The history of rock climbing at the Obed Wild and Scenic Rivercan be traced back to the mid-1970s, around the time the park wasestablished by Congress. It was only in the 1990s, however, that the popularity of rock climbing at the Obed began to increase dramatically.During that decade large numbers of permanently bolted climbingroutes were established along Clear Creek and the Obed River. In theyear 2000, recognizing the need to examine the impacts of climbing on the park’s resources and to better manage those impacts, theNational Park Service placed a moratorium on the bolting of new routes and began the process of developing a climbing managementplan. Many were concerned because cliff faces are often home to rare and endemic species of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens.The final Climbing Management Plan became effective in July, 2002 and was the product of collaboration between the NPS, climbers, members of environmental groups, and other interested individuals. In order to better understand the effects of climbing, the ClimbingManagement Plan called for a study of the ecological communitiesexisting along the park’s cliffline. This study was conducted byresearchers from Appalachian State University and was completed in the spring of 2004. Researchers randomly designated transects alongsixteen bolted climbing routes throughout the park, and then pairedthese transects with immediately adjacent, unclimbed transects.

Appalachian Highlands Science Journal

National Park ServiceDepartment of the Interior

Welcome to the first issue of theAppalachian Highlands ScienceJournal. This magazine is a compila-tion of articles about natural and cultural research occurring in theparks of the Appalachian HighlandsMonitoring Network. It is produced incollaboration by the staffs of theAppalachian Highlands ScienceLearning Center, the AppalachianHighlands Inventory and MonitoringNetwork, the Southeast Exotic PlantManagement Team and the SouthernAppalachian Cooperative EcosystemsStudy Unit. These articles representjust a small sampling of research,management, and inventory andmonitoring projects occurring as aresult of the Natural ResourceChallenge, an NPS initiative toimprove science-based managementat our national parks. We hope youenjoy this collection of articles.

Susan Sachs, Education Coordinator,Appalachian Highlands ScienceLearning Center

Remarkably, mussels attract fishhosts by mimicking their appearanceand movements. These picturesshow two such displays by the wavy-rayed lampmussel (Lampsilis fasciola).Photo credit: Rachel Mair, Virginia Tech

The National Park Service teamed up with the Freshwater Mollusk

Conservation Center Photo credit: Jess Jones, USFWS

The female mussels are returned tothe river unharmed, to reproduce insubsequent years. The infested hostfish are held in tanks at controlledtemperatures until the larvae trans-form from the parasitic larval stageto the free-living juvenile stage.These juveniles are then placed inwater recirculating systems in alayer of fine sediment with dailyadditions of small unicellular algaeas their main diet. Once juvenilesgrow large enough to avoid beingconsumed by most invertebratepredators, they are released back

into the river, to fend for them-selves and to grow to adult-hood.

Although each gravidfemale may contain anywherebetween 1,000 and 100,000 larvae, research suggests that,under natural conditions, lessthan 1% of the larval musselsare able to find a fish host andeventually transform into juve-nile mussels. Hence, artificial propagation can dramaticallyincrease the successful recruitment of juvenilesinto the wild populations. During this exploratorystage of the project, more than 42,000 juveniles(from two weeks to six months of age) of four ofthe Endangered species were released to anextensive shoals area of the river, to augmentnatural reproduction at this site.

In 2004, the project focused on two of theEndangered mussel species with previously-iden-tified host fish. Experiments were conducted withjuveniles of the Cumberlandian combshell and littlewing pearlymussel to test various cultureconditions and improve survival within the recir-culating aquaculture systems. Survival rates can

The Impact of Rock Climbing at Obed Wild and Scenic River Matt Hudson

ccontinueontinued on page 2d on page 2

continued from page 11

Big South Fork NRRA RestoresEndangered Freshwater Mussels

differ greatly among broods, and the causes for this vari-ability continue to be evaluated through the manipulationof culture conditions.

