Vernal Pools of the Anacostia River Watershed
Hello Anacostia watershed biodiversity enthusiasts,
The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) has started a preliminary inventory of the vernal pools of the Anacostia River watershed. The purpose of the project is to create a baseline for future conservation actions to protect the remnant vernal pools of the watershed in partnership with government agencies (landowners), area residents, friends of groups and other stakeholders.
We would like to know the more hidden vernal pools in your neck of the woods, preferably in public lands. We will then prioritize conservation efforts on the vernal pools that have the presence of indicator species such as: wood frogs, spadefoot frogs, mole salamanders and fairy shrimp.
To learn more about vernal pools read our recent blog post: https://www.anacostiaws.org/blog/vernal-pool-season.html
This is a wonderful guide to the vernal pools of our region by EPA: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/dplap/information/Documents/Mid-Atlantic%20Seasonal%20Ponds%20-%20EPA.pdf
Please send us a message with information about a vernal pool you may know at info@anacostiaws.org
You are the most active herp observers in the watershed so I would appreciate any info if you are willing to share:
@belyykit @jmgconsult @treichard @hholbrook @erininmd @aletaquinn @muir @carrieseltzer
Thanks,
Jorge Bogantes
Natural Resources Specialist
AWS
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Good to know! I'll keep an eye out.
I'm a little surprised I rate on local herp observations, as its an area I feel like I have a lot to learn, especially when I see everyone else's beautiful salamander observations.
How big does a transient body of water have to be to be considered a vernal pool?
I make most of my anacostia watershed observations on non-public government land (Goddard Space Flight Center). I don't know how conservation efforts work on property like that, but I'd be interested to learn!
@erininmd vernal pools are normally small, they can be tiny like 100 sq. ft. to bigger ones like a fourth of an acre, usually on floodplains near streams or wetland complexes; if they have a nice forest buffer around them (over 100 ft radius) chances are they will still have the presence of some indicator species. We would prioritize on vernal pools that have the presence of indicator species. Regarding the landowner, it would all depend on their interest/willingness to partner with us. For safety/liability reasons some will be hesitant to cooperate.
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