RECOMMENDATIONS 



Surveys. Monitoring and Research 



1) All incidental sightings of amphibians and reptiles from the HNF should be recorded and 

 forwarded to the Natural Heritage Program, which is the central depository for amphibian survey 

 and monitoring data from Montana in cooperation with the regional Declining Amphibian Task 

 Force. For the Spotted Frog, only breeding locations are necessary to record. A half-day training 

 session for biologists (including seasonal employees) and other interested field people in May 

 would raise awareness of this data need, and provide the training required for accurate 

 identification of animals observed. 



2) Special efforts should be made to increase our knowledge of the range and biology of those 

 species which are either uncommon (Tailed Frog, Western Toad) or for which no records exist 

 within the Forest (Western Chorus Frog, Woodhouse's Toad, Plains Spadefoot, Northern 

 Leopard Frog, Painted Turtle, Spiny Softshell, Short-homed Lizard, Rubber Boa, Milk Snake, 

 Gopher Snake, and Prairie Rattlesnake). One of the most efficient ways of accomplishing these 

 objectives is to encourage individuals to fill out incidental sighting reports and submit them to 

 the Montana Natural Heritage Program for entry into the species database. Certainly all Tailed 

 Frogs (larvae and adults) found during fisheries surveys should be recorded; this is the most 

 efficient way to get data on this species. 



3) Due to the time constraints and the large area covered in the 1995 survey, it should not be 

 regarded as a definitive index of all the herptiles or their distribution on the HNF. The secretive 

 habits of many amphibians and reptiles, and our lack of knowledge regarding their reproductive 

 behavior makes it difficult to assess their overall status. We recommend that additional surveys 

 be conducted, concentrating on: A) potential Western Toad and Northern Leopard Frog breeding 

 sites; B) low-elevation, xeric habitats (including wetlands within this matrix) for reptiles and 

 plains-dwelling amphibians; and C) gathering additional distribution information from the Big 

 Belt, Elkhom and Dry ranges. 



4) Begin a monitoring program, surs'eying the two known Western Frog breeding sites, and the 

 beaver pond on a tributary of Beaver Creek where large numbers of Spotted Frogs and Long-toed 

 Salamanders breed. This should be a twice-yearly monitoring, once in late spring to determine if 

 breeding took place and once in mid-late summer to check if larva are successfully transforming. 

 Monitoring of Tailed Frogs could be done in conjunction with fish monitoring by electro- 

 shocking, when sites are more well kno\Mi. When more breeding locations for amphibians are 

 known in the Elkhorns and Big Belts, long-term monitoring of typical marsh-pond habitats 

 should be set up at several sites in order to evaluate relative numbers and breeding success of the 

 more common species: Long-toed Salamander, Spotted Frog, Western Toad, Western Terrestrial 

 Garter Snake, and Common Garter Snake. Particular attention needs to be given to any Western 

 Toad and Northern Leopard Frog breeding sites found. 



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