Conservation Guidelines for
Nongame Wildlife in Maryland
James M. McCann
MD Dept. Natural Resources
Natural Heritage Program
What is Jim going to talk about?
• Overview of nongame wildlife diversity
• Species/habitat conservation priorities
• Causes of decline and extinction
• Habitat conservation guidelines
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Forests
Streams
Unique/rare habitats
Grasslands
Early successional habitats
Backyards
Maryland’s Amazing Wildlife Diversity
Rarity as an indicator of extinction risk
Rarity and extinction risk
tend to be closely related
and influenced by three
main factors:
1. Range
2. Population size
3. Habitat specificity
MD DNR
Natural Heritage Program
• MD NHP tracks status of ~1,100 species of native plants
and animals as well as distinct natural communities
• 607 species (439 plants, 168 animals) state listed as In
Need of Conservation, Threatened, Endangered, or
Endangered Extirpated
• Listed under the state law “Nongame and Endangered
Species Conservation Act”
Species Status Review Criteria
Factor Category Factor
Rarity (0.5)
Range extent
Area of occupancy
Population size
No. occurrences/populations
No. occurrences with good viability
Environmental specificity
Trends (0.3)
Short-term (contemporary)
Long-term (historical)
Threats (0.2)
Threats analysis (scope, severity,
immediacy)
Intrinsic vulnerability
Species Statuses
State Rank
State Legal Status
S1 – Highly State Rare
Endangered/Extirpated
S2 – State Rare
Endangered
S3 – Watchlist
Threatened
S4 – Apparently Secure
In Need of Conservation
S5 – Demonstrably Secure
SH - Historical
SX - Extirpated
Black Rail
(Natureserve 2013)
Proportion of state and globally rare animal species
in Maryland by taxonomic group
90
80
% Globally Rare
70
% State Rare
% species
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
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Summary of no. state rare, threatened and endangered
bird species by physiographic region and breeding habitat.
Physiographic Region1
Breeding Habitat
AP
RV
PD
UCP
LCP
Total
Forest
22
10
8
3
4
23
Shrubland
3
2
0
0
1
4
Grassland
6
7
7
4
4
9
Nontidal wetland
13
5
12
11
10
22
Tidal wetland
--
--
--
27
43
43
Total
38
23
27
33
49
1Physiograhic
regions: AP=Allegheny Plateau, RV=Ridge & Valley,
PD=Piedmont, UCP=Upper Coastal Plain, LCP=Lower Coastal Plain
Putting Priority Species to Work
Priority species help set
priorities for…
Photo by George Jett
• Land acquisition
• Conservation easements
• Habitat restoration/mgt
• Ecosystem protection
• Monitoring & research
Photo by George Jett
How many species have we lost?
• 111 plant species
• 23 animal species
GONE…
Passenger Pigeon
Carolina Parakeet
Heath Hen
Gray Wolf
Swainson’s Thrush
Photo by Ken Schneider
Virginia Northern
Flying Squirrel
Photo courtesy USFWS Natl
Digital Library
Snowshoe Hare
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Hessel’s Hairstreak
Extinct/Extirpated Species
Others?
Mountain Chorus Frog
(Pseudacris brachyphona)
Maryland Darter
(Etheostoma sellare)
Maryland’s State-Listed Animals (168 sp)
Fish
Amphibians
19
8
Reptiles
11
74
32
Birds
Invertebrates
24
Mammals
Primary Threats and Causes of Decline
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Habitat loss, degradation & fragmentation
Invasive species
Climate change
Loss of natural disturbance regimes (e.g.,
periodic fires)
• Pollution/toxins
• Disease
• Illegal collecting/overexploitation
Forest Fragmentation
- 41% of MD forest cover is gone
- MD loses >9500 forest ac/yr to
suburban sprawl
Edge Effects
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Lower native plant diversity
More invasive plant species
Lower forest bird reproduction
Fewer forest insect pollinators
Lower diversity of other wildlife
groups (salamanders, land
snails, etc.)
