| | Accession Number | 5004969 |
| | Title | Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) in the Northeast United States |
| | Project Description | The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) was established to: 1) initiate long-term |
| | monitoring to determine the status and trends of amphibian populations on Department of Interior |
| | lands, and 2) conduct research into causes of amphibian declines, diseases, and malformations. |
| | In the Northeast region, we are conducting intensive population monitoring and research on |
| | terrestrial and streamside salamanders and vernal pool amphibians at the Patuxent Research |
| | Refuge, Acadia, Shenandoah, and Rock Creek Parks. Some of the specific intensive studies |
| | include: a) a capture-recapture (spot pattern recognition) survey of spotted salamanders using a |
| | drift fence-coverboard array to estimate egg, juvenile, and adult populations at a Patuxent/USDA |
| | site, b) four-toed salamander surveys at Acadia, c) wood frog and spotted salamander egg mass |
| | counts and estimates at vernal pool sites, d) streamside salamander population estimates and |
| | monitoring at stream sites, e) mercury levels in northern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea |
| | bislineata) at Acadia, f) continued monitoring of effects of a prescribed burn on terrestrial |
| | salamanders at Shenandoah, g) continued monitoring of effects of coverboard addition on |
| | terrestrial salamander population estimates, and h) creation of amphibian distribution maps for |
| | Acadia and Shenandoah National Parks. At the regional level, we are partnering with 14 USFWS |
| | Refuges and 4 National Parks to conduct extensive monitoring of: 1) streamside salamanders |
| | using transect (removal estimation) and quadrat techniques, and 2) vernal pool amphibians (wood |
| | frogs, spotted salamanders) using egg mass counts and double observer estimation techniques. |
| | Refuge, Park, and University biologists are provided training and equipment to conduct the |
| | surveys. In 2002, we are conducting a NAAMP (North American Amphibian Monitoring Program) |
| | validation project, determining species detectability for the calling survey by using repeated visits |
| | to NAAMP routes within each sampling window. We are also conducting a storm water pond |
| | project, studying amphibian use of storm water detention ponds (near highway, industrial and |
| | residential settings) and metal levels in bullfrog and green frog tadpoles utilizing those ponds. |
| | Additional NE ARMI contractual or cooperative projects include: A) conducting streamside |
| | salamander surveys in conjunction with state stream survey efforts (e.g., Maryland Biological |
| | Stream Survey and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Quality stream survey), and B) |
| | conducting a retrospective study repeating a calling survey conducted initially in the 1970s in NH, |
| | VT, and NY (Dr. James Gibbs, SUNY). During all surveys, we record amphibian species, age, |
| | sex, snout-vent and total length, and document malformations or diseases. We send malformed or |
| | diseased amphibians to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (Dr. David Green) and report |
| | findings to the USGS North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations (NARCAM) |
| | web site. |
| | Keywords | amphibian, capture-recapture, database management, disease, malformation, monitoring, multiple |
| | observers, population estimation, research, spotted salamander, streamside salamanders, survey |
| | methodology, vernal pool, wood frog, |
| | Principal | Robin E Jung, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: robin_jung@usgs.gov; Karen C Rice, |
| | Investigators | USGS Water Resources Division: kcrice@usgs.gov; |
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