camp ripley and arden hills minnesota army national guard training ...

Figure 61. Reflective tape marked
Blanding's turtle burrowed into leaf
litter, Camp Ripley, 2009.
Anuran Surveys
The tape was adhered to the head and tail end of the turtle
shell with either the tape‟s self-adhesive (PW & BDJ), a 5minute
epoxy (BDI) glue, or marine epoxy (BDY). The
use of the reflective tape proved immediately useful. Figure
61 shows the tape reflection of a marked Blanding‟s turtle
burrowed into the leaf litter after it moved off the roadway
where it was test digging for a nest site. The marked turtle
was found with the use of a spot light which reflected light
off the reflective tape.
Frog and toad calling surveys were conducted by MNDNR staff on April 27, May 31,
and July 7, 2009. The south route (route #50195) was not surveyed during the first and second
time period due to training activities, and the north route (route #50295) was surveyed during the
first and second time period, but not the third. These surveys are conducted as part of a larger
statewide survey, and have been conducted at Camp Ripley since 1993. Frog and toad abundance
estimates are documented by the index level of their chorus, following Minnesota Herpetological
Society guidelines (Moriarty, unpublished). If individual songs can be counted and there is no
overlap of calls, the species is assigned an index value of 1. If there is overlap in calls the index
value is 2, and a full chorus is designated a 3. Anuran surveys are performed at ten stops along
two separate routes at Camp Ripley. The routes are surveyed three times from April through July
(Figure 62).
During the first survey period (April 15 – 30), a lower index of spring peepers
(Pseudacris crucifer), boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata ), and northern leopard frogs
(Rana pipiens) were heard than in previous years (Figure 63, Table 17), but a higher index of
wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). During the second survey period (May 15-June 5), a higher index
of spring peepers and similar index for gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor), Cope‟s gray treefrogs
(Hyla chrysoscelis), and American toads (Bufo americanus) were heard (Figure 64).
Page 91
2009 Conservation Program Report