Developing a Plan to Study the Effects of River Restoration on the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a 2020 AHRC44 Strategic Initiative Undergraduate Award from the ISU Office of Research and a Career Path Internship (CPI) from the ISU Department of Biological Sciences.
Abstract
The purpose of this poster is to describe a plan to study the effects of a river restoration project on the amphibians and reptiles of the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area (BRWMA), a 971 ha area of land located northeast of Soda Springs, Idaho which contains prominent riverine and wetland habitats. It is undergoing an extensive, multi-year river restoration conducted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The project intends to "restore the first 9.5 km of the Upper Blackfoot River by reconnecting streams with its flood plain, increasing wet meadow and riparian habitats, expanding and deepening oxbows and side channels, and increasing the deep-water channels." Our objectives are to determine changes in the occurrence, distribution, and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles. We are creating a GIS project and geodatabase containing historical amphibian and reptile specimen records and sampling sites, restoration treatment sites, aerial imagery, hydrography, National Wetland Inventory maps, and a digital elevation model. Our primary survey effort will occur in May and June with a follow up survey in August of 2020. Our study will replicate a herpetological survey conducted in 1996. We will conduct visual encounter surveys at all of the 1996 study sites. We will supplement the 1996 study approach with sound recordings, trapping, road cruising, artificial cover, trap cameras, and environmental DNA sampling. The results will document changes that have occurred since 1996 and establish a baseline for future surveys.
Developing a Plan to Study the Effects of River Restoration on the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area
The purpose of this poster is to describe a plan to study the effects of a river restoration project on the amphibians and reptiles of the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area (BRWMA), a 971 ha area of land located northeast of Soda Springs, Idaho which contains prominent riverine and wetland habitats. It is undergoing an extensive, multi-year river restoration conducted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The project intends to "restore the first 9.5 km of the Upper Blackfoot River by reconnecting streams with its flood plain, increasing wet meadow and riparian habitats, expanding and deepening oxbows and side channels, and increasing the deep-water channels." Our objectives are to determine changes in the occurrence, distribution, and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles. We are creating a GIS project and geodatabase containing historical amphibian and reptile specimen records and sampling sites, restoration treatment sites, aerial imagery, hydrography, National Wetland Inventory maps, and a digital elevation model. Our primary survey effort will occur in May and June with a follow up survey in August of 2020. Our study will replicate a herpetological survey conducted in 1996. We will conduct visual encounter surveys at all of the 1996 study sites. We will supplement the 1996 study approach with sound recordings, trapping, road cruising, artificial cover, trap cameras, and environmental DNA sampling. The results will document changes that have occurred since 1996 and establish a baseline for future surveys.