1. Beaver Creation of Amphibian Breeding, Foraging, and Overwintering Habitat Bryce A. Maxell Interim Director / Senior Zoologist Montana Natural Heritage Program (406) 444-3655 bmaxell@mt.gov http://mtnhp.org Montana Wetland Council Meeting – January 6, 2011

2. Montana Amphibians & Reptiles that use Beaver Created Habitats

3. Complex Life Histories = Complex Use of Habitat Breeding ForagingWintering Managers Need to Consider Full Triangle of Habitats Required and Migration Corridors

4. Importance of Lentic Site Structure to Amphibian Habitat native overwintering native breeding/foraging

5. Powerpoint overview of Montana’s amphibian and reptile species, including identification, habitat use, site occupancy rates, and Maxent and CART model outputs: http://mtnhp.org/animal/presentations/060709_MT_Herps_ID_Status_files/frame.htm MT Amphibian and Reptile Status Assessment, Literature Review, and Conservation Plan: http://mtnhp.org/reports/Amphibian_Reptile_Conservation_Plan.pdf Montana Field Guide http://fieldguide.mt.gov/ Links to Resources on Montana’s Amphibians and Reptiles

6. Issues of Concern -Fish introduction -Piscicides -Bullfrogs -Water impoundments -Pest/Herbicides and Fertilizers -Heavy metals / mining -Loss of beaver Columbia Spotted Frog (Rana luteiventris) Habitat Use Breeding: -Temporary or permanent waters with emergent vegetation Foraging: -Aquatic margins and nearby terrestrial habitats Overwintering: -Deeper permanent water bodies and streams Migration: -Individuals are known to migrate up to 1.5 kilometers between foraging and breeding areas and disperse more than 7 kilometers Elevation: -Approximately tree line Migration Breeding Foraging Wintering Migration Elevation Distribution From Maxell (2009)

7. Issues of Concern -Regional Declines -Pathogens -Local population viability? -Roads -Exotic species -Grazing -Pest/Herbicides and Fertilizers Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens) Migration Breeding Foraging Wintering Migration Habitat Use Breeding: -Usually more permanent waters with emergent vegetation, but some ephemeral sites may be used Foraging: -Aquatic margins and nearby terrestrial habitats Overwintering: -Deeper permanent water bodies and streams Migration: -Individuals are known to migrate at least 1 kilometer between foraging and breeding areas and disperse up to 8 kilometers Elevation: -Up to 6,700 ft Elevation Distribution From Maxell (2009)

8. Western Painted Turtle Breeding Foraging Wintering

9. Site Origins

10. Funk et al. 2005. Population structure of Columbia Spotted Frogs (Rana luteiventris) is strongly affected by the landscape. Molecular Ecology 14:483-496. Issues of Gene Flow

13. Amish, S.J. 2006. Ecosystem engineering: beaver and the population structure of Columbia Spotted Frogs in western Montana. M.S. Thesis. University of Montana, Missoula, MT. 82 pp. + appendices Beaver and Population Structure of Columbia Spotted Frogs Beaver occupied watersheds had four times as many lentic and breeding sites as non-beaver watersheds Frog breeding sites were more evenly distributed across the elevation gradient in beaver occupied watersheds Beaver occupied watersheds showed higher levels of genetic connectivity (i.e. less genetic divergence between breeding sites and overall higher levels of genetic diversity) Lentic Site Differences Differences in Population Structure

19. Beaver, Willow, and Cattle Grazing in the Big Hole Valley 19422005

25. …one old male beaver, whom we fondly named "Geronimo,'" was dropped again and again on the flying field. Each time he scrambled out of the box, someone was on hand to pick him up. Poor fellow! He finally became resigned, and as soon as we approached him, would crawl back into his box ready to go aloft again. You may be sure that "Geronimo" had a priority reservation on the first ship into the hinterland, and that three young females went with him. Even there he stayed in the box for a long time after his harem was busy inspecting the new surroundings. However, his colony was later reported as very well established. In the fall of 1948, 76 live beavers were dropped with only one casualty. Heter, E. W. 1950. Transplanting beavers by airplane and parachute. Journal of Wildlife Management 14:143-147. Cost of Transplanting 4

26. Upcoming Webinars On Heritage Data Resources Title: Overview of MT Natural Heritage Program Data Resources Date: Tuesday January 25 th, 1-2 p.m. Instructor: Bryce Maxell, bmaxell@mt.gov Title: Wetland Data Resources Date: Tuesday February 15 th, 1-2 p.m. Instructor: Linda Vance, livance@mt.gov Title: Using the Natural Heritage Map Viewer and Tracker Applications to access animal, plant, species occurrence, land cover, and stewardship data Date: Wednesday February 23 rd, 1-2 p.m. Instructor: Allan Cox, acox@mt.gov http://mtnhp.org