Neithercut Management Plan

Central Michigan UniversityBIO 541 Wildlife Mangement

Fall 2009

Presented by: Caitlyn Bifoss, Jessa Napieralski , Justin Gale, Jacob King

Introduction

• Herps of Neithercut Woodland– Rana sylvatica– Pseudacris crucifer– Chrysemys picta– Emydoidea blandingii

Rana sylvatica – Wood Frog

• Member of the Ranidae family

• Broad North American distribution extending from the Southern Appalachians to the Boreal Forest

• Brown, tan, or rust colored with yellow/green belly

• Can easily be distinguished by its dark colored eye mask that resembles a “robber’s mask”

Rana sylvatica – Wood Frog• Habitat

– Commonly found in woodlands during summer months

– During winter months commonly found under stones, stumps, and leaf litter

• Feeding– Feed on a variety of small, forest-floor

invertebrates by catching prey through the use of tongue extension

– Tadpole R. sylvatica feeds on plant detritus, algae, and also consume eggs and larvae of other amphibians

Rana sylvatica – Wood Frog• Reproduction

– Seasonal breeders that begin to breed in vernal pools/wetlands very early in the spring, usually beginning as early as March and are the first frogs to begin calling

– Incubation lengths for eggs vary depending on temperature

– Egg mass measures about 10 to 13 cm in diameter, and can contain 1000 to 3000 eggs

Rana sylvatica – Wood Frog

• Freeze-Tolerance– Shows unique ability to hibernate close to the

surface in soil/leaf litter and can tolerate many freeze-thaw events

– Elevated amounts of PGKI, one of the ATP-generating reactions of glycolysis

– Freezing of blood and other tissues take place

Pseudacris crucifer – Spring PeeperCharacteristics• Chorus Frog – high pitched

“peep” sounded once per second

• ~ 22mm in length• Dark “X” on the back with

cream colored belly• Males are slightly smaller

than females

Pseudacris crucifer – Spring Peeper

• Habitat– Most abundant chorus frog in Michigan– Found in primarily deciduous woodland,

marshes, swamps, sphagnum bogs, and vernal pools.

– Burrow in soil, fallen trees and leaf litter.

• Feeding– Tadpoles feed mainly on algae– Adults feed on small insects

Pseudacris crucifer – Spring Peeper

• Reproduction– Sexually mature by year one– Males establish breeding sites and reside in

them from as early as late March all the way to early May.

– Once in amplexus, both sexes dive to bottom of vernal pool and deposit eggs individually on debris and leaf litter.

– Females lay between 700-1200 eggs– Larvae metamorphosis takes 2-3 months

after which leaves the pond for the remainder of life cycle

Pseudacris crucifer – Spring Peeper

• Range– Wide distribution in Eastern North

America– Relatively common species that inhabits

most anywhere in Michigan, including Neithercut Woodland

The Painted Turtle: Chrysemys The Painted Turtle: Chrysemys pictapicta

• Most widely distributed

• Brightly marked

• Four subspecies – C. picta marginata– C. picta picta– C. picta dorsalis– C. picta belli

Reproduction

• Courtship activities

• Nesting between May-July

• Thermal Dependence

Habitat

• Shallow ponds or lakes

• Slow moving streams

• Debris to sun themselves

• Travel distances to find more suitable habitat

Emydoidea blandingii - Blanding’s Turtle

• Member of the family Emydidae

• Located largely in the Great Lakes region.

• Truly terrestrial

• Dark olive colored carapace with yellow markings

• Yellow throat and chin

• Hinged plastron

Emydoidea blandingii - Blanding’s Turtle

• Habitat– Prefer a diversity of wetland types, shallow

water with abundant vegetation– Require sandy, open areas for nesting

• Feeding– Aquatic diet: larval amphibians, crustaceans,

insects, fish, mollusks, and plants– Terrestrial diet: berries, earthworms, insect

larva, slugs, and vegetation

Emydoidea blandingii - Blanding’s Turtle

• Reproduction– Mating takes place in the water.– Female turtles lay approximately 3 - 17 eggs in

upland habitats, usually between late May and early July.

– Eggs hatch between mid-August and early October.