Upon completion of these culture experiments,approximately 12,000 more juveniles were released to theriver. In 2005, host fish testing on the endangeredCumberland elktoe and the round pigtoe (Pleurobema sintoxia) were performed and previously unknown hostfish were discovered.

The Cumberlandian combshell was also propagated in2005 and 16,277 juveniles of this Endangered species werereleased into the Big South Fork.

Future plans include further release of Endangeredjuvenile mussels at sites selected by Park personnel. Infuture years, Propagation will be extended to additionalmussel species, including those that are now extirpated

from the Big SouthFork.

As part of itsInventory andMonitoring Program,the National ParkService is currentlydesigning a long-termplan to monitor theecological health ofthe Big South Forkand to track the status

of freshwater mussels over time, including those speciesthat are part of the mussel restoration effort. It will takeseveral years before the results of the recovery project areknown, but the documented success of such releases inother rivers engenders hope that these endangered musselpopulations will someday flourish again in the Big SouthFork.

As part of its Inventory and MonitoringProgram, the National Park Service is currently designing a long-term plan tomonitor the ecological health of the Big South Fork and to track the status offreshwater mussels over time, includingthose species that are part of the musselrestoration effort.

12

Figure 1. The life cycle of freshwater mussels, showing their development from parasitic larvae,called glochidia, on fish gills (often with particularmussel species dependent on specific fish hosts), to sedentary, filter-feeding adults.

In this issueAll Taxa Biodiversity Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Crayfish in the Obed Wild & Scenic River . . . 2

Larvae makes discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Natural Resource Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

A Plundered Rock Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Reptile and Amphibian Inventories . . . . . . . .6

Clifflines in Prehistory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Vegetation Mapping Underway . . . . . . . . . 10

Help Preserve Your Parks & Natural Areas . . .10

Big South Fork NRRA Restores Mussels . . . . .11

Design & Production by Karen Key & Jennifer Massengill, Great Smoky Mountains AssociationEdited by Steve Kemp & Susan Sachs

in America (DLIA) as well as annotated checklists for hundreds ofother species. Besides species endemic to the park, many invasiveexotic species have also been discovered, including the yellow fevermosquito (Aedes aegypti), fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), and severalspecies of Asian worms in the genus Amynthas that can completelyremove the important leaf litter layer on the forest floor, threatening wildflowers, salamanders, and other nativespecies.

Hundreds of scientists, volunteers, and school childrenhave contributed to this project, and work is being conducted on bacteria, archaea, and even viruses. Thisproject has highlighted the serious lack of scientific expertise in some groups, as for decades no studentsreplaced retiring specialists. The protocols and lessons learnedin the Smokies are already being applied in park sites throughout theU.S. and abroad, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Adirondack Park, and Nantucket Island.

On either side of the center line of each ofthe 32 transects, researchers sampled quadrantswhich were one meter square and at threemeter intervals along the face of the cliff.For each transect, quadrants were also sampledat specified intervals both on the horizontalsurface above the top of the cliff and along theslope beneath the base of the cliff. Within thesequadrants, researchers documented eachspecies present and the amount of surface areacovered by each species. Researchers also madenote of other environmental data relative toeach transect, including aspect, slope, surfaceheterogeneity of the rock face, presence orabsence of temporary or perennial seeps, presence or absence of overhanging roofs, andrelative amount of visible human disturbance.Statistical analysis was then used to identifypatterns in the data sets and to help distinguishthe impacts of climbing from variations that aremore highly attributable to other factors.

