Maryland Amphibian & Reptile Atlas A Joint Project of The Natural History Society of Maryland, Inc. & the Maryland Department of Natural Resources May 2014 Newsletter Hello! I hope everyone s field season is going well. We have exciting news from western Maryland. Vance Young, Steve Kaltwasser, and Ed Thompson have found a Wehrle's Salamander! They have photos too! This will be the first of that species to be documented in the Atlas! Great job!! Across the state amphibians and reptiles are out and about. Judging by our Facebook page, a lot of species have been out. Don t forget to share what you have been seeing on our page (https://www.facebook.com/mdherpatlas). Incidental sightings may be submitted at http://marylandnature.org/submit-observation/. Lets try to keep our database current by entering data throughout the field season. This will help as we plan our efforts https://webapps02.dnr.state.md.us/mara/default.aspx. Get those recorders (or cell phones) out because Cope s Gray Treefrogs and Gray Treefrogs are calling now. Recall that we need the recordings of their calls to determine species identification because these two species are identical in appearance. Watch for turtles crossing the road. This is the time of year when we see a lot of individuals trying to make it across roads. If you can safely do so, help them out. Just be mindful that some species like Eastern Snapping Turtle may not appreciate your efforts. Don t put yourself in a position to get bitten. Also, do not grab and move turtles by their tails. Although, the tail may appear to be a perfect handle, using it as such can cause injury to the animal. For those who are interested, registration is now open for the 2014 Northeast Partners for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC) Meeting. The meeting will be held August 13-15 in Salamanca, NY. You can visit https://www.regonline.com/2014neparc to register for the meeting. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this month s newsletter.! Happy Herping! Heather Cunningham Statewide Coordinator Results as of 5/19/2014. We are making headway but still need to get Baltimore City/County and western MD dark red!
Help Needed! Baltimore City/County During this last field season for the Atlas we need to make a concerted effort to focus in particular areas of the state that have not met coverage goals. One area is Baltimore City and County. Looking at the results map you can see a number of blocks that have not met coverage goals. Five quads, Baltimore East, Baltimore West, Middle River, Phoenix, and Towson, do not have 25 species yet. In many cases, even the most common amphibians or reptiles have not been reported. We ask that you please report any amphibian or reptile you see from Baltimore City/County. You can submit your sightings directly to the database. We encourage you to do that as soon as possible. A variety of species are expected from Baltimore. Most of Maryland s turtle species are expected from the areas. For example, be on the look out for Eastern Musk and Mud Turtles, Spotted Turtles, Eastern Painted Turtles, and Eastern Snapping Turtles. All of the lizard species, with the exceptions of Little Brown Skink and Northern Coal Skink are expected in Baltimore. A variety of snake species can be found such as Northern Brownsnake, Eastern Gartersnake, Eastern Hognose Snake, and Eastern Milksnake. Look for terrestrial salamanders like the Eastern Redbacked Salamander and Northern Slimy Salamander in addition to the stream salamanders. You should also encounter a number of frog species as well. To see a complete list please view the species expected by county table at the MARA website, http://marylandnaturalist.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/12/maryland-amphibian-and-reptile-species-list-by-county.pdf. 2
