NPS studies mammals in Upper Delaware region

Which mammals are making the river valley their home?

By SANDY LONG

UPPER DELAWARE REGION — If the southern bog lemming or star-nosed mole live in the Upper Delaware region, researchers hope to find evidence of their existence. To do so, and to determine the presence or absence of many other mammals, the National Park Service (NPS) has teamed up with researchers from East Stroudsburg University (ESU) to create a Targeted Mammal Inventory for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UDSRR). The inventory supports a broader effort to catalogue the nation’s natural resources throughout its system of 270 national park units.

The study will concentrate primarily on small- and medium-sized mammals, such as shrews, moles, voles, mice, opossum, otters and rabbits, and will inventory for larger mammals like coyote, fox, bobcat, black bear and deer. A third component will focus on bats. The primary objective of the inventory is to list each target species as present or not recorded within the UDSRR corridor, which runs approximately 70 miles from Millrift, PA to Hancock, NY.

Such inventories provide information on the composition, distribution and abundance of species in the nation’s parks and inform park managers about the nature of those resources.

Local focus

According to the project’s principle investigator, Dr. Howard Whidden, Associate Professor of Biology at East Stroudsburg University, the inventory includes three components. In the first, large mammals were catalogued through direct observation and photo documentation. Research assistant John Church recently completed this part of the project by installing and monitoring motion-activated cameras in order to capture images of the mammals inhabiting the corridor.

The second component, which is currently underway, places its focus on small mammals through capture and observation of signs such as tracks and scat. The final component, expected to begin later this summer and to resume in spring and summer 2008, is devoted to studying bats, and will involve the practice of mist-netting and acoustic monitoring. Final reports are due by December 31, 2008.

According to Whidden, the primary purpose of the inventory is to collect baseline data against which future changes or threats can be measured. “The first step is to find out what’s there,” Whidden said. This information may then be used to identify strategies for select species as part of a long-term monitoring program.

Many of the lands within the study area are privately owned, requiring the researchers to seek permission from landowners to conduct the study on their lands. Whidden applauded the cooperativeness of private landowners throughout the study area. “It’s been a very successful process,” he said. The study has also included New York State Forest Preserve lands and Pennsylvania State Gamelands within the corridor.

Part of a bigger picture

Since its creation in 1916, the NPS has been charged with preserving America’s extensive natural resources and the flora and fauna that live there. To that end, the NPS is increasingly relying on science to improve natural resource management decisions and safeguard the nation’s natural heritage.

In 1998, national park lands across the nation were divided into 32 networks in response to the passing of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act. The Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Program was created to assess natural resources on NPS managed lands. The UDSRR became part of the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network, which consists of nine parks in the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and New Jersey. This network funded the UDSRR Targeted Mammal Inventory.

The information gleaned from such science-based inventories and ensuing monitoring strategies is intended to improve resource management in national parks as well as to guide the development of public policy to better protect the nation’s natural resources.

Don Hamilton, natural resource specialist for the NPS UDSRR, said that he is encouraged by the increased support for national parks to gather better baseline information about the specific resources each park possesses. “We’re making good progress in learning what our resources are and how to best protect them,” he said.

For additional information, contact Hamilton at 570/729-7842.