Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2019

AUTHORS. Joshua C. Goble (student), Katrina A. Rosing (student), Kyle Van Dyne (alumni), Richard S. Phillips (professor) – Wittenberg University

ABSTRACT. Kirtland’s Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) is a state-threatened species in Ohio with a recent species assessment commenting on the paucity of data on the species. A critical component of determining species population status is the ability to effectively detect them. Beginning in the spring of 2017, coverboard and visual encounter surveys were conducted on recently retired farmland adjacent to a known Kirtland’s snake population. Forty aluminum tins (3’ * 4’) were placed at 15 m intervals along the edge of a-recently plowed (2017) field and the adjacent fallow field and monitored opportunistically. For each survey, substrate temperature, air temperature, and relative humidity, were recorded. We also recorded water table data from a nearby USGS well-site. For each capture, we collected weight, sex, svl, and total length. Animals > 8 grams were implanted with 8mm passive integrated transponders and released on site. Since April of 2017, at least 20 unique animals (13F, 6M, 1unk) were captured with an average weight of 25.2 grams (range 3.1 – 48 g) and an average svl of 27.6 cm (range 17.9 – 35.9), suggesting broad demographic representation. During the entire survey (63 total surveys), a total of 31 captures and recaptures have occurred. A total of 47 surveys yielded 10 captures in 2017. In 2018, 16 survey have yielded 10 captures, 7 recaptures, and 4 unmarked animals. Potential variables correlated with a two-fold increase in capture rates with 1/3 of the survey efforts are being investigated.