Of course, it can be difficult to figure out where to go survey. In an effort to simplify things, we have devised a list of areas that are in blocks that have not met coverage goals. Data from these areas would be appreciated. Other areas to consider include the following: Hereford CW Stringtown Rd & Duncan Hill Rd Hereford CE North Central Railroad Trail Middle River NW Nottingham Park Essex Community College Philadelphia Rd Middle River SW Inverness Park Middle River SE Rocky Point Park Back River Neck Rd White Marsh SE Days Cover SP Little Gunpowder at Rt 40 Baltimore East CW Clifton Park Mannasota Baltimore East CE Herring Run Trail New Freedom NW North Central Railroad Trail Phoenix CW Merryman Park Corbett Rd Phoenix NW North Central Railroad Trail 3
The Good, Bad & Just Plain Weird! Interesting finds from 2014 Marbled Salamander (metamorph), Ambystoma opacum, St. Mary s County. Photograph by Lance Benedict Eastern Spadefoot, Scaphiopus holbrookii, St. Mary s County. Photograph by Lance Benedict Eastern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, Allegany County. Photograph by Lance Benedict Eastern Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula, Caroline County. Photograph by Heather Cunningham 4
What have you been missing? Interesting posts from the MARA Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/mdherpatlas 5
Field Notes Late May Mid-June Amphibian and Reptile Watchlist Salamanders Red-spotted Newt Eastern Redbacked Salamander Wehrle s Salamander Northern Slimy Salamander Seal Salamander Northern Dusky Salamander Northern Red Salamander Eastern Mud Salamander Northern Spring Salamander Northern Two-lined Salamander Long-tailed Salamander Four-toed Salamander Green Salamander Frogs & Toads Eastern Spadefoot Eastern American Toad Fowler s Toad Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad Upland Chorus Frogs Mountain Chorus Frog Eastern Cricket Frog Green Treefrog Cope s Gray Treefrog Gray Treefrog Barking Treefrog Carpenter Frog Southern Leopard Frog Pickerel Frog Northern Green Frog American Bullfrog Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma opacum, St. Mary s County. Watch for adults on the road on rainy nights! Photograph by Lance Benedict Eastern Spadefoot, Scaphiopus holbrookii, St. Mary s County. Photograph by Lance Benedict There are amphibian and reptile activity calendars for Maryland s species available on the MARA Resources page http://marylandnature.org/mara-resources/. Use these as guides to determine the best time to look for particular amphibian and reptile species. 6
Field Notes Late April Mid-May Amphibian and Reptile Watchlist Turtles Eastern Musk Turtle Eastern Mud Turtle Eastern Box Turtle Spotted Turtle Wood Turtle Northern Diamond-backed Terrapin Northern Map Turtle Painted Turtle Red-eared Slider Northern Red-bellied Cooter Eastern Snapping Turtle Eastern Spiny Softshell Spotted Turtle, Clemmys guttata, Talbot County. This is a species we need to keep our eyes open for. Photograph by Glenn Therres Snakes Northern Watersnake Queen Snake Eastern Smooth Earthsnake Mountain Earthsnake Northern Brownsnake Northern Red-bellied Snake Eastern Gartersnake Common Ribbonsnake Ring-necked Snake Eastern Wormsnake Northern Rough Greensnake Smooth Greensnake Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Northern Black Racer Eastern Ratsnake Mole Kingsnake Eastern Kingsnake Eastern Milksnake Coastal Plain Milksnake Northern Scarletsnake Copperhead Timber Rattlesnake Lizards Eastern Fence Lizard Eastern Six-lined Racerunner Little Brown Skink Northern Coal Skink Common Five-lined Skink Broad-headed Skink Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, Allegany County. Photograph by Lance Benedict. 7