Based on the results of this analysis, thestudy makes several management recommenda-tions regarding climbing in the park. On cliff-faces beneath overhanging roofs, for example, researchers found a dramaticdecrease in the presence of all types of

Big South Fork NRRA RestoresEndangered Freshwater Mussels

Free living juvenile musselsPhoto Credit: Rachel Mair, Virginia Tech

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Impact of Rock Climbing at Obed Wild and Scenic River

velvet leaf blueberry, the 5,000th discovery for the ATBIPhoto credit: Heather MacCulloch

vegetation—a decrease which they suggest isattributable to the scarcity of direct sunlight and moisture. These areas are commonthroughout the park and are considered amongthe most desirable by many climbers. At least interms of the impact on plant life, the study sug-gests that climbing in these areas should presentno serious concerns. In most areas sampled,researchers found disturbance along the base ofthe cliff, and attributed this trampling to bothclimbers and hikers. The study indicates that itwould be beneficial to conduct more extensiveresearch in which undisturbed areas at the baseof the cliff would be compared with the moreheavily visited sites. The horizontal surface atthe top of the cliff was found simultaneously tohave the greatest diversity of plant species andto be the most sensitive to human disturbance.However, the fact that the top anchors for mostbolted routes are located below the upper edgeof the cliff is proving effective in protecting thisfragile environment.

In weighing the relative importance ofclimbing in the composition of cliffline vegeta-tion, researchers found that other factors suchas site, aspect, and presence or absence of roofswere far more significant than climbing, and at

Authors Rachel Mair, Research Specialist, Freshwater Mussel Conservation Center, Virginia Tech; Dr. Richard Neves, Professor of Fisheries,Virginia Tech; Steve Bakaletz, Wildlife Biologist, Big South Fork NRRA; and Robert Emmott, Coordinator, Appalachian Highlands I&M Network

In 1998, Great Smoky Mountains NationalPark and its partners in the scientific communi-ty launched an ambitious effort to documentevery species of plant, animal, and fungus within the park. Called the All Taxa BiodiversityInventory (ATBI), this 15- to 20-year effortaimed to produce checklists, distribution andabundance maps, databases, voucher speci-mens, and natural history web pages for each ofthe estimated 100,000 species in the park. Thisend product will help park managers proactive-ly manage the natural resources in anticipationof changing climate and other threats.

As of December 2006, 829 undescribedspecies have been found, as well as an addition-al 4,740 species never before recorded withinthe park. Over 430 species web pages have beenposted on the web site of partner Discover Life

The Big South Fork of the CumberlandRiver is one of the last and best remainingrefuges for freshwater mussels in theCumberland River watershed. It is an 18,000square mileregion whichstretches fromthe westernslope of theAppalachianMountainsnearly to themouth of theOhio River. Today, the Big South Fork provideshabitat for 26 mussel species, but in the earlypart of the twentieth century more than doublethat number lived in the river.

Historic collection records dating back tothe early 1900s document at least 55 species thatonce resided in the Big South Fork, includingfour federally-listed endangered species whichhave since disappeared from the river system.This modern decline in mussel species diversityhas been mirrored by steep declines throughoutthe southeastern U.S., where over 90% ofNorth America’s native mussel species occur.Impoundment of rivers, sedimentation fromland disturbance, and water pollution frommyriad sources have reduced available musselhabitat to a small fraction of what it once was.

Because the free-flowing section of riverwithin the Big South Fork National River andRecreation Area remains relatively intact, it hasbecome a resource of national significance forthe conservation of native freshwater mussels.In an effort to recover at least some of the mussel diversity that has been lost, the NationalPark Service has teamed up with a group offederal, state, and university partners. Workingwith the Freshwater Mollusk ConservationCenter at Virginia Tech, the group has devel-oped a mussel restoration plan which calls foraugmenting populations of the five federally-listed Endangered species currently found inthe river, including the Cumberland elktoe(Alasmidonta atropurpurea), Cumberlandiancombshell (Epioblasma brevidens), Cumberlandbean (Villosa trabalis), tan riffleshell(Epioblasma f. walkeri), and littlewing pearly-

mussel (Pegias fabula); and eventually restoringspecies now extirpated from the park, poten-tially including the federally-listed Endangeredclubshell (Pleurobema clava), cracking pearly-

mussel (Hemistena lata),dromedary pearlymussel(Dromus dromas), andorangefoot pimpleback(Plethobasus cooperianus).

