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DEVELOPING A WETLAND MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM IN MONTANA: AMPHIBIANS AND AQUATIC REPTILES
Impact/Purpose:
Amphibians and aquatic reptiles may be particularly useful bioindicators of the health of landscapes containing wetlands and adjacent terrestial habitats because they require a complex set of aquatic and terrestrial habitats that may be spatially separate. Fully one-third of Montana's amphibians, and one-half of Montana's aquatic reptiles are listed as Species of Concern by the Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and evidence is accumulating that two amphibian species have undergone regional declines. Despite their status and potential use as bioindicators no criteria have been developed to assess the health of wetlands or entire watersheds with regard to these species in Montana. Furthermore, there is currently little baseline information on, and no monitoring of, the occupancy and relative abundance of amphibians and aquatic reptiles in standing water bodies in western Montana. Major goals include:
1. Develop standard statewide survey protocols and a statewide database that can be used by federal, state, tribal, and local governments and volunteers to monitor amphibian and aquatic reptile occupancy and relative abundance at individual wetlands and entire watersheds with reference to water quality and a variety of other local and landscape variables.
2. Identify presence/non-detection and relative abundance of amphibian and aquatic reptile species in all standing water bodies in 52 randomly chosen 6th level (12 digit) hydrologic unit methodology by resurveying 10 previously surveyed watersheds.
3. Identify a set of metrics that can be used to assess the health of individual wetlands and entire watersheds with respect to amphibians and aquatic reptiles in 2 pilot 4th level (8 digit) Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds in the Northern Rocky Mountains ecoregion and validate these results in other randomly chosen watersheds in the Northern Rocky Mountains ecoregion.
Description:
Timed visual encounter and dipnet surveys will be used to detect patterns of presence/nondetection and relative abundance of amphibians and aquatic reptiles in all standing water bodies in a number of randomly selected 6th level (12 digit) HUC watersheds in the Northern Rocky Mountains ecoregion. Patterns of presence/non-detection and relative abundance will be analyzed with reference to a variety of local and landscape level variables across a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance in order to identify metrics for assessing the health of wetlands and entire watersheds. Survey protocols will be developed for the Great plains ecoregion and an accessible statewide database will be created to allow interested parties to track presence/non-detection and relative abundance of amphibians and aquatic reptiles with reference to a variety of local and landscape level variables across the entire state. Development of survey protocols, assessment criteria and a monitoring framework for amphibians and aquatic reptiles will enhance the protection of critical wetland habitats and the mitigation of their degradation or loss.