Darren Welchart (Aransas NWR) collects data on stream side salamders at Canaan Valley NWR

Wildlife biologists Darren Welchert and Chad Stinson from Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Austwell, Texas, traveled to Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge to help conduct stream-side salamander surveys and a night Cheat Mountain salamander survey.  Endangered species biologist Shane Jones, of the Service's West Virginia Field Office, assisted refuge staff during the night time Cheat Mountain salamander survey.

The stream salamander survey is a cooperative project coordinated through the U.S. Geoligical Survey Amphibian Monitoring Research Initiative at Patuxant Wildife Research Center in Maryland.  Salamanders at 8 different stream segements are surveyed for species diversity and relative abundance.  Each segement represents either headwater, first or second order streams as well as different stream water qualities.  The goal is to conduct long term monitoring of stream salamanders, which are representative of stream habitat and water quality. Addtionally, this project aims at developing standardized survey protocols that characterize presence and abundance of all species utlizing stream habitats.

Additionally, one night survey for threatened Cheat Mountain salamanders was conducted to determine presence and proximity to open public trails on the refuge.  Cheat Mountain salamanders are known to avoid open areas such as logging roads and even smaller foot paths.  This survey was aimed at identifying areas where potential population fragmentation of this threatened species may be occuring.  It was fitting that Darren Welchart, from Aransas, detected the first Cheat Mountain salamander during the survey.