A preliminaryresearch and feasibilitystudy in 2002-2003

provided essential information on host fishrequirements for the parasitic larvae (glochidia)of these species, and made it possible for juve-nile mussels to be experimentally produced andcultured in recirculating culture systems atVirginia Tech.

The laboratory propagation process beginswith the collection of gravid female musselsfrom the river. Larvae are removed withoutharm to the mussels and are induced to attachthemselves to the gills of suitable host fish.

Today, the Big South Fork provides habitat for 26 mussel species,but in theearly part of the twentieth century more than double that number lived inthe river.

continued on page 12

2 11

Parasitic mussel larvae on host fish Photo Credit: Rachel Mair, Virginia Tech

most locations in the park researchers found noclearly identifiable pattern suggestive of climb-ing-related impacts on cliff-dwelling plant communities. In some areas (at Lilly Bluff, forexample), the study states categorically thatthere is no effect of climbing on cliff-face vegetation. Because the vegetation varies so significantly from site to site, however,researchers were unable to completely eliminatethe possibility of a negative impact for climbingat some locations. The study suggests that theeffects of climbing may be specific to a givensite, and that sampling a larger number oftransects would allow researchers to better distinguish between variations which are attributable to climbing from those which arelinked to the site itself. Based on the largeamount of variation from area to area, the studyconcludes that site-specific management may beappropriate. The study may be viewed in itsentirety at:http://www.nps.gov/obed/parkmgmt/index.htm

Matt Hudson is a Law Enforcement Park

Ranger at the Obed Wild and Scenic River. He is also

an avid rock climber. Photo credit from front page

Matt Hudson.

most diverse in the smaller water habitats.The bigclaw crayfish (Orconectes placidus) is not native to the Obed basin. In the

Obed, it is currently known only from two larger mainstream areas. Collections made in1974 at these two sites yielded only members of the genus Cambarus. Collecting in 2005showed all mainstream species gone and replaced by bigclaw crayfish. Species that burrowinto banks were still found in 2005, but the resident open water species was missing. It is

likely that bigclaw crayfish will continue to expandtheir range in the basin, eliminating other speciespopulations in the process.

The expansion of the bigclaw crayfish is of concernbecause of a group of highly endemic, geographicallyrestricted species found only in this watershed. There are currently two known described species,including the hairy-legged crayfish (Cambaruscrinipes) and two putative undescribed species in this

complex. It is likely that the species complex is an ancient group that inhabited the earlyCumberland Plateau. As the drainage of the Mesozoic Era (250-65 mya) CumberlandPlateau developed, the ancestors of the different species became isolated in separate partsof the two basins and consequently evolved into separate species.

noxiousDriver); find out which plants are caus-ing problems in parks or natural areas in yourregion and avoid planting these. • Watch out for invasive plant hitchhikers.Check items such as clothes, shoes, mountainbikes, and vehicles for seeds and pieces ofplants. • Use only seed mixes that are invasive plantfree. Some invasive plants were introducedbecause they were contaminants in wildflowerand grass seed mixes. Check the ingredient listsof seed mixes to make sure that invasive plants

are not included. • Use weed-free soil and mulch mix.Some invasive plants are introducedbecause they were contaminants inlandfill soil and mulch mixes. Try topurchase from manufacturers thatguarantee the purity or weed-free content of their soil and mulch mixes.(Look for “Certified weed free” label)• Be especially careful with aquatic

Help Preserve Your Parks and Natural Areas: Garden Smart and Be Plantwise

Network park managers will soon havedetailed vegetation maps at their disposal,thanks to an Appalachian Highlands Network-funded project with NatureServe and theUniversity of Georgia Center for RemoteSensing and Mapping Science. Rectified digital ortho-photographs (geographicallycorrected photographs that can be used as abase layer in combination with other GIS layers) are being created from color-infraredaerial photos. The final maps will include adichotomous key to the vegetation types ofeach park, along with detailed descriptions ofeach community, its associated structure andspecies composition. Fuels assessment isincluded as part of this project, to assist withfuel reduction and wildfire control efforts.

