Coverboards
We wanted to choose a monitoring technique that was easy to set up, simple to maintain, and allowed us to observe an abundance of salamanders while causing minimal disturbance to the habitat and the wildlife. After researching various salamander monitoring methods, we chose to deploy cover boards throughout our monitoring sites. What are coverboards?
Coverboards have been used for decades in amphibian research and are simply flat boards fitted tight to the ground. These boards allow the soil underneath them to retain water, which attracts amphibian species such as terrestrial salamanders who love these cool and moist conditions. The Smokey Mountain National Park Salamander Monitoring Program has been active in determining the effectiveness of different coverboards.
Coverboard Placement/Spacing
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Coverboard Material/Dimensions
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Time Spent
We monitor each site every 3 weeks, weather depending. Each visit we overturn previously placed coverboards as well as "Natural Cover Objects" = rocks, logs, leaf litter, etc.
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Salamander Data Collection
To collect data on each salamander, we followed standard protocols:
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General information:
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Information about each cover object:
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