NATURAL HERITAGE HARM NIES A publication of the Nongame and Natural Heritage ProgramO WINTER 2004 Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife Conserving Vermont’s fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the people of Vermont. Agency of Natural Resources Four Historic Troubling Times for a Few Turtles Species Found Four plant species that have not been observed in Vermont in at least 25 years were found this summer, thanks to keen observation by a few individuals. The pinxter-flower, the blunt mountain-mint, the slender copperleaf, and a dwarf birch are the four historic plant species rediscovered as part of Vermont’s landscape. “Vermont has about 2,000 species of plants, but only about 1,400 of these are native to the state,” said Bob Popp, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department (VFWD) botanist. “The department’s Nongame & Spiny Softshell Turtle/photo by Lawrence Pyne Natural Heritage Program tracks all the uncommon Turtles are a pretty successful group Howland (retired), Travis Buttle, and and rare native plant species of animals that outlasted the George Scribner, as well as and attempts to rediscover dinosaurs, but the present day world Lieutenants Dane Hathaway and Ken blunt historic species. A presents challenges that threaten their Denton. mountain-mint well being and even their existence. species is considered In Vermont, it is illegal to collect wild Habitat destruction, road mortality, historic if it has not been observed turtles. To acquire a turtle from out egg predation, and collection by here in 25 or more years.” of state, even from a legal source, an people are some of the more obvious importation permit is required. In the Bob Popp discovered one of these threats they face. Vermont is not spring of 2003, game wardens seized historic species, the pinxter-flower, in immune to this and the Vermont Fish 20 turtles and charged the individual an Addison County swamp during a & Wildlife Department did something with possession of turtles under Title softwood swamp inventory. Pinxter- important about it in 2003. flower (Rhododendron periclymenoides) is a 10, Section 4709 of Vermont’s State Allegations surfaced of someone in Statutes. Mark Ferguson, our Continued on page 4 Vermont illegally trading turtles over department zoologist, was there with the Internet. Vermont game wardens the wardens to provide expertise in Inside Highlights gathered evidence on the allegations identifying the turtles. and determined turtles were being Department Update .................. 2 “Native turtle species —snapping, collected, traded, and sold. The Natural Community Mapping painted, musk, map, wood, spotted, investigation lasted several months on State Lands .......................... 3 and spiny softshell— are prohibited and involved several wardens, Got Wildlife? .............................. 6 including Dan Swainbank, Phil Continued on page 2 Turtles in Trouble DEPARTMENT Continued from page 1 from the legal pet trade in Vermont,” UPDATE explained Ferguson. “Spotted turtles are endangered in Vermont and By Tom Decker, Director of Wildlife softshells are threatened. There is regional conservation concern for This past summer and fall specialists in temporary jobs to wood turtles, and musk and map department staff submitted grant help accomplish the work under turtles are of special concern in proposals that allowed Vermont to both of these grants. This will Vermont.” participate in two large federal allow the department to capitalize Turtles lay few eggs, usually 4 to 20 at funding initiatives. With the first on significant federal funding and a time, although a big snapper could program, State Wildlife Grants move us ahead in wildlife lay more. And, the eggs are very (SWG), the department secured conservation. It is sometimes susceptible to predation. Some approximately $1.2 million in frustrating trying to get enough predators, such as raccoons, are at federal funding for fish and wildlife resources and personnel to tackle high population densities due to their conservation. Under this program, the broad array of conservation tolerance and adaptability to the the federal funds cover 75 percent needs that we face in Vermont. human-dominated landscape. A very of the projects’ costs, while the Securing SWG and LIP funding is a small percentage of eggs result in an department provides 25 percent in step in the right direction. adult turtle. Turtles survive largely matching monies. In March of 1936, the Vermont because adults can live a long time, This grant will fund a broad array Conservation News made its debut. It anywhere from 10 to 50 years. of department work such as was a “little news pamphlet” of the Therefore, if you remove older turtles, inventorying selected natural newly created Department of the population could decline. communities and species, like Conservation and Development. A total of 20 turtles were seized mussels and lake sturgeon, assisting One of the objectives of this during the investigation. The seizure local community planning, publication