• Edge avoidance by some
species
Southern Rock Vole
(Microtus chrotorrhinus carolinensis)
Stonecat
(Noturus flavus)
Eastern Hellbender
(Crytobranchus alleganiensis)
Photo courtesy OH Dept. Natural Resources
4th Hellbender Symposium,
Kentucky June 23, 2009
Allegheny Woodrat
(Neotoma magister)
Green Floater
(Lasmigona subviridis)
Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle
(Cicindela patruela)
Olympia Marble
(Euchloe olympia)
Bog Turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii)
Barking Treefrog (Hyla gratiosa)
Swainson’s Warbler
(Limnothlypis swainsonii)
Photo by Carol Foil
Frosted Elfin
(Calloprhys irus)
Wild Lupine
(Lupinus perennis)
Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis)
Sea-level rise projection for Dorchester Co.
by 2100
Oak Beauty Moth (Phaeoura quernaria)
Photo by Mary Keim
Insect biodiversity…not an option
• Plant-eating insects can only eat plants with which they’ve coevolved
• 90% of all plant-eating insects can only feed on plants from 3
or fewer plant families
• Most can only survive on just a few closely related plant
species
• Native plants support a far greater diversity and number of
insects than non-native plants; e.g., oaks in mid-Atlantic = 557
moth species
• Greater native plant diversity = greater insect diversity = more
diverse, abundant and reliable food sources for insect-eating
species = greater biodiversity and ecosystem services
What can we as landowners do?
Protect your land in perpetuity.
Don’t contribute to sprawl.
Forested Habitats
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Minimize forest fragmentation
Avoid permanent forest openings & roads
Minimize length, number & width of roads
Maintain canopy closure over roads
Maintain 300 foot no-cut riparian buffers
Reserve some areas as future old-growth
Favor uneven-aged management (use single-tree &
small group selection), longer rotations
Control invasive species
Reduce deer densities
Photo by NJ Birds
American Redstart
Protect Streams and Riparian Forests
• Maintain/restore forested riparian floodplains and buffers
• No disturbance buffer of > 300’
• Keep livestock and ATV’s out
Mtn Dusky Salamander
Photo courtesy Mark Tegges
Louisiana
Waterthrush
Photo courtesy W. H. Majoros
Protect unique or sensitive habitats
● Rock outcrops
● Cliffs
● Talus slopes
Maintain forested buffers around
these unique habitats
Protect unique or sensitive habitats
Shale Barren
Fen/Wet Sedge Meadow
Seepage Wetlands
Delmarva Bays & Vernal Pools
Tiger Salamander
Marbled Salamander
Barking Treefrog
Carpenter Frog
Spotted
Salamander
Photo courtesy John White
Delmarva Bays & Vernal Pools
January
June
- Seasonally flooded nontidal wetlands
- No fish = amphibian breeding pond
Life Zones
Pond
Timber Harvest Guidelines for
Delmarva Bays & Vernal Pools
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Conservation Zone 1: wetland plus 100 ft buffer
- No timber harvesting
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Conservation Zone 2: wetland plus 500 ft buffer
- > 75% of buffer should always contain pole-sized (> 10” dbh) or larger
trees
- favor long rotations
- maintain ≥70 ft2/acre basal area
- ≥ 50% hardwoods
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Maintain uncut or lightly cut
forest corridors between wetlands
Grasslands
• Serpentine grasslands
• Limestone glades
• Oak savannas
Grassland Birds
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Suite of 15 bird species
Minimum of 10 acres, some species require 100’s of acres
Habitat shape important – minimize edge, circles or squares vs. narrow
rectangles
Avoid mowing/prescribed burns during at least May-July (April-August
if possible)
Rotate areas for mowing/prescribed burns to provide different
grassland conditions
Maintain soft edges around field borders
Bobolink
Photo courtesy USFWS Natl Digital Library
Eastern Meadowlark
Henslow’s Sparrow
Photo courtesy Ken Schneider
Early Successional Habitat
Early Successional Habitat
Early Successional Habitat
Early Successional Habitat
Early Successional Habitat
• Allow natural succession to occur in existing fields
and openings
• Let beavers do the work
• Create soft edges (avoid hard edges)
• Consider prescribed burns as a mgt tool
• Timber harvesting
minimize fragmentation
Photo by George Jett
focus near existing edges
retain some canopy trees, snags and slash in
harvest area
control invasive plants
Backyard Management
BACKYARD CONSERVATION PRACTICES
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Minimize grass/turf cover in favor of native
vegetation
Landscape with locally native plants
Provide variety of wildlife food sources and cover
Provide snags, downed logs, brush piles
Bird feeders, bird baths
Provide habitat for pollinators, butterflies
Install variety of wildlife nest boxes and platforms
Keep cats indoors
Check out MD DNR’s “WILD ACRES PROGRAM”
for lots of ideas!
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wildacres.asp
A few more recommendations…
• Control deer populations at or below K (< 20/sq. mile)
• Prevent establishment of invasive species, eradicate
them before they spread
• Don’t let your ATV become a toy of destruction
• Create soft forest-field edges
• Know when not to “manage”
• Think beyond your property (surrounding landscape
conditions) when considering mgt objectives
Protect your land in perpetuity.
Don’t contribute to sprawl.
The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an
animal or plant, "What good is it?"
Aldo Leopold