American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus Americanus) Range-Wide Presence/Absence Survey Guidance
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United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Division of Ecological Services American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) Range-wide Presence/Absence Survey Guidance May 2018 INTRODUCTION This document provides guidance for designing and conducting live-trapping presence/absence surveys for the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus; ABB). This guidance replaces any previous U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recommended ABB survey guidance. Presence/absence surveys may only be conducted by individuals possessing a valid Federal Fish & Wildlife Permit (Recovery Permit) for scientific research and recovery of the ABB, as defined under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Section 10(a)(1)(A) permits require all other necessary permits (e.g., state, county, tribal) be obtained for the federal recovery permit to be valid. Surveyors should contact respective state resource agencies to determine if other guidelines apply and if any state permits are required. Additional permits and/or authorizations may also be required for surveying on lands managed by federal, state, or tribal agencies. Other Federal and/or State Requirements Section 10(a)(1)(A) (Research and Recovery) permits require possession of any other necessary permits (e.g., state, county, tribal) for the federal permit to be valid. Surveyors should contact respective state resource agencies to determine if other guidelines apply and state permits are required. Additional permits and/or authorizations may also be required for surveying on lands managed by other agencies. Responsibility lies with the surveyor to ensure surveys are conducted in accordance with this protocol and trapping efforts cover all potential ABB habitats within a project area. For surveys to be considered valid, surveyors must adhere to the protocols outlined within this document. If upon review of a proposed project package for which survey documentation is submitted and the Service determines a survey to be invalid, the package will be returned to the project proponent as incomplete. The package should be resubmitted to the Service once a valid survey is obtained. Project proponents should contact the Ecological Services Field Office in their state, or utilize that office’s guidance, when assuming presence of ABBs within their project area. Refer to Appendix J for contact information specific to each Ecological Services Field Office. This guidance is based on the most current scientific information available and is consistent with current knowledge of ABB movement patterns. The guidance will be updated as new information becomes available. Please contact the appropriate State Ecological Services Field Office for any updates to this guidance prior to the initiation of ABB surveys each year. To ensure you have the most recent version, go to: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/oklahoma/ABB_Add_Info.htm. ABB Survey Guidance May 2018 Definitions Biological timeframes: Active period - the time of year when ABBs have emerged from overwintering and are actively seeking carcasses for feeding, and breeding. Inactive period - the time of year when ABBs are below ground, overwintering and are not actively seeking carcasses for feeding and/or breeding. Brood-rearing period – the time of year during the active period when ABBs are underground raising their young. Survey timeframes: Survey period – nightly trapping timeframe between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. Active season - the time of year during the ABB active period when surveys should be conducted to be considered valid. Early season - the early trapping season is the time when ABBs are actively seeking carcasses, but before the young-of-year have emerged. In southern portion of the ABB range, the early season begins according to established weather criteria, and ends July 28. (See SEASONAL PARAMETERS, p. 3.) Late season - the late trapping season is the time when most ABBs have completed brood-rearing and the young-of-year have likely emerged. In the southern portion of the ABB range, the late season begins July 29 and ends according to established weather criteria. (See SEASONAL PARAMETERS, p. 3.) Valid survey a survey conducted during the most recent active season that meets all weather parameters, siting criteria, suitable habitat conditions and ensures all components of this guidance have been met. This guidance addresses both the Southern and Northern portions of the currently occupied ABB range in the Midwest. States included in the Southern portion of the range include Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. States included in the Northern portion of the range include Nebraska and South Dakota. The American burying beetle is also found in New England (Block and Nantucket Islands). Please contact the New England Ecological Services Field Office for survey guidance in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Trap sites should be located within the center of the area of interest, and within suitable habitat. All suitable habitat that could be impacted within a proposed project area should be surveyed. Because of the life history of the ABB, surveys are valid for only a short period of time, and are dependent on weather conditions within the area of interest, and whether they occur within the Northern or Southern portion of the occupied range. Therefore some of following guidance components are separated out between Northern and Southern portions of the occupied range for better understanding of these differences in trapping protocols. Additionally, old surveys from previous years will be considered invalid for purposes of determining occupancy of an area once the new active season has commenced. 