2023 Citizen Science Summit

• Vernal pools: temporary, shallow water environments that provide critical breeding and early development habitat for amphibians.
• Objectives: map the location of vernal pools, document how they change over time, and assess the status of their amphibian populations.
• History: Pool surveys have existed at Jug Bay since 2000, with documentation going back to 2014. This iteration, which runs annually from February to May, has been in place since 2019.

Jug Bay Vernal Pool Monitoring Program

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2023 Citizen Science Summit

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Methodology:

• Water quality and hydrology
• Dip netting
• Log rolling
• Decontamination

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Volunteers:

• Over 40 volunteers each season (February to May), dedicating over 500 total hours.
• Leadership team of eight coordinates training, updates protocols, and schedules and leads surveys each weekend.

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2023 Citizen Science Summit

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Goals:

• Identify, map, and monitor existing and new Jug Bay vernal pools.
• Document the pools’ hydroperiod.
• Observe pool use by obligate species, particularly wood frogs and spotted and marbled salamanders.
• Determine the impact of climate change on vernal pools and their amphibian populations.

Impacts:

• Successful biannual salamander migration assistance program.
• Best practices exchange with the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.
• Purchase prioritization of land off Plummer Lane abutting Boundary Pool.

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Key Findings

Spotted Salamander Egg Masses

Wood Frog Egg Masses

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Mark’s Pond

12th annual Skunk Cabbage Swamp Stomp

Jan 13 2024 Be there!

Spotted Salamander

Eastern Skunk Cabbage inflorescence

Wood Frog Larvae

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Mark’s Pond

Air and water temperature

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Feb – May

• 2017
• 2020
• 2023

Water Quality Sampling

Black Rat Snake

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Fairy Shrimp Occurrence�JB & PG Vernal Pools�2014 – 2023

Green Treefrog

Fairy Shrimp

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Spring Beauties

Data Management

2023 Citizen Science Summit

2023 Citizen Science Summit

Future Directions:

• Discussing the potential for a stream salamander survey, to provide a better picture of Jug Bay’s overall amphibian diversity.
• Reviewing the log rolling portion of our protocol, to determine if there are ways to mitigate any potential impacts on species.

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Contact Information:

• jeanette.science.kaz@gmail.com

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Join us in January for orientation for the next season!

2023 Citizen Science Summit