CWF VOLUNTEERS GO “CAMP” ing
RESULTS FROM THE 2012 SURVEY SEASON.
By: Larissa Smith: Wildlife Biologist/Volunteer Manager
When people first hear the word CAMP they might think of going out in the woods and setting up a tent, but CWF’s CAMP project is all about monitoring New Jersey’s amphibian population. CAMP stands for the Calling Amphibian Monitoring Project.
In 2012 33 volunteers participated and surveyed a total of 33 routes out of 63. Volunteers conduct roadside surveys (after dusk) for calling amphibians along designated routes throughout the state. Each 15-mile route is surveyed three times during the spring. Each route has 10 stops, where volunteers stop, listen and record all frog and toad calls for 5 minutes.
In 2012 15 out of the 16 New Jersey amphibian species were detected. The only species not detected was the Eastern Spadefoot. Northern Spring Peepers were the most common species detected on 31 of the routes while Green Frogs were detected on 22 routes. Both the American Bullfrog and Southern Leopard Frog were heard on 16 of the routes.
In NJ there are four frog and toad species of conservation concern; the Southern gray Treefrog is a state endangered species, the Pine Barrens Treefrog is a state threatened species, and the Carpenter Frog and Fowler’s Toad are both special concern species. The Southern Gray Treefrog was detected on 2 of the CAMP route, the Pine Barren Treefrog on 3 of the routes, the Fowler’s Toad on 13 of the routes and the Carpenter Frog on 7 of the routes.
CAMP data is entered into the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) database housed by the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. All of the occurrence data for these species is extracted from the NAAMP database, quality checked for validity, and entered into the Biotics database by CWF & ENSP staff. These data will then be used in future versions of the Landscape Project maps. These maps are used by planners in various state, county, municipal and private agencies to avoid conflict with critical wildlife habitat.
Thank you to all CAMP volunteers!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP IN 2013?
- Twenty-five routes are available for the 2013 season
- For more information on volunteering e-mail: Larissa.Smith@conservewildlifenj.org
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2012 was my tenth year of CAMP survey. I must say that the experience has been both happy and sad for me. Happy because of the opportunity to get out in my favorite part of the state (southern Cumberland County) in the dark and observe everything going on there. Sad, because of the steady decline of the species and numbers observed over the past ten years — and even more in comparing these to what I experienced 60 or so years ago, growning up in rural Salem County.
I would recommend this experience for anyone. Please join us.
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