Stephen C. Trombulak

Twentieth-century climate change in New England and New York, USA

[1]xa0We have analyzed twentieth-century temperature data from 73 climate stations in New England and New York. Linear regression gives a 100-year temperature change (ΔT100) for each station. All but two stations show an increase over this time, giving a regional area-weighted average ΔT100 of 1.11°C. Average ΔT100 values for each state are all positive, ranging from 0.86°C to 1.86°C. Spatial autocorrelation analysis reveals a southeastern New England cluster of stations with relatively large ΔT100, and a cluster in western New York with low but still positive ΔT100. Thus, at differing spatial scales, temperature in this region increased during the twentieth century, in most cases by more than the global average increase of some 0.6°C during this same period. Our results contrast markedly with the New England Regional Assessment, and may have implications for other regional assessments undertaken under the auspices of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

POPULATION TRENDS OF WINTERING BATS IN VERMONT

Abstract We report the results of all readily available inventories of wintering bats in Vermont. Surveys at 23 hibernacula were compiled from the literature and unpublished data of numerous biologists and cavers. The earliest Vermont records date back to 1934. Only five hibernacula were systematically surveyed for more than 45 years. Despite data limitations, several trends have emerged. Since the 1930s, wintering populations of Myotis sodalis have dramatically declined; wintering populations of M. lucifugus have increased; and wintering populations of all other Vermont species (M. leibii, M. septentrionalis, Eptesicus fuscus, and Pipistrellus subflavus) have remained small.

Assessing Irreplaceability for Systematic Conservation Planning

Systematic conservation planning requires that locations targeted for conservation action be prioritized, which can be difficult when planning across large landscapes because the possible sets of locations and conservation goals are all so large. These difficulties can be overcome with the use of computer programs that can handle large volumes of data and can identify sets of locations (called ‘solutions’) that achieve specified conservation goals. I describe the efforts of the conservation organization Two Countries, One Forest to identify priority locations in the Northern Appalachian/Acadian ecoregion using MARXAN to classify locations based on the number of times they are included in a solution. Priority scores range from highly irreplaceable (almost always required) to highly replaceable (almost never required). Conservation goals encompassed ecosystems, threatened and endangered species, geophysical landscape features, and focal carnivores. The amount of land at any particular level of priority varied depending on the target level set for each goal (ranging from low to high); however, target levels had only a small effect on the amount of highly irreplaceable lands (10.4–13.5% of the ecoregion), which were largely associated with existing conservation lands. Other lands also contribute to achieving regional conservation goals, but are generally interchangeable, providing flexibility for integrating conservation planning with broad public engagement.

Distribution of Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) with Respect to Cover-Object Characteristics in the Green Mountains of Vermont

Abstract We examined the distribution of Plethodon cinereus (Red-backed Salamander) with respect to cover-object type in the Green Mountains of Vermont by exploring their distribution under cover objects relative to the total availability of cover objects on the forest floor. We conducted cover-object searches in sixteen 50-m transects in forest stands >50 years old to explore the distribution of large (>3.47 cm snout-vent length) and small (<3.47 cm snout-vent length) salamanders with respect to object material, size, and texture. There were more salamanders than would be expected by chance under rocks and fewer under woody objects (branches and logs). Salamander counts were higher than would be expected under large cover objects and lower under small ones. Our results also indicate that salamanders were more common than would be expected under fibrous woody objects and less common under solid ones. Finally, we found that large salamanders were more common than would be expected under rocks, while small salamanders were more common under woody objects. These results could have important implications for improving the recovery of salamanders following forest management applications.