Project Description: The goal of this project is to identify the periods when the endangered Jemez Mountains salamander is above ground and active on the forest floor in order to establish a scientific basis for expanding operational windows for fuels treatments.
To address the goal listed above, URI and NPS staff will conduct intensive surveys for salamanders in established plots from May through October, while monitoring climate variables. Salamanders will be marked with passive implant transponder tags and their locations will be documented with new technology allowing us to detect them up to 24 cm below the ground surface. This project will identify climatic conditions during the active season at which salamanders are deep underground and are not at risk of fuels management activities. Identification of safe periods of operation within the salamander active season will permit flexibility in undertaking fuels management activities, ultimately reducing the risk to salamanders of catastrophic fire events.
Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Nancy Karraker, University of Rhode Island
Partner Institution: University of Rhode Island
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Federal Agency Technical Contact: Robert Parmenter
Project Type: Research
Project Discipline: Natural Resources
Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Natural Hazards & Environmental Quality (NRDA)
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2022
Initial Funding Amount: $70,279.22
Federal Grant Number: P19AC00554
Amendments
- Amendment Number: 01, Year: 2020, Amount: $46,079.00
Location: Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL)
Products Associated with this Project:
- No products found.