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Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring and Assessment on the Beaver Island Archipelago

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Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring and Assessment on the Beaver Island Archipelago Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring and Assessment on the Beaver Island Archipelago November 2015 Prepared for: Conservation Resource Alliance Bayview Professional Centre 10850 Traverse Highway, Suite 1111 Traverse City MI 49684 Prepared by: Herpetological Resource and Management, LLC P.O. Box 110 Chelsea, MI 48118 www.HerpRMan.com (313) 268-6189 Suggested Citation: Herpetological Resource and Management. 2015. Reptile and Amphibian Community Assessment and Evaluation for the Beaver Island Archipelago. Herpetological Resource and Management. Chelsea, MI. 170 pp. Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 3 Site Locations and Descriptions ................................................................................................... 6 Beaver Island .................................................................................................................................... 7 Garden Island ................................................................................................................................ 16 Trout Island .................................................................................................................................... 16 Whiskey Island ............................................................................................................................... 17 High Island ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Hog Island ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Methods ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Herpetofaunal Surveys .............................................................................................................. 18 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................ 19 Results ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Beaver Island (2013-2015) ........................................................................................................... 20 Garden Island (2013-2014) .......................................................................................................... 31 Trout Island (2014) ....................................................................................................................... 32 Whiskey Island (2014) ................................................................................................................... 33 High Island (2014) ......................................................................................................................... 33 Hog Island (2015) .......................................................................................................................... 34 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 39 The Archipelago ............................................................................................................................ 39 Beaver Island .................................................................................................................................. 41 Garden Island ................................................................................................................................ 51 Trout Island .................................................................................................................................... 51 Whiskey Island ............................................................................................................................... 51 High Island ..................................................................................................................................... 52 Hog Island ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 53 Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 47 Maps.................................................................................................................................................... 59 Photos ................................................................................................................................................. 88 Appendix.......................................................................................................................................... 164 Herpetofauna Species Summaries ............................................................................................. 164 References ....................................................................................................................................... 170 1 Acknowledgements Financial assistance for this project was provided, in part, through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Sustain Our Great Lakes Grant given to the Conservation Resource Alliance in cooperation with the Little Traverse Conservancy. We would like to also thank our HRM team for their help in conducting field work and preparing this document. Special thanks to Pam Grassmick for her logistical help and transportation to islands as well as all the island residents (seasonal and permanent) who provided data and help protect the islands unique herpetofauna. 2 Executive Summary In 2013 Herpetological Resource and Management, LLC (HRM) was contracted by Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA) to conduct amphibian and reptile (herpetofauna) monitoring within the Beaver Island Archipelago. The primary objectives of these surveys are to establish a baseline of current species presence, evaluate the availability of suitable habitat for herpetofauna on the archipelago, and monitor herpetofauna use in areas where invasive plant species have been removed or where present. In addition to monitoring the herpetofauna populations on the Beaver Island Archipelago, the results of these surveys are intended to guide restoration actions to be taken in the archipelago as well as provide a metric from which the success of future restoration efforts can be evaluated. Inventories were conducted over 21 days in July 2013, July 2014, and August 2015 and included thirty-two assessment areas in the archipelago on Beaver Island, Garden Island, High Island, Hog Island, Trout Island, and Whiskey Island. The following summarizes major findings of this project: Assessed a total of twenty nine separate sites throughout the archipelago. During 2013 monitoring, a total of 17 species of herpetofauna including 8 reptiles, 9 amphibians, and 4 Species of Greatest Conservation Need were observed. In 2014, a total of 19 herpetofaunal species including 9 reptiles, 10 amphibians, and 5 Species of Greatest Conservation Need were documented. 2015 surveys resulted in a total of 15 species of herpetofauna including 8 reptiles, 7 amphibians, and 3 Species of Greatest Conservation Need. 3 Three previously unreported herpetofauna species (Northern Spring Peeper, Spotted Salamander, and Eastern Snapping Turtle) were documented on High Island in 2014. HRM confirmed the presence of 4 previously reported but unconfirmed species on Hog Island in 2015 and also documented the presence of 4 additional species not previously known to occur on the island. Only one species historically known (Bullfrog) was not observed the course of this project, providing further evidence for its potential extirpation from the archipelago. Habitat assessments confirmed the potential for reintroducing populations of the amphibian to the islands. Management recommendations for improving herpetofauna habitat and general ecosystem health across the archipelago including invasive species control, subsidized predator management, and habitat restoration with the creation of nesting areas, basking structures, hibernacula, and cover objects. This project represents the most extensive and comprehensive herpetofaunal monitoring survey conducted on the Beaver Island Archipelago to date based on area of the assessment. This region has been identified as a hotspot of biodiversity among Great Lakes islands and results from these surveys can be used to monitor the long-term health of the archipelago and serve as a baseline of species richness and spatial distribution for future restoration. 4 Introduction Amphibians and reptiles are recognized as key bioindicators (gauges of environmental health), due in part to their high sensitivity to environmental pollutants and habitat disturbance. Consequently, assessment of herpetofauna abundance and species richness within an area can reveal much about the
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