Detailed Vegetation Mapping Underway in Network Parks

Crayfish communities in theObed Wild and Scenic River National Park

In 2005 and 2006, seed grants from theAppalachian Highlands Science LearningCenter supported an inventory of crayfish atObed Wild and Scenic River National Park. Thework was conducted by Roger Thoma. Thestudy revealed a startling amount of speciesdiversity in the park’swatersheds.

The crayfish of theObed and Emory riversystems are the endresult of the water-shed’s evolutionaryhistory. It is generallyaccepted that the geo-logic event that built the AppalachianMountains began approximately 360-250 mil-lion years ago (mya) and that by 160-65 mya theexisting stream patterns observed in the regiontoday were in place. During this period of geo-logic activity a population of saltwater crus-taceans entered the Earth’s freshwater systems(approx. 280-265 mya), evolved into freshwatercrayfish, and consequently have given rise to thecrayfish we see today.

The Obed River has its origins on theCumberland Plateau and drains eastward to theTennessee River in the Ridge and Valley region.A dramatic drop in elevation occurs betweenthe headwaters and the system’s mouth. Thebroad range of elevations and resulting streamdevelopment has created a wide range of aquat-ic habitat types, all of which are being exploitedby crayfish. As one might expect, the diversityof crayfish species occupying the basin is high.There are presently 11 species of crayfish foundin the watershed, ten of which are native andone that was recently introduced, possibly fromthe Cumberland River system. All ten nativespecies are from the genus Cambarus, a speciesgroup that is believed to have begun its evolu-tionary history in the southeasternAppalachians.

Habitat types in the basin can be dividedinto six basic types: high gradient large rivers,low gradient large rivers, high gradient smalltributaries, low gradient small tributaries,springs/seeps, and lowland wetlands. Unlikefish communities, the Obed crayfish communityis least diverse in the larger water bodies and

The native hairylegged crayfish (Cambarus crinipes) from Clear Creek.Photo credit: Roger Thoma

In 2005 the National Park Service, LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center, The GardenClub of America, and the Student ConservationAssociation entered into a partnership called BePlantWise. The mission is to educate the publicand communities about best management prac-tices to prevent harmful invasive plants frominvading parklands and natural areas. Some ofthe recommended guidelines follow.• Plant non-invasive plants. Select plants thatare not listed on the Federal noxious weed listfor your state (http://plants.usda.gov/java/

Kudzu is a widelyhated invasive plant.Photo Credit: NPS

The broad range of elevations and resultingstream development has created a wide range ofaquatic habitat types, all of which are beingexploited by crayfish.

Map credit: University of Georgia Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science

Roger Thoma is from the Midwest Biodiversity Institute and The Ohio State University,Dept. Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology

Nora Murdock

Plant inventory contractors are working withthe vegetation mappers to complete a vegeta-tion classification for the parks according to thestandards of the National VegetationClassification System.

The aerial photographs created for thisproject have already proven useful. Extra setsof prints were produced and provided to theparks, which are using them for other projectssuch as General Management Planning at theBlue Ridge Parkway, inventories of impound-ments and watershed assessments at Obed Wildand Scenic River, and locating and assessing theextent of forest disease and insect damage.

plants. Don’t just dump them! Invasive aquaticplants were often introduced from water gardens and aquariums. • Keep an eye on new sprouts and volunteers.Invasive plants can come from anywhere andspread very quickly by producing lots ofseedlings. Control your invasive garden plantsby hand-pulling or mowing unwanted seedlings to prevent them from reaching maturity. • Dispose of invasive plants carefully. Whenpruning or removing invasive plants considerwhether there are any seeds, fruits or cuttingsthat could resprout. Try freezing seeds, fruitsand cuttings or burning them if it is permittedin your area, to make them nonviable. Consider pruning or removal before fruit orseed production. For more suggestions on how to Be PlantWisego to:­ http://www.wildflower2.org/NPIN/Plantwise/­ http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

