Salamander Survey Protocols
The Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program has identified three groups of salamander species based on their ecology and life history. These groups are the pond-breeding salamanders, the stream-dwelling salamanders, and the terrestrial salamanders. Monitoring protocols are based on these three groups.
Pond-breeding Salamanders - Eight species of Ohio salamanders use temporary or semi-permanent standing bodies of water for reproduction. These habitats include depressional wetlands, vernal (ephemeral) pools, bogs, swamp forests, oxbows, ponds, lakes, and wet prairies. Learn more about pond-breeding salamander monitoring here.
Stream-dwelling Salamanders - Too small for fish, Ohio's primary headwater creeks and streams are where salamanders reign supreme! Ten species spend all or portions of their life within or adjacent to these habitats and monitoring their health is the goal of the stream-dwelling monitoring protocol.
Terrestrial Salamanders - The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program has developed a protocol for monitoring terrestrial salamanders, available at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/Sally/salamandersteps3.html. If you are interested in testing this protocol in Ohio, please contact the survey coordinator.
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News and Events
January 11, 2005: The salamander season has begun! Staff at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve (Adams County) report finding the first Jefferson Salamander eggs of the year.
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