Rare & Endangered Species

The East Quabbin Area is home to a surprising number of species considered by the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program to be Rare or Endangered. In a sense, these species are the most important to document, as they're already at the edge of their local existence, they are often dependant upon unusual and specific natural communities, they have the benefit of real protection by state and federal law if properly documented, and their protection will result in the protection of a wide array of peripheral species.

The Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) is an annex of the Massachusetts Department Fisheries & Wildlife, and is responsible for the conservation and protection of the state's non-game species, especially those species at risk of extinction or extirpation. The main tools used to achieve these goals are Biological Field Surveys, Research and Inventory, Data Management, Environmental Impact Review, Rare Species Recovery, Ecological Restoration of Key Habitats, and Land Protection. NHESP is also responsible for determining the status of rare species in the state, and status is divided into one of four categories:

- Watchlist: A species of concern that is either approaching a Special Concern status, or that needs more population data.

The proper documentation of an Endangered Species observation is the only way to provide legal protection to the rare plant or animal observed. All properly documented observations need to be submitted to NHESP, and once Heritage receives this documentation, the observation is mapped and tracked. From here the record is used for research, guiding land acquisition decisions, and perhaps most important, providing a legal protection to that species and its population's habitat. A properly documented rare species occurrence ensures that NHESP will be notified of all work done within that species' local habitat, and NHESP will have the opportunity to make legally binding recommendations to how that work is able to proceed. This does NOT mean that no work will be able to commence within the habitat, but it does mean that the work will be facilited in a way to also protect the habitat.

The submission of rare species records to Natural Heritage is one of the easiest ways to make a real contribution to conservation. The following is a step-by-step example of the submission process.

1) You're walking along Muddy Brook in Hardwick and you see a Wood Turtle basking on the streak bank. This is a Species of Special Concern in Massachusetts and should be documented.

2) Before anything else, take out your camera and snap a good photo that shows its diagnostic features. It may sound presumptuous to assume that you have a camera with you, but knowing that just about everyone now has at least a cheap digital camera, you should really have it with you whenever you go out on a hike, and you should keep it in your car when driving around. That's why you have a camera. From now on, keep your cameras handy so you can use them. Records from the general public without photos, with the exception of some very diagnostic calling birds, often have to be rejected. However, records with a good photo will be accepted if the photo shows the species clearly.

3) If you have your field notebook with you, take notes of your observation. Make a written description of the turtle to go along with the photo: markings and size; sex and relative age if known. Note the habitat of the observation: meadow or forest; upland or wetland; the plant community (dominant plant species). Describe the waterway: fast riffles or deep pools in the immediate area. Describe the habit of the waterway over the course of 1/2 mile up and downstream. Also make a note of directions to the site based on nearby roads and landmarks. If you don't have your field notebook with you, carefully make mental notes of all of these things.

4) Fill out a field form as soon as possible. Standardized field forms are found on the NHESP web site at...

Be as thorough as possible when filling out this form. The NHESP does not have adequate field staff to follow up on public observations, so it's very important to give biologists enough information to confidently varify your observation, locate your observation on a map, and determine the extent of the habitat used by that species. Photos are great, but the text is also very, very useful. Fill out the form as if you were describing an animal that the reader will never see in a place they will never visit - there's a good chance that this will be the case.

5) Sign the form, include your photo and a clearly marked copy of a topographical map, and send it all in to the Natural Heritage Program at ...

attn: rare species form
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife,
Rte 135, Westborough, MA 01581

6) Feel good about yourself for your part in helping this species to remain a part of our landscape for our, and its, future generations.

If you're able to identify the species that you're looking at, the easiest way of knowing whether or not it's state-listed is by looking at the NHESP's list of state-listed species at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhrare.htm. This is a great list, because most of the species are linked to fact sheets describing their identification, life history and status.

If you're not immediately able to identify the species that you're observing, here's a quick filter to consider:

1) If your animal is a TURTLE that you haven’t seen before, you might be on to something. Rare turtles are the taxa of state-listed species that the public most often encounters. There are two Species of Special Concern and one Watchlist turtles in the area:

- Wood Turtle: Dark, semi-terrestrial turtles with orange necks and a distinctive shell with pyramid-like ridges. Found in forests, meadows and crossing roads in the vicinity of perennial streams. Special Concern.

- Spotted Turtle: A mostly aquatic turtle similar in size and shape to our common Painted Turtle, but marked with distinctive yellow spots on an otherwise dark shell. Found basking in wetlands and crossing roads. Watchlist.

2) If your animal is a BIRD, then chances are the species is not state-listed. However, one group, marshbirds, include several state-listed species: American Bittern, Least Bittern, Pied-billed Grebe, King Rail and Common Moorhen. Others, such as Sora and Marsh Wren are growing increasingly rare and should also be documented with Heritage. Collectively, this group is often referred to as the "Secretive Marshbirds", meaning that they are seldome seen, but instead documented by their distinctive calls.

Remeber that all of our state-listed birds are at least somewhat migratory, and all are possible in our area at various times during the year. In fact, some of our state-listed birds can be quite common in our area during migration (ie; Blackpoll Warbler). For this reason, NHESP can only accept breeding records of these birds. This doesn't mean that you need to find the bird's nest, but the bird does have to be present during the breeding season in suitable breeding habitat. For marshbirds and Grasshopper Sparrow, the breeding window is approximately 01 May to 15 August.

But don't forget, just because a bird isn't a state-listed species doesn't mean that the observation isn't important (see 'Monitoring' above). Please submit your bird sightings to dryoptera@yahoo.com.

3) If your animal is a SALAMADER, then it may be worth a second look. There are four state-listed salamanders possible in the East Quabbin Area: Marbled, Jefferson, Blue-spotted and Four-toed Salamanders (Watchlist).

Marbled, Jefferson and Blue-spotted Salamanders are all related and considered mole salamanders because of their habit of living in underground burrows. These are large, striking salamanders that rely exclusively upon vernal pools for sucessful breeding. They are closely related to the Spotted Salamnder - a somewhat more common salamander of the area indicitive of vernal pools. All are Species of Special Concern.

The Four-toed Salamander is a much smaller salamander of a pewter color that inhabits wetlands with hummocks of sphagmun moss.