From ponds to burrows

Is this salamander smiling? RES ecologist Sarah Wood hopes so, with good reason. Sarah and her colleagues completed a large survey of four RES sites, confirming that all life stages of this threatened amphibian can be found at each one.

Salamanders are born in the ponds or vernal pools at each site, and then metamorphose into adults who find burrows in the nearby annual grasslands. Finding them at their earlier life stages in the ponds is a feat, and a necessary one, since they are nearly impossible to document once they’ve found a burrow on land.

All four sites are existing RES banks or turnkey mitigation sites, with conservation practices in place that have effectively preserved or enhanced the habitats salamanders need. A few adjustments may follow, such as slightly increased controlled grazing to make it easier for them to move through vegetation. It’s similar to the grazing RES already uses to support vernal pool fairy shrimp in the same habitats.

The documentation of California tiger salamanders (CTS) is another sign our conservation practices are working, and the wildlife corridors we’ve helped create are home to a well-functioning ecosystem of vernal pool and wetland inhabitants.

Contact us for info on CTS credits at Deadman Creek and Great Valley conservation banks.