July 29, 2019 at 3:18 pm
By Wildlife Biologist Scott McLellan
As a regional wildlife biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), we are expected to be knowledgeable about a wide diversity of species and habitats. There are no two days that are the same, which is one of the most satisfying aspects of the job. There are times that we work with several different species during the same work day. One project that we opportunistically collect information for during our travels documents the presence of reptiles and amphibians (together known as herpetofauna) across the state of Maine. This project is referred to as the Maine Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project (MARAP), and its focus is to improve our understanding of the distribution (or range) of all of the state’s frogs, salamanders, turtles, and snakes. Surprisingly, the range of many common species (such as the common garter snake) is not well-documented in some of the remote areas of the state.
The process of documenting any of the herpetofauna is simple. One of the most critical steps is collecting a photograph of the specimen so that experts on this subject can review it for verification. A GPS coordinate (or site name and township) and notes about the habitat are also important to record at the time of the observation. At the end of the day, a simple data sheet is filled out with this information along with key information such as the date, observer and his/her contact information, and information pertinent to the species that was photographed (e.g., numbers observed, behavior). Once complete, this data sheet can be sent digitally or by mail to experts in the MDIFW Bangor research office, who then verify the information and populate the MARAP database. Why is this information important? Wildlife biologists are constantly tasked with keeping track of species by determining whether populations are increasing, decreasing, and whether ranges are spreading or retracting. For over 30 years, MARAP has depended on information from the public to help inform much of what we know about the distribution and abundance of herpetofauna in Maine. Some questions still remain to be answered though. For example, are wild box turtles still extant in the state, why are smooth green snakes more common in southern regions, and is it possible that red-backed salamanders are present in every township in Maine?
If you are interested in helping with this project, you do not have to be an expert in the identification of reptiles and amphibians. In fact, you don’t even have to be able to identify one of them. All that is required is a photo, the willingness to fill out the data sheet, and having the ability to send the photo and data sheet to a wildlife biologist to identify the species for you. It can be as simple as stopping alongside a roadside ditch that has a few inches of water in it to photograph a frog that is looming at the water’s edge. The following photo of a green frog was recently taken in conditions as I just described. For more information on this project and how to help, contact Derek Yorks at the MDIFW Bangor office at 207.941.4475. Thank you for your interest and participation!