Management for Herps at Neithercut Woodland

Patrick SheehanRachel Himes

Michael MaurerStevie Chilcote

Management GoalsIncrease diversity in Neithercut WoodlandIncrease wetlands and coarse woody debris by removing student clean-upsMaintain open areas through mowing and controlled burnsIncrease public awareness through presentations at schools, seminars for educators, and polling to determine effectiveness of programs

The Common Garter SnakeThamnophis sirtalis

Garter Snake Description• Scientific Name: Thamnophis sirtalis

• They can be found as far North as Ontario and as far South as Texas extending their way to the Atlantic Ocean

• Their colors may be different shades of gray, green and yellow and they usually have three yellow or red stripes longitudinally down their backs. The bottom is usually light yellow or white

• Adult size is 20-30 inches

• Environment temperature is between 60 to 93

degrees F

Garter Snake Distribution in North America

Garter Snake Environment and diet• Meadows, piles of

debris, forests, hillsides, fields, marshes, woods, city parks, wetlands, areas around lakes and suburban backyards

• Opportunistic eaters and prey mostly on earthworms, salamanders, small fish, frogs, tadpoles, insects and small birds and mammals

Garter Snake Mating and BirthHibernation in late October and end in early AprilMating right after hibernationGarter snakes are livebearers, having 5-50 babiesThey musk

when scared

Garter Snake ManagementEducate the public on snakes, programs at local schools, zoos and community functionsControlled burns and mowing

Blue-Spotted Blue-Spotted SalamanderSalamander

Blue-Spotted SalamanderRangeNorth America

Southeastern Canada,

Northeastern United States

Great Lakes BasinMichigan

Statewide Distribution

Blue-Spotted Salamander

Habitat: Moist Deciduous Hardwood Swamp Woodlands

Breeding/Early Development: Ephemeral WetlandsAdult Life: Adjacent Uplands

-Under logs, rocks, leaf litter

High tolerance of anthropogenic disturbance.

Ephemeral WetlandsSeasonal Transformation

Spring Summer

FallWinter

Blue-Spotted Salamander•Diet• Carnivorous•Worms, snails, slugs, insects, centipedes, spiders

• Larval Stage •Water fleas, copepods, insects and insect larvae, specifically mosquito larvae.

Blue-Spotted SalamanderManagement Plan Objectives

Protect natural water-level fluctuations in ephemeral wetlands.Reduce sediment and chemical (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) runoff into wetland areas from roads, livestock operations, agricultural fields.Conserve upland areas surrounding ephemeral wetlands.Expand education programs to inform the general public of the significant role ephemeral wetlands play within their ecosystems.

The Spotted Salamander

Ambystoma maculatum

The Spotted SalamanderDescription

Average size of an adult is 5-7 inches long, with some over 9 inches longDorsal color is black, dark brown or dark gray with yellow spots in two irregular rows running from head to tail.

Photo by Victor Young

Photo by Eric Aldrich

Range and Habitat

Range•Found throughout most of the eastern USA and adjacent southern Canada

Habitat•Found in hardwood and mixed coniferous-deciduous forest habitats•During breeding they migrate to vernal pools.•The vernal pools are fishless, improving reproduction success.

Photo taken by Mike Marchand

Photo from www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naa)

Life HistoryFound mainly in mature upland forests except during breeding season they migrate to vernal poolsBreeding

Males court females with head nudging and rubbingmale drops a spermatophore, which female then picks up.Males may drop nearly 100 spermatophores in one season.

larvae hatch within 2-4 weeks and feed and grow for 2-4 months.When fully grown, the adults leave the pools and enter the forest for winter.

Photo by Mike Marchand

DietLarvae size-selective feeders, ingesting a range of aquatic invertebrates

zooplankton, Beetles, small crustaceans, odonates.

Adultsgeneralists on forest floor invertebrates

mollusks, earthworms, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, and a wide variety of insects.

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Sistrurus catenatus catenatus

Eastern Massasauga RattlesnakeRanges in size from 18.5 to 39.5 inchesDiet includes small mammals, reptiles, and invertabratesIn summer, it will avoid open areas and meadows and prefers wetlands and fensJuly to Sept., gravid females seek out dryer areasOct. and Nov., hibernate in wetland areas

Eastern Massasauga RattlesnakeStatus

MI--Species of special interestUS--Under consideration for listing

Habitats necessaryOpen wetlands for hibernation and thermoregulationConifer forest for hunting

Prairie Fen Rich ConiferSwamp

Eastern Massasauga RattlesnakePrescribed burns and mowing in the open areas around Elm CreekDike built on the creek to increase wetlands

Thank you for your time

Questions?