Roger Thoma

310

Research in one field can often produce findings for another. Dan Dourson, studying land snail diversity with a seed grant from the AppalachianHighlands Science Learning Center, found an unusual insect on a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The common green lacewing larva fromthe family Chrysopidae was dubbed the “junkyard bug” as it was carrying shells of six species of snail attached to its back as camouflage. One snail,

Punctum vitreum, was a new record for the state of North Carolina. Other species attached toits back included P. minutissimum, P. blandianum, Gastropocta pentadon, G. contracta, andCarychium clappi. One species, the G. pentadon, was actually still alive.

Dr. Catherine Tauber of the University of California at Davis determined that the larvae isprobably a species whose larval stage is not well known. Other species in this genus coverthemselves with lichens, plant debris, or insect remains, but it is not known whether thisspecies commonly uses snail shells or if this individual was starting a fashion trend. Volunteershave been searchingfor more larvae torear into adults toconfirm the identi-fication and, possi-bly, the preferencefor snails.

Larvae makes discovery for ATBI

“Other species in this genus cover themselves with lichens, plant debris, or insect remains, but it is not known whether this species commonly usessnail shells or if this individual was starting a fashion trend.”

– Paul Super

Naked “junkyard bug”Photo credit: Dan Dourson

The menagerie of camouflage items on the lacewing larvaincluded a new snail record for North Carolina and severalinsect heads.Photo credit: Dan Dourson

locating previously unknown historic and pre-historic rock shelter archeological sites. Thepark outfits the students with radios, cameras,backpacks, tools, GPS units, and other fieldequipment. They are not looking for old ruinsor even earthworks. Tothe untrained eye, whatthey consider an ancientsite usually looks like adank, uninviting rockoverhang. Sometimesthere is enough of asandy floor to visualizewhere someone mighthave slept or crouched by a fire. The studentarcheologists ignore what the surface looks liketoday.

They know time has changed the site, inplaces covering it with new soil, in other placeswashing the soil away. It is the pieces of flint,shards of pottery, and odd shaped rocks thatcatch their attention. These are the signs of abygone people, even of a solitary hunter many,many years ago. Each cliff line site is located by its GPS coordinates, measured in size, fieldsketched and photographed, then identifiedwith a metal tag shot into the cliff wall.Diagnostic material (meaning items used within a known time period) are mapped and collected. While the students are stopped, thesite is scouted for Threatened and Endangered(T&E) plants or animals. Tom has developedflash cards to aid the archeological students inidentifying key T&E species. All unusual natural features like arches, stone pillars, or“chimneys” as these are know locally, and fossils are also noted or collected by theseresearchers. The rare occurrence of identifiablefragments of human remains are field sketched,photographed, and covered in soil according toNational Park Service agreements with NativeAmerican tribes. Back in the office, the studentswashed and cataloged newly collected artifacts.They also logged new sites into the NPSArcheological Sites Management InformationSystem (ASMIS) database.

Since 1996, when the cliff line surveysstarted, about 108 miles have been surveyed byabout 25 different student archeologists. Theyhave logged in 308 rock shelter sites, almost allof these new finds. This is about three sites per

mile. It has taken 10 years to survey roughly one quarter of the cliff lines in the park. Sadly, about 30% of the sites have already been looted by people looking to profit from

the sale of ancient relics. Many times all the students found were a few artifacts that thelooters had left behind. It is the park’s intention to keep these damaged sites from beinglooted again. Tom Des Jean noted that, “while looting can destroy a site, there is always

some information that can be squeezed out.”There have been some unexpected finds. One

rock shelter had a petroglyph of a Wild Turkey,which is extremely uncommon. Animal bone awls,used for punching holes in skins, were found in afew sites. Other sites had pieces of soapstonebowls. The oddity being that soapstone is notfound naturally on the