2 ABB Survey Guidance May 2018 AREAS UNFAVORABLE FOR ABB The following information can be used to help determine whether surveys are appropriate and provides guidance for areas to avoid when selecting the placement of traps. While the ABB uses a wide variety of habitats, the Service currently believes areas exhibiting the following characteristics are unfavorable for use by ABBs based on disturbance regime, vegetation structure, unsuitable soil conditions, and carrion availability: 1. Land that is tilled on a regular basis. 2. Land that has already been developed and no longer exhibits surficial soils, topsoil, leaf litter, or vegetation. 3. Urban areas with maintained lawns, paved surfaces, or roadways. 4. Stockpiled soil without vegetation. 5. Wetlands with standing water or saturated soils (defined as sites exhibiting hydric-soils, vegetation typical of saturated soils, and/or wetland hydrology). 6. Pasture or grassland that has been maintained at a height of 8 inches (20 cm) or less through frequent mowing, grazing, or herbicide application. NOTES: In both the Northern and Southern areas, locations adjacent to wetlands and/or riparian areas (such as sub-irrigated wet meadows) could be suitable for the ABB, as these areas may be important to ABBs seeking moist soils during dry conditions. In lab conditions, American burying beetles have been shown to seek out the moistest soils available (Hoback 2008). SEASONAL PARAMETERS Time of Year for Surveys A valid survey must occur during the ABB active season and conform to all required weather parameters, as identified in this guidance. Surveyors should collect the necessary temperature information from data loggers and/or the weather station closest to the survey site (see more information in the Reporting Procedures section below) before making a decision to deploy traps. Northern portions of ABB range – Nebraska and South Dakota In the Northern range, the Service considers the ABB active season to begin following five consecutive nights when temperatures at midnight are 55o Fahrenheit (F)/12.7o Celsius (C), or greater. Surveys should not be conducted during the average brood-rearing period (July 1-August 7) when most ABBs are underground and trapping results are more likely to produce false negative results. Alternatively, ABB survey results collected during the average brood rearing period may be accepted if control traps reveal teneral beetles are above ground before August 7 (control traps are explained further below.) Teneral beetles are beetles that have newly emerged from the pupal case. For results to be accepted, however, the surveyor will need to document that the ABB active season began earlier in May than normal due to an early summer. Control Traps (Northern Portion Only) - A positive control trap must be used in association with ABB surveys in the Northern portions of the ABB range. A positive control establishes that conditions were appropriate in a given geographic area and that ABBs were active during the time frame of the trapping. Only one ABB capture is necessary to establish a positive control. The positive control window may be up to seven days prior to trapping, during 3 ABB Survey Guidance May 2018 trapping, but not after the trapping time frame. Positive control trapping should be done in areas with a recent history of populations documented through regular research or survey work. Contact the appropriate State Ecological Services Field Office to determine if a positive control is required. Surveys may continue in the Northern range until the midnight temperature falls below 55° F (12.7o C) for three consecutive nights. Surveyors are encouraged to contact the appropriate State Ecological Services Field Office prior to conducting any ABB surveys to determine the locations and circumstances in which surveys are necessary and any site specific survey recommendations. Southern portions of ABB range – Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas In the Southern range, the Service considers the ABB active season to begin following five consecutive nights of minimum nightly temperatures at 60° F (15.5° C), or greater (Bedick 1997, Kozol 1991, Service 1991). Surveys may continue in the Southern range until the third night following August 31 on which the minimum temperature falls below 60° F (15.5° C). Breeding activity in the ABB tends to be asynchronous in the Southern portion of the range where brood rearing is not as temporally constrained by weather conditions (i.e., longer, more variable active season).