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Evaluating artificial shelter arrays as a minimally invasive monitoring tool for the hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)
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Hellbenders Cryptobranchus alleganiensis are critically imperiled amphibians throughout the eastern USA. Rock-lifting is widely used to monitor hellbenders but can severely disturb habitat. We asked whether artificial shelter occupancy (the proportion of occupied shelters in an array) would function as a proxy for hellbender abundance and there by serve as a viable alternative to rock-lifting. We hypothesized that shelter occupancy would vary spatially in response to hellbender density, natural shelter density, or both, and would vary temporally with hellbender
seasonal activity patterns and time since shelter deployment. We established shelter arrays (n = 30 shelters each) in 6 stream reaches and monitored them monthly for up to 2 yr. We used Bayesian mixed logistic regression and model ranking criteria to assess support for hypotheses concerning drivers of shelter occupancy. In all reaches, shelter occupancy was highest from June–August each year and was higher in Year 2 relative to Year 1. Our best-supported model indicated that the extent of boulder and bedrock (hereafter, natural shelter) in a reach mediated the relationship between hellbender abundance and shelter occupancy. More explicitly, shelter occupancy was positively correlated with abundance when natural shelter covered <20% of a reach, but uncorrelated with abundance when natural shelter was more abundant. While shelter occupancy should not be used to infer variation in hellbender relative abundance when substrate composition varies among reaches, we showed that artificial shelters can function as valuable monitoring tools when reaches meet certain criteria, though regular shelter maintenance is critical.
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Research
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Artificial Nest Box Research
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Fence - CPS 382
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This practice facilitates the accomplishment of conservation objectives by providing a means to control movement of animals and people, including vehicles.
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Information Materials
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NRCS Conservation Practices & Materials
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Conservation Practices
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Fence Job Sheet
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NC Fence Job Sheet Installation Instructions
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Information Materials
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NRCS Conservation Practices & Materials
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Job Sheets
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Field Day at Mountain Research Station
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The Field Day at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, NC will be a great event for agricultural producers to get the latest updates on agricultural research and to see the latest and best available tools and equipment at the trade show. The NRCS Partner Biologists for the Hellbender Working Lands for Wildlife Initiative will be in attendance with information about the program.
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News & Events
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Eastern Hellbender Workshops
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FOREST REMOVAL AND THE CASCADE OF EFFECTS CORRESPONDING WITH AN OZARK HELLBENDER POPULATION DECLINE
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Populations of the endangered Ozark Hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi) in the North Fork of the White River (NFWR) in Missouri and other streams have declined precipitously in recent decades. Deforestation of the riparian and nearby upland habitat has corresponded with in-river habitat changes and other interacting stressors that coincide chronologically with the precipitous decline. We review the cascade of effects, including changes in water quality, benthic habitat, illegal and scientific harvesting, and introduced and reintroduced species occurrence that followed deforestation in the context of their impacts on hellbenders and relationship with other stressors such as climate change. In-river habitat changes since the 1960s include benthic microhabitat alterations associated with redistribution of gravel, siltation, and sedimentation and, in part, increases in nuisance vegetation, including periphyton. Deforestation of riparian and nearby upland habitats increased access and opportunities for human activities such as recreation, wildlife collection, and development. The subsequent degradation of stream habitat and water quality following deforestation reducedthe carrying capacity for the NFWR Ozark Hellbender population and had negative consequences on population health.
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Research
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Peer-reviewed Science
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Graves Farm Wildlife Habitat Restoration Story
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A short storymap that follows how one farm in Delaware was able to sustain active farmland and create new habitat for waterfowl like the American Black Duck and wildlife. Features interviews with farm managers and their experiences in the Working Lands for Wildlife program.
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Information Materials
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Published materials
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Grazing for Bog Turtle Habitat Management: Case Study of a New York Fen
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This study presents results from a single wetland complex in New York, USA, which we managed primarily with cattle grazing over four and a half growing seasons. Management effectiveness was assessed by monitoring Bog Turtle nest placement, habitat use via radio tracking, and vegetation structure and composition change in permanent plots.
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Research
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Peer-reviewed Science
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Habitat Selection, Movements, and Home Range of Bog Turtles in SE PA and Investigation of Grazing as a Management Tool
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Research
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WLFW Outcomes: Funded Research
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Help the hellbenders: Don't move the rocks
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Article from the Asheville Citizen Times
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News & Events
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Eastern Hellbender News
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Historic USDA Investment in Working Lands for Wildlife is Great News for Hellbenders
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Working Lands for Wildlife will dedicate $500 million over the next five years to strengthen and expand efforts to protect wildlife and restore habitat on private agricultural and forest lands.
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News & Events
