San Jacinto Resurvey
  Overview
  Methods
  Birds
  Herpetofauna
  Mammals
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CONTACT:
Phil Unitt
619.255.0235
fax: 619.232.0248
birds@sdnhm.org

Herpetofauna

Two methods will be used to survey for reptiles and amphibians. First, pitfall traps will be used to trap non-aquatic amphibians and reptiles. We will place 50 32-ounce plastic cups in the ground, arranging them approximately 10 meters apart in two meandering lines. We will sample them daily for 5 days, installing and opening them on day 1, checking them each of the following four consecutive mornings, then retrieving the cups at the end of each 5-day period and refilling the hole with dirt. All trap lines will be georeferenced by hand-held GPS units using the WGS-84 datum.

Second, we will follow time-constrained meandering transects of various lengths and durations (to be determined based on habitat conditions) to sample the general herpetofauna, as well as focused surveys for species such as the Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) and Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa; the Fuller’s Mill site is one of the few places in southern California where this species survives). Transect surveys will be conducted in the full variety of habitats around each camp site, including along stream courses. Both types of transects will encompass multiple techniques, including visual searching, nooses tied to fishing poles, and flipping of woody and coarse debris.

The use of multiple trapping and survey methods will ensure that the full range of reptile and amphibian species is sampled. Each animal located will be georeferenced by hand-held GPS units using the WGS-84 datum, identified, weighed, measured (as needed for identification), and photographed (as needed for identification) before being released, unless it is retained as a specimen.