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2 WILDLIFE MONITORING PROGRAM <br /> 2.1 Goals <br /> The goals of the Wildlife Monitoring Program at the Nelson Wetland are to: <br /> 1. Gather pre-restoration baseline data and post-restoration data in order to draw general <br /> conclusions about the effect of the restoration on wildlife; <br /> 2. Assess the success of the restoration and management technique in order to facilitate adaptive <br /> management. <br /> 2.2 Target Species <br /> The focus of this wildlife monitoring program is the systematic collection of targeted wildlife data. <br /> Detailed and standardized data are required for measuring animal populations in order to assess <br /> changes and trends. <br /> Wildlife is a useful indicator because it responds to the quantity and quality of available habitat. The <br /> presence or absence of particular animals sheds light on the ecological health of a site or landscape. <br /> While vegetation is relatively fixed and easy to survey,animals are more difficult to study because they <br /> move, may be intermittently present,or are secretive or active at night. For this reason,three easily- <br /> detected categories of wildlife were selected for monitoring: <br /> • Birds, <br /> • Dragonflies and damselflies, <br /> • Frogs and toads. <br /> Birds are relatively abundant, identifiable by trained non-experts,and indicators of habitat quantity and <br /> quality. Bird surveys are conducted at an established sampling point(Exhibit 1). Detailed bird <br /> monitoring protocols are in Section 2.4.1. <br /> As plentiful food for many animals and as pollinators of plants,insects are a vital component of overall <br /> ecosystem health. However,their small size, mobility,and challenging identification features make <br /> insect populations difficult to monitor. Dragonflies and damselflies, however,are useful as indicators of <br /> insect activity because they are abroad in the daytime,there are a limited number of species, and good <br /> identification guides exist. Detailed insect monitoring protocols are in Section 2.4.2. <br /> Frogs and toads are also relatively easy to monitor. Amphibians are known to be sensitive to <br /> environmental changes and therefore useful as indicators of habitat quality. Frog and toad surveys will <br /> be conducted at one amphibian monitoring point. This monitoring point was selected for proximity to <br /> open water expected to be present during the frog and toad breeding season (April 15-July 10). Detailed <br /> frog and toad monitoring protocols are in Section 2.4.3. <br /> For birds,dragonflies and damselflies, all individuals and species seen (in the case of birds, heard)will be <br /> counted. Frogs can be difficult to see, but calls are easily heard and the location of calls mapped. <br /> 21 Page <br />