VIRGINIA WORKING LANDSCAPES Massadoah 2016 Biodiversity Survey Results
INTRODUCTION At Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL) our mission is to promote sustainable land use and conservation of native biodiversity through research, education, and community engagement. VWL formed as a partnership convened by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in 2010, from a growing desire of regional landowners, citizen scientists, and conservation organizations to conserve Northern Virginia s native wildlife on working lands. VWL staff and a team of SCBI scientists, graduate students, interns, and citizen scientists, now conduct Biodiversity Surveys on over 150 properties in the Northern Virginia region. These surveys help us better understand the factors that affect the region s biodiversity and develop the best land management practices for people and wildlife. In this report, you will find a summary of the 2016 VWL Biodiversity Survey for Massadoah. You may also check our biodiversity survey and landowner report pages on our website throughout the year to see results for all other properties and Photo by Jennifer Davis to access another copy of your report. We are grateful for your involvement in the VWL landowner network and appreciate your support of our program! For more information, please contact our Outreach Coordinator, Charlotte Lorick, at (540)-635-0038, visit our website (www.vaworkinglandscapes.org) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ VirginiaWorkingLandscapes/), or email us at SCBIVWL@si.edu. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Racetrack Hill. Photo by Rachel Meulman. 2
METHODS AND RESULTS Overview In 2016 we conducted surveys on 57 total properties spanning 14 counties from Augusta and Albemarle to Loudoun and Prince William. In grasslands, we conducted a total of 420 plant surveys, 68 bumblebee surveys, 252 breeding bird point counts, and 162 winter bird line transects. We also conducted 210 invasive plant transect surveys in forests, 8 salamander stream surveys, and set up 55 camera deployments for mammal surveys. In fields and forest at Massadoah, mammal surveys were performed from spring (May) to autumn (November). These surveys were conducted using infra-red sensing cameratraps placed at the edges of fields and within forest patches. Due to the nature of sampling methods, the species lists do not necessarily reflect all species that occur on a property. Mammal Survey Methods: emammal is a wildlife image program run by the Smithsonian Institution designed to study the effects of human activity on mammal distributions. Since 2014, the emammal team has surveyed large and small forests along an urbanization gradient (wild, exurban, suburban and urban) in Virginia. Virginia s forest fragments are mostly privately owned, so this season the emammal team partnered with VWL to detect mammals on select VWL network properties. Reconyx hyperfire cameras (http://www.reconyx.com) were deployed at each location (see Figure 1 page 4) for three weeks between May and November. Cameras were spaced a minimum of 200 m apart and were placed both within forest fragments and in old fields. After three weeks, the cameras were retrieved, the wildlife photos identified, and the images and metadata uploaded into a Smithsonian digital repository. The data from this effort will support the work of the Changing Landscape Initiative (http://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/research/changing-landscapes-initiative) to understand how wildlife are impacted by land use. 3
Results Summary: With our mammal survey, eight mammal species were photographed at Massadoah, along with one bird species (See Table 1 and Figure 2). The most frequently detected species during the survey period were Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Survey Locations: Figure 1. 2016 Survey Locations at Massadoah. Three mammal surveys were conducted. Color Survey Type Deployment Latitude Longitude 1 38.89211-78.43710 Blue Mammals 2 38.89404-78.43678 3 38.89062-78.43561 4
MAMMAL SURVEY Table 1: 2016 Mammal Survey Results from Massadoah. Recorded in rank order of relative abundance for wildlife detected with camera traps on your property. Common Name Genus Species Number of Detections* Relative Abundance** Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis 50 119.05 White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus 35 83.33 Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 34 80.95 Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger 28 66.67 American Black Bear Ursus americanus 3 7.14 Coyote Canis latrans 3 7.14 Northern Raccoon Procyon lotor 3 7.14 Bobcat Lynx rufus 2 4.76 Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana 1 2.38 *A detection is defined as the event of a camera-trap being triggered by a passing animal. This does not represent total number of photos or individual animals at a survey site. **Relative abundance refers to the frequency in which a certain species was detected by the camera trap. The number represents the frequency of camera detections (sequences of photos) per 100 trap days. Figure 2: Mammal Photo Highlights from Massadoah. Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo Northern Raccoon, Procyon lotor Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger 5
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our volunteers play a vital role in the success of Virginia Working Landscapes, and to them we are grateful. VWL volunteer Karen Monroe contributed her time and expertise to complete the surveys at Massadoah. Our hardworking volunteers were coordinated by Olivia Cosby and Amy Johnson. We would like to thank those at Massadoah for contributing to the efforts of Virginia Working Landscapes by allowing us to survey your property. The data we collect will allow us to inform sustainable management practices in the Northern Virginia region and further protect native wildlife. We look forward to working collaboratively well into the future! 6
VWL TEAM Data Collection and Management The following VWL interns, fellows, and staff contributed to the field surveys this year: Tom Akre, Sally Bowers, Justin Cooper, Olivia Cosby, Craig Fergus, Brandon Hayes, Jackie Jennings, Amy Johnson, Iara Lacher, Charlotte Lorick, Sarah Macey, Claire Martin, Bill McShea, Rachel Meulman, Avery Parmiter, Kyle Rhodes, Caroline Roberts, Linnea Stewart, and Daniela Wilner. Report Compilation This report was compiled by Melissa Fuerst. Photo by Charlotte Lorick. 7