An amphibian survey of breeding habitat in the montane and subalpine subregions of the Oldman, Crowsnest and Castle River drainages was carried out in 2001. The survey was designed to collect...
Description
An amphibian survey of breeding habitat in the montane and subalpine subregions of the Oldman, Crowsnest and Castle River drainages was carried out in 2001. The survey was designed to collect information on occurrence of breeding ponds for long-toed salamander and Columbia spotted frog, and also provided information on western toad and tiger salamander. Threats to subalpine and montane amphibian populations were identified. They included fish stocking, loss of wetlands, degradation and loss of terrestrial habitat, and all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) use in breeding ponds. Project recommendations include long-term monitoring with a repeat of this survey in 5 years, establishment of a Researching Amphibian Numbers in Alberta (RANA) site in the Castle drainage, maintenance of buffers around breeding ponds, rerouting of ATV trails, and research on long-toed salamanders in fish bearing vs. nonfish-bearing ponds.