Bat Conservation Interns Hard at Work

Bronson Curry and Jackie Jeffery are spending their summer studying the northern yellow bat as part of a full-time bat conservation internship with Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section.  Primarily working on the barrier islands of Georgia, the interns have been working 10-hour-plus days, doing everything from mist-netting bats, taking Anabat samples, searching for bat roosts, and conducting radio-telemetry and data entry in various conditions.  The following blog post is an account of their experiences at the start of the internship.

Blog post by: Bronson Curry, Bat Conservation Intern

One of the northern yellow bats the interns have been tracking.

After arriving at the Sapelo Island ferry dock in the afternoon and crossing the waterway, our bat conservation internship began with a crash course in mist netting and island botany. Over the next few days, we caught several species of bats, but no yellows — meaning our plastic bag of transmitters (tiny beacons weighing less than a gram each) remained sealed and our telemetry equipment rested in the back of the truck. For over a week we opened our nets each night, hoping to find a yellow bat, but found none. With the full moon and temperatures in the low 60s, conditions were not ideal for netting on the Georgia coast. For two nights in a row we closed our nets without a single bat capture.

There are two islands on our list to visit this summer, so we decided it was time to try our luck on Little St. Simons. We came over on the afternoon ferry, and were soon on our way to a small pond where bats had been caught before. We put up our nets with renewed hope, and didn’t have to wait long. The first bat to run into our nets was the prize we’d been seeking: a northern yellow bat: Lasiurus intermedius.

Interns Jackie Jeffery and Bronson Curry work in the dark of night to place a transmitter on a yellow bat.

We attached a transmitter to the bat, and then he was on his way again. The device emitted a regular pulse that came through our receiver as a steady beep. The next day, we followed the signal into the woods, until we reached the source: an arching live oak branch thickly draped with Spanish moss. Our bat had found a safe place to sleep until nightfall, and we had our first point of data.

The following night brought us two more yellow bats, and soon two more transmitters were active and chirping away. We shouldered our collapsible antennas and headed out to begin the second phase of our project, tracking the bats back to their day-roosts. Soon it was time to split up; one crewmember remained on Little St. Simons to track the bats already tagged, while the others returned to Sapelo to take up the search again. Shortly, another transmitter went live on Sapelo. We are now tracking four individuals to during the day and continue our efforts to catch more during the night. We hope to learn more about this unique bat as we also learn first-hand about the unique ecology and beauty of Georgia’s barrier islands.

Note: The interns are now tracking five northern yellow bats total.

Lake Sturgeon Inhabiting Native Waters Again

Fisheries Technician Tracy Feltman holds a lake sturgeon recently collected on the Coosa River. This particular individual was 7 years old, almost 30 inches long and weighed 7 lbs.

Thanks to Georgia Department of Natural Resources stocking efforts, lake sturgeon are once again inhabiting their native waters in the Coosa River basin.

Wiped out in the 1960s, this prehistoric looking, shark-like fish made its return to Georgia waters in 2002 when the DNR began the re-stocking effort. When fully-grown, these fish can be over 6 feet long and weigh 50-100 lbs. or more!

Last year, Georgia received national recognition when awarded a “2010 Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Access Award-Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction in Georgia” by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section. The project will benefit anglers in Georgia and Alabama with its far sighted and far reaching efforts to re-establish lake sturgeon.

Sturgeon have a slow growth rate, so biologists do not expect allowable harvest of these fish until at least 2027. However, ongoing monitoring on the Coosa River indicates that these fish seem to be doing well, and as the picture shows, some of the sturgeon are beginning to grow to a decent size!

If you catch a sturgeon, please contact the Calhoun Wildlife Resources Division office at 706-642-1161 to report the location from which the sturgeon was caught. Such information is helpful to biologists assessing the survival of these magnificent sport fish.

For more information on lake sturgeon, visit www.georgiawildife.com/Fisheries/LakeSturgeon.

Hellbender ‘Re-discovered’ in Northwest Georgia

Hunter Owens with the hellbender he caught while fishing in a Northwest Georgia stream.

Young Hunter Owens of East Ridge, Tenn. got a surprise while fishing for catfish in a stream near Ringgold, Ga., last December. Although Hunter didn’t catch a record-sized catfish, what he did catch raised the eyebrows of many herpetologists.

“I thought I had just snagged my line on some trash or a stick, but after I reeled in my line, I knew that I had caught something special,” the 14-year-old said. “I was going to put it back, but thought that someone needed to see this.”

That something was a 16-inch-long hellbender, the largest species of salamander in North America, which can grow up to 2 feet in length!

Even more noteworthy was where the hellbender was found. It is the first hellbender documented from a stream in northwest Georgia since 1959.

Biologists from DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section had already planned to survey this area for hellbenders, as part of a long-term monitoring effort started last year. But this notable “re-discovery” has made the mission more encouraging.

“Although 16 inches makes for a large salamander, this is actually a moderately-sized hellbender, which suggests there has been successful reproduction where this individual was found,” said Thomas Floyd, the DNR herpetologist leading the hellbender project. “There is likely a thriving population at this location that has previously evaded notice.”

Hunter’s hellbender recently served as an ambassador for the species in an exhibit at the 2012 Weekend for Wildlife, an annual fundraiser benefitting conservation of rare wildlife across Georgia, and will be released back into the stream where Hunter caught it.

