the following techniques: artificial cover objects, funnel traps, leaf bags, drift fences with pitfalls, dip netting, visual observations, audio censusing, and natural cover object searching. Redbacked, blue-spotted, and spotted salamanders were found by the study. American toads and wood frogs appeared to be abundant. Painted turtles and garter snakes were also commonly observed. Collected data was not sufficient to compare habitats. Eight potentially occurring species were not sighted to provide documentation for the herpetological atlas. Suggestions for future management include more time investment and increased public involvement.

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Laurel, MD, USA 20708-4038
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp3/naamp3.html
Contact: Sam Droege, email: Sam_Droege@usgs.gov
Last Modified: June 2002