was to keep the public included wood turtles, spotted and upgrading databases, and helping informed of the activities of Blanding’s turtles, a painted turtle, a fund Vermont’s ongoing bird and “Vermont Fish and Game.” This snapper, a red-eared slider and three butterfly atlases. The department February, the department will begin exotic turtles —Herman’s tortoise, also will support research at the publishing a biannual newsletter Mexican giant musk turtle, and yellow- University of Vermont on that we will use to get information margined box turtle. Blanding’s turtles cormorants and Indiana bats. out to folks regarding new research are found in surrounding states and and management initiatives. We The second program is the Québec, but we have not documented decided to borrow a little from our Landowner Incentive Program a population in Vermont. Sliders are predecessors and entitled this new (LIP). This program is a private found further south in the U.S. publication Fish & Wildlife lands initiative that pays landowners Conservation News. The first edition So, what do you do with 20 turtles to manage their property for highlights the many projects that that are seized as state’s evidence? threatened or endangered species. are funded with the State Wildlife That is where department biologists One very important element of the Grants Program. If you are stepped up. Mark Ferguson took Landowner Incentive Program is interested in receiving a copy of possession of the exotic species and that it allows Fish & Wildlife Conservation News the department’s Nongame & Natural for plant contact Lilla Lumbra at Heritage Program coordinator Steve conservation (802) 241-1454 or email Parren took the rest. programs. [email protected]. These “I have been working with wood and The are challenging times for the spotted turtles for years and created department department and we remain grateful outdoor pens for the turtles at my will be for your interest and support in home,” explained Parren. “Mark set hiring helping us in the conservation of up similar accommodations for the several Vermont’s fish and wildlife turtles at his home. We fed the turtles new staff resources. daily and made sure they had clean Continued on page 5 2 Natural Community Mapping on State Lands When you think of the Vermont Fish parcel of state land, a detailed How are these & Wildlife Department’s Nongame ecological assessment is conducted. A inventories done? and Natural Heritage Program, you key part of this assessment is the First, we assemble all probably think of our work with rare, natural community map, which is used the existing information threatened and endangered species, by foresters, biologists and planners about the parcel’s topography, such as turtles, falcons, loons, mussels, to establish land use practices for the bedrock and soils, wildlife and plants. In addition to parcel. For instance, when we find habitats, rare or endangered documenting and conserving rare community types during an species, forestry values, and individual rare species, we also collect inventory, the area around them may recreational development. a lot of information on species receive special protection in the new These information sources aid assemblages, or communities. These management plan. us in interpreting natural natural communities—interacting communities from black and white assemblages of plants, animals and “To date, we have created and color infrared aerial other organisms, and their physical photographs. The resulting environments—are important natural community maps for preliminary map is like a forestry stand components of Vermont’s biological 21 state lands parcels, a total map, as it relies heavily on the heritage. And, they are valuable of 138,000 acres ... This is characteristics of the canopy tree conservation tools. While we can’t more than a third of all the species visible in the photographs. manage for the sustainability of all of state lands acreage.” We then identify areas of the parcel our native species on an individual most in need of site visits to confirm basis, we can be relatively sure community types, and we hit the field! Vermont’s biological diversity is “To date, we have created natural During field visits to sites, numerous maintained if we protect enough community maps for 21 state lands field notes, photographs, plant examples of each of the types of parcels, a total of 138,000 acres,” specimens, and global positioning natural communities native to the explained Leif Richardson, Vermont system (GPS) data are collected. state. Fish & Wildlife Department state These are later analyzed and used to Significant examples of natural lands ecologist. “This is more than a fine-tune the initial map. The final communities on state lands have been third of all the state lands acreage.” product is a geographic information identified since the inception of the Examples of lands that now have system (GIS) map showing natural Natural Heritage Program in the maps include Mount Mansfield State communities for the entire parcel, plus 1980’s.