Hellbenders are a protected species in Georgia. Anglers or others who inadvertently catch one should photograph the creature for documentation (if possible!), then immediately release it back into the stream and report it to the DNR (thomas.floyd@dnr.state.ga.us; 478-994-1478).

Both North American hellbender subspecies have experienced widespread declines, largely because of decreasing habitat. The eastern hellbender, the subspecies found in Georgia, has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Ozark hellbender, found in the White River system in Missouri and Arkansas, was listed as endangered last year.

Note: Special thanks to Wildlife Biologist Thomas Floyd and Communications/Outreach Specialist Rick Lavender for their contributions to this blog entry.

Share the Beach on Your Vacation

Snapshots of adults, eggs and chicks of four protected species. From left, American oystercatcher, Wilson’s plover, least tern and black skimmer.

As you plan your spring break and summer vacations to Georgia’s coast, remember that your family won’t be the only ones enjoying the beach.  As the weather warms up, many coastal areas of Georgia will provide prime nesting sites for a variety of protected birds, such as American oystercatchers, Wilson’s plovers and least terns.

Beach-nesting birds nest above the high-tide line on wide, terraced beach flats or in the edge of dunes. From April thru July, birds lay eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand, which can be hard to spot. After hatching, chicks also stay well hidden on the beach or in the grass. Disturbance by humans or pets can cause adult birds to abandon nests and chicks, exposing them to extreme heat and predators.

What are some things you can do when visiting a Georgia beach?

• Stay in high-traffic areas; birds are less likely to nest where crowds gather
• Walk below the high-tide line or on wet-sand beaches.
• Avoid posted nesting sites.
• Observe beach birds only from a distance. Back away from any nesting birds you accidentally disturb. (Adults frightened from a nest will often call loudly and exhibit distraction displays, such as dragging one wing as if it’s broken.)
• Leave dogs at home or keep them on a leash when visiting a beach where they’re allowed. (Owners who let their dogs chase shorebirds can be fined for harassing federally protected species.)
• Keep house cats indoors, and don’t feed feral cats.

Enjoy this video highlighting the coastal birds of Georgia, and view photos of Georgia’s birds on the Wildlife Resources Division Flickr page!

Torching Habitat to Help it

What do blow torches have to do with mountain bogs?  Habitat restoration.

Mountain bogs are one of the most critically endangered habitats of the Southern Appalachians.  A primary threat to these habitats is the encroachment of trees and shrubs. This eventually creates too much shade for rare bog plants and

Torching is being tested as one of the techniques in managing the encroachment of shrubs in mountain bog habitats.

animals, which need full sunlight to survive. Torching is a technique used to manage the overgrowth of shrubs in these environments.

Torching stresses stemmed plants and encourages them to use vital stored carbohydrates to repair damage after the initial cutting. It may also create wounds in the plant’s bark and outer defenses, introducing pathogens.  This should slow the regrowth of woody plants, making future bog management less expensive and labor intensive.

An eight-year study by Wildlife Resources Division researchers is testing the effectiveness of techniques used to restore and manage mountain bogs. WRD is working on three sites in Rabun and Union counties.  A recent test conducted at Rabun County site used propane torches to blister stems of woody resprouts.

Many pitcherplants are thriving in the restored areas of the Rabun County mountain bog.

The Rabun County bog on the Chattahoochee National Forest has already undergone quite a transformation, due to torching and other efforts of the Wildlife Resources Division, U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance.  Many species of endangered plants, such as purple mountain pitcherplants, swamp pinks, Canada burnet and Cuthbert’s turtlehead, have been introduced into the environment, and many of these mountain bog plants are doing extremely well!

This site was once inhabited by federally threatened bog turtles. It is hoped these rare turtles can be reintroduced to the bog as part of an on-going bog turtle headstart program, once restoration is complete.

Old Road, New Lot Opening Door to More of Dawson Forest

Good news for all who hunt, fish, bird, hike or paddle at Dawson Forest: The wildlife management area near

A look at some of the work and expansion that has taken place at the Dawson Forest WMA.

Dawsonville will soon be more accessible and safer!

A road closed since 2004 and reaching 4,700 acres of the WMA has been re-opened thanks to a partnership between DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, the National Wild Turkey Federation, a local landowner and Dawson County. The effort led to the purchase of a small tract under the federation’s “More Places to Hunt” program. (The acquisition restored use of Stone Place Court, off Steele Bridge Road).

But there’s more.

The Wildlife Resources Division and Mountain Stewards are using a $70,000 National Recreational Trails grant to expand parking at the Amicalola River Access Site.

The popularity of the site, which offers everything from fishing spots and a half-mile trail for the handicapped, to Class 3 rapids for kayakers and canoeists, has created a problem. When the lot fills, some people park along Ga. 53, which is unsafe.

Because of the parking situation, the parking lot will be revamped to add room 36 spaces, covered with a water-permeable surface (EnviroGrid-20), and bolstered against erosion and runoff with a retaining wall and Filtrexx Soxx.

This work will benefit all who use Dawson Forest, a 25,000-acre WMA packed with outdoor opportunities. Come see for yourself!

Note:  The Dawson Forest WMA covers 25,000 acres and offers many recreational opportunities including; hunting (deer, turkey, small game, dove and waterfowl), fishing, canoe access points, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bird-watching, wildlife observation and picnicking.

Special thanks to Ken Riddleberger, regional game management supervisor for the Wildlife Resources Division’s Region 2, for his contributions to this post.