Management Goals & Objectives

• Maintain Abundance– Guide fences– Paved road shoulders– Underpasses

• Maintain Wetland/Freshwater Habitat– Monitor and control hydroperiods– Monitor pond pH levels– Create corridors connecting neighboring

wetlands

Management Goals & Objectives

• Limit Disturbances Throughout Habitat– Monitor invasive species/predators– Control use of herbicides around

freshwater/wetland habitats – Control chemical pollution

Management Goals & Objectives

• Educate Public– No pets– Local seminars

Neithercut Woodland• Named after William Neithercut, • 252-acre natural area with a creek (Elm Creek)

running through• Originally owned by Josiah Littlefield during early

to mid 1900s • Upon Littlefield’s death in 1936, his decedents

held onto the land and ultimately transferred the 252 acres of land to Central Michigan

Current Conditions• Located in Farwell of Clare County Michigan

• Latitude: 43.857615 Longitude: -084.843785

• 252 Acres with Walkin McNeel Nature Center

• Four main trails

LAND USE

Habitat Quality

• Good source of diverse habitats.• Wetland/highland mix good for frog breeding and

post-breeding seasons along with hibernation.• Other areas in Neithercut have high potential for

vernal pools in the spring and into summer.• Elm Creek is slow moving and has potential for

flooding leading to needs of all the mentioned species.

• Standing water has organic bottom for turtles to feed along with muddy bottom for hibernation.

Management Recommendations

• Maintain/Increase Abundance– Because of turtles’ longevity, drastic declines

in turtle populations can easily go unnoticed.• Chrysemys picta - maintain population• Emydoidea blandingii -increase population

– Prevent Road Mortality• Build underpasses with a diameter larger

than .3 m for safe movement to nesting areas.

• Pave the shoulders of M-115 to prevent roadside nesting and curb entrapment.

Management Recommendations

• Maintain Wetlands/Freshwater Habitat– Stringent monitoring of pools and hydroperiods

in Neithercut must be done by controlling the length of the hydroperiods and changes in Neithercut watershed.

– Monitor pH of water in order to detect changes biological and chemical components of the pond.

– Create corridors encompassing multiple habitats by clear-cutting forest areas that lie in between neighboring wetland areas and vernal pools.

Management Recommendations

• Limit disturbances throughout habitat

- Control Typha angustifolia and Phragmites australis

by flooding, mowing, and burning

- Herbicides will not be allowed within 50 meters of

wetlands.

- A barrier/buffer will be created in order to limit the

amount of runoff pollutants from roads.

Management Recommendations

• Educate Public

• Pools where frogs are breeding and developing should be marked off using mesh barrier fencing (25m circumference).

• Seminars will be held at Neithercut.

• Informational posters explaining dangers of interacting with some species (Salmonellae).

Evaluation and Monitoring Plans

• Drift fences to obtain specific counts of wood frogs and spring peepers.

• Egg mass counts.

• Surveillance monitoring of turtles from May 1- Oct 1.

• Water quality

Issues of Scale in Management Plan

• Constructing underpasses and guide fences will take most physical effort

• Population/Habitat Surveys

• Invasive Species/Predator Control

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Timeline (Year One)• Fall

– Apply for funding through grant writing.

– Send out volunteer interest forms to areas of interest.

• Winter

– Construct underpasses and/or guide fences, drift fences, and mesh fencing.

– Design and print informational posters and pamphlets.

– Plan and implement seminar programming for the spring.

• Spring

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle predators (i.e. racoons).

– Conduct population surveys of Wood Frog.

– Conduct population surveys of Spring Peeper.

– Perform runoff sampling.

• Summer

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle predators (i.e. racoons).

– Survey drift fencing for Wood Frog.

– Survey drift fencing for Spring Peeper.

– Provide invasive management control for Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia.29

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Timeline (Year Two)• Fall

– Re-apply for funding through grant writing.

– Send out volunteer interest forms to areas of interest.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle predators (i.e. racoons).

– Survey drift fencing for Wood Frog.

– Survey drift fencing for Spring Peeper.

• Winter

– Contact Clare County Board of Commisioners about road shoulder pavement.

• Spring

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle predators (i.e. racoons).

– Conduct population surveys of Wood Frog.

– Conduct population surveys of Spring Peeper.

– Perform runoff sampling.

• Summer

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle.

– Conduct population surveys of Painted Turtle predators (i.e. racoons).

– Survey drift fencing for Wood Frog.

– Survey drift fencing for Spring Peeper.

– Provide invasive management control for Phragmites australis and Typha angustifolia.

– Begin paving road shoulder of M-115 nearest Neithercut Woodland.30

Budget (Total = $47,492.00)

Equipment Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Runoff Sampler $4,470.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Complete Soil Kit $47.00 $0.00 $45.00/refill $0.00 $0.00

Invasive Plant Control

$1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000

Maintain Kiosks and Information

$300 $0.00 $50.00/update

$0.00 $50.00/update

Guide/Drift Fencing $1,000 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Maintenance on Equipment

$500 $500 $500 $500 $500

Road Shoulder Pavement of M-115

$0.00 $17,015.00 $0.00 $17,015.00 $0.00

Questions?