MARA Steering Committee Meeting Notes The committee met Wednesday May 21 at DNR Headquarters in Annapolis. Those in attendance included Glenn Therres, David Smith, Dave Walbeck, Nate Nazdrowicz, June Tveekrem, and Heather Cunningham. The meeting began with a brief update from the statewide coordinator. A promotional YouTube video about MARA was produced by Scott McDaniel. In the video, Heather Cunningham explains the goals of the project and emphasizes that this is the last year of the project. More that 30,000 records have been submitted to the online database to date. We have also received close to 10,000 block forms. Approximately 15,000 photos and recordings have been reviewed by the verification team. The committee also discussed and reviewed the verification process. The committee discussed the status of the MARA book. The committee reviewed an outline of tasks that will need to be completed in association with writing the book. The committee discussed topics for the May and June MARA newsletters. The next Steering Committee Meeting will be held Wednesday June 18 at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held at DNR Headquarters in Annapolis. Glenn Therres * Charles Davis * David Smith* Rachel Gauza David Walbeck Wayne Hildebrand Lynn Davidson Linda Weir Kyle Rambo Nate Nazdrowicz Don Forester June Tveekrem 2014 MARA Steering Committee Maryland Department of Natural Resources Natural History Society of Maryland Coastal Resources, Inc. Association of Zoos and Aquariums Maryland Department of the Environment North American Amphibian Monitoring Program Maryland Department of Natural Resources United States Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Environmental Department University of Delaware Towson University NASA Goddard Space Flight Center * Co-Chair 8
County Coordinator Email Address Allegany Ed Thompson elthompson@dnr.state.md.us Anne Arundel Dave Walbeck dwalbeck@mde.state.md.us Baltimore Co./City Don Forester dforester@towson.edu Joel Snodgrass jsnodgrass@towson.edu Calvert Andy Brown brownaj@co.cal.md.us Caroline Scott Smith sasmith@dnr.state.md.us Carroll David Smith lacsmith12@comcast.net June Tveekrem June@SouthernSpreadwing.com Cecil Jim White jim@delawarenaturesociety.org Charles George Jett gmjett@comcast.net Dorchester Lynn Davidson ldavidson@dnr.state.md.us Frederick Wayne Hildebrand wayne.mdfrog@comcast.net Garrett Seth Metheny seth.metheny@gmail.com Amo Oliverio amonatureprogram@gmail.com Harford Bob Chance chancetreefarm@aol.com Brian Goodman Scott McDaniel brian@daggerpress.com scott@suskywildlife.org Howard Sue Muller smuller@howardcountymd.gov Kent Nate Nazdrowicz spinifer@aol.com Montgomery Rachel Gauza MARA.montgomerycounty@gmail.com Lance Benedict lhbenedict@yahoo.com Prince George's George Middendorf gmiddendorf@howard.edu Mike Quinlan mikemq41@verizon.net Queen Anne's Glenn Therres gtherres@dnr.state.md.us Somerset Doug Ruby deruby@umes.edu St. Mary's Kyle Rambo kyle.rambo@navy.mil Talbot Scott Smith sasmith@dnr.state.md.us Glenn Therres gtherres@dnr.state.md.us Washington Andrew Landsman Andrew_Landsman@nps.gov Wicomico Ron Gutberlet rlgutberlet@salisbury.edu Lance Biechele ltb0076@yahoo.com Worcester Jim Rapp dlitedirector@comcast.net Dave Wilson Roman Jesien dwilison@mdcoastalbays.org rjesien@mdcoastalbays.org 9
Contact Information & Resources Additional Contact Information Statewide Coordinator: Heather Cunningham hcunningham@marylandnature.org Co-chairs of the MARA project Glenn Therres, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, gtherres@dnr.state.md.us Charles Davis, Natural History Society of Maryland, charliedavis1@verizon.net David Smith, davids@coastal-resources.net MARA Websites & Groups Project Website http://www.marylandnature.org/mara https://www.facebook.com/mdherpatlas Project Database https://webapps02.dnr.state.md.us/mara/default.aspx County Websites Calvert: http://www.calvertparks.org/herp%20atlas/herp%20altas%20home/herp%20atl as%20home2.html Carroll: http://southernspreadwing.com/herps/ http://www.facebook.com/carrollcountyherpatlas Garrett: https://www.facebook.com/garrettcountyherpatlas Harford: http://suskywildlife.org/ http://www.facebook.com/suskywildlife Howard: http://www.howardbirds.org/herpatlas/index-mara.htm Lower Eastern Shore (Wicomico, Worcester, & Somerset) http://www.salisbury.edu/lowershoreherpatlas/ http://www.facebook.com/lowershoreherpatlas Montgomery: http://www.facebook.com/mara.montgomerycounty Other Websites & Weblinks NHSM Meetup Site: http://www.meetup.com/marylandnature Discover Maryland Herps (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/plants_wildlife/herps/index.asp 10