Eastern Hellbender Salamandar. PA Fish & Boat Commission

Using more than $880,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grants Program, the PA Fish and Boat Commission is engaging in projects to study and manage rare or declining species and their habitats.

“What we learn about species like hellbenders and mussels is important in itself, but expanding our knowledge about these animals can have larger implications for humans as well,” said PFBC Executive Director Dr. Doug Austen, “Many animals are sensitive to changes in habitat, water and air quality, and thus can be good indicators of environmental health. The condition of fish and wildlife populations is often an early indicator of pollution that affects us all.”

Among the State Wildlife Grants Program projects being administered by the PFBC are:

Amphibians & Reptiles

Based upon recommendations from the Pennsylvania Biological Survey, Amphibian and Reptile Technical Committee and Commission staff, a list of 23 “at-risk” species has been developed for study. These species are considered of special concern because of one or more of the following factors: changing habitat conditions, over-collection, and lack of information about their populations. The primary focus of this study will be seven species: the eastern hellbender, marbled salamander, spotted turtle, shorthead garter snake, smooth earth snake, mountain earth snake and Kirtlands snake.

These surveys will: assess the present status of these species; determine habitat types and regions within the state utilized by these species; make recommendations for species conservation; and set priorities for future conservation related research on amphibians and reptiles in Pennsylvania.

The two-year study will be conducted by Shippensburg University and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2007.

Distribution of the Eastern Hellbender

The hellbender (a large salamander) lives and reproduces in streams and rivers containing suitable habitat such as large, flat rock slabs. In Pennsylvania, the hellbender occurs in tributaries of the Susquehanna River, the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers. Aside from tributaries where hellbender populations are known to occur, river populations have not yet been identified, due to the difficulty of surveying deep, swift, and murky river environments.

This project will help: identify shallow and deepwater stream reaches within the project area where hellbender populations occur; assess habitats that support and sustain healthy hellbender populations, along with a list of unoccupied stream reaches possessing habitat features potentially suitable for hellbenders; establish long-term monitoring of hellbender populations; and compile comprehensive, detailed, and meaningful information useful in the development of a hellbender management and conservation plan for the Susquehanna River West Branch watershed, and potentially for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The 2.5-year project will be conducted by Lycoming College and is scheduled to end in March 2008.

Conservation of Rare Herpetofauna

The Natural Diversity Section of the Fish and Boat Commission conducts rare species reviews for commercial and residential development projects that occur within the Commonwealth. The PFBC develops recommendations for developers to avoid adverse impacts to rare and endangered species.

This project will develop capacity to assist the Section in performing these reviews. Project reviews and consultations will focus mainly on high profile herpetofauna, including the bog turtle, eastern massasauga, red-bellied turtle, and timber rattlesnake.

The timber rattlesnake is hunted in Pennsylvania, but little is known about the impacts of hunting and development on the species. Many states in the northeast and northern Midwest report this species as rare, threatened, endangered, and declining or extirpated. With this study, data will be collected and analyzed, and reports from licensed rattlesnake hunters, observations at “rattlesnake roundups” and directed surveys will be assessed.

Inventory of extant and historic occurrences, as well as conservation and management plans for other prioritized species of special concern, including high priority species such as the bog turtle will also be developed. Records for special concern species (rare, threatened, endangered and candidate species) will be collected and processed and conveyed to PA Natural Diversity Inventory data management staff. Benefits of this study include: development of Conservation/Management Plans to guide PFBC activities and justify approaches.

This two-year study will be conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in conjunction with the PFBC.

Rattlesnake Management

The population of the Massasauga rattlesnake has been declining in Pennsylvania, and a comprehensive conservation and management plan is needed to stop, and ultimately reverse, this trend. These conservation efforts must address the current primary causes of decline (habitat loss and human persecution).

This project will develop and implement a pilot conservation plan focusing on Massasauga rattlesnake habitat restoration, alteration, and maintenance rooted in regionally specific natural history data garnered from an on-going telemetry project. The main objective of this project is to conduct a habitat restoration pilot study and draft a preliminary conservation and management plan.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is currently conducting a range determination study and telemetry project. Information garnered from the telemetry study will be used to supplement the main objective of this proposal, devising a preliminary conservation plan and a pilot study focusing on habitat restoration.

The results of this project will serve the overall purpose of helping to create a successful comprehensive conservation and management plan to maintain viable populations of this species.

This two-year study will be conducted by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and is scheduled to be completed by June 2008.

Mussel Species

Freshwater mussels are considered among the most imperiled aquatic organisms in North America and their populations are threatened by degradation and loss of habitat as well as various types of pollution.

Some species of mussels are generally long-lived, with individuals surviving for several decades. As a result, these organisms serve as a good indicator of water quality and habitat conditions in our rivers and lakes. Two of the highest priority species that will be studied under this project will be the northern riffleshell and clubshell mussel.

This project will be responsible for compiling existing data and conducting new scientific surveys, data entry, and data analysis. With these existing and new data, management plans for mussels can be prepared and reviewed. These plans will provide recommendations on approaches for protecting these species and their habitats. This project will also make recommendations on development projects occurring statewide that may have the potential to adversely impact rare and endangered freshwater mussel species.

The three-year project will be conducted by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in conjunction with the PFBC, and is scheduled to be completed in September 2008.

Mussels in the Allegheny River

Many freshwater mussels are long-lived and thus can serve as an indicator of water quality and habitat conditions. On the lower Allegheny River mussel surveys will be conducted on Pools 6, 7, and 8. Information collected by these surveys will aid state and federal agencies with monitoring and restoration strategies of these unique organisms.

This project will improve the knowledge of regionally and globally-imperiled freshwater mussels. Many freshwater mussels in the Allegheny watershed are either federally endangered and/or species of concern in Pennsylvania.

The information from this study will aid monitoring and restoration efforts for imperiled freshwater mussels in the Allegheny River watershed. Associated habitat information will benefit the public as well as resource managers from various agencies.

This study will provide: maps of instream habitats, a comparison of sampling methods for mussels in large rivers, maps of rare and endangered mussels in the Allegheny River, and a comparison of the results of different sampling methods.

The two-year study will be conducted by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and completed in September 2007.

Dam Removal on Pennypack Creek

The Fish and Boat Commission is coordinating the improvement of fish passage and stream habitat over the entire 22 miles of Pennypack Creek, and several of its tributaries, in southeastern Pennsylvania.

A tributary of the Delaware River, this work on Pennypack Creek is a partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, City of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Commission, Montgomery County Department of Parks, Philadelphia Water Department, Aqua Pennsylvania, NOAA/Fish America Foundation, NOAA/American Rivers, Friends of Pennypack Park, Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, Southeast Montgomery County Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and others.

This project will result in improvement of fish passage and stream habitat through the removal of Spring Dam and the Old Huntingdon Pike Bridge, both which impair stream habitat and act as a barrier to fish migration.

This project will re-open over 9 miles of spawning habitat by providing passage at two barriers to fish migration and contributing to the restoration of “state endangered” hickory shad and other “priority” migratory species including American shad, blueback herring, alewife, and American eel as well as river game and non-game fishes – important natural and historic resources for the citizens of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth.

This project will also protect public and private property by reducing the occurrence of flooding, stabilizing stream banks, restoring riparian vegetation, and removing owner liability. This project is an excellent example of how private, city, county, state, and federal interests can work collectively to develop and achieve a common goal.

This two-year project is scheduled to be completed by December 2007.

American Eel Inventory

Due to recent declines in the abundance of the American eel, the species is being considered as a federal candidate for threatened or endangered status. Little is known about population and habitat use, due to the complicated life history of this species, which spends part of its life in the ocean and in freshwater.

This project will document the presence or absence of early stage American eels in selected Pennsylvania named tributaries to the Delaware Estuary and will greatly expand our knowledge of American eel habits and abundance in Pennsylvania in these waters. This information can be used as a baseline for: determining American eel abundance, in evaluating permit applications, in prioritizing dam removal projects, and in determining the need for fish passage facilities.

This study will be conducted by the Academy of Natural Sciences and run from March 2006 through July 2007.

Species Distinctiveness & Genetics in PA Fishes

Genetic diversity is important at many levels, but especially for determining differences between species, and differences between populations of the same species. This project will address urgent conservation issues of rare fishes in Pennsylvania, and will address immediate issues of conservation concern for those species.

This research will establish standards, communicate protocols, and recommend best management practices for use of molecular information involving issues of species status or the distinctiveness of Pennsylvania populations. Understanding basic methods for molecular study of Pennsylvania wildlife, and integrating those methods directly into strategies for management, protection, and conservation of special concern species in the state, is an important first step in leveraging available technology to meet management objectives of both State and Federal agencies.

The results of this research will have immediate and lasting impact on comprehensive conservation planning by state agencies.

This 1.5-year project is being conducted by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and is scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2007.

All the projects support the goals of the Commonwealth’s draft State Wildlife Action Plan. The plan, developed jointly by the PFBC and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is currently being reviewed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

The draft Pennsylvania State Wildlife Action Plan is available on the Game Commission’s website.

12/23/2005