Local/Regional News

Volunteers to survey for salamanders in northeast Michigan

WCMU | By Teresa Homsi

Published April 15, 2024 at 6:30 PM EDT

Mark Pagels and Jenna Kasubowski overturn a cover board while surveying for salamanders at Huron Pines' Emily Min Hunt Preserve in Presque Isle County in 2023.

Community members are helping land managers in northeast Michigan collect data on salamander populations.

Later this month, volunteers will be turning over boards — where salamanders like to hide — at the Emily Min Hunt Nature Preserve, north of Alpena.

Salamanders are considered an “indicator species,” and their health and abundance reflects the quality of the surrounding environment.

"If we find a lot of salamanders and they're doing really well, that means that the rest of the ecosystem is also doing really well. It's productive and healthy," said Julia Butch, a Huron Pines land project coordinator, who is leading the survey.

This is only the second year of data collection, but Butch said as the dataset grows, it can be analyzed for salamander population trends and support management decisions.

"By building that dataset, we'll be able to draw some conclusions about the general health of the forest in a different way than maybe we traditionally do because we have these indicator species available," Butch said.

Opening the survey to the public, Butch said, also serves an educational purpose in highlighting the ecological importance of amphibians.

"We get 20-24 folks outside, a lot of them are brand new to all of this," Butch said. "They're not necessarily super familiar with amphibians or specifically salamanders or the way they interact with our forests. There's just so much value in training folks on the survey and (data collection and anlaysis methods."

As part of the survey, participants will check on 60 cover objects like plywood board and log cross sections for salamanders. Volunteers will then measure the total length and snout-vent length of the salamanders, which Butch said is an indicator of their reproductive status.

Huron Pines staff and volunteers measure a red-backed salamander contained in a sandwich bag to protect it from handling.

Participants will also take environmental measurements like the soil temperature and note if there are other animals under the boards, before returning salamanders to where they were found.

“We want our protected lands to be nice and healthy and well-stewarded, and having some additional data to just kind of provide more backing is really valuable for us,” Butch said.

All volunteer spots for April 27 are currently filled, but interested attendees can email Julia Butch at julia@huronpines.org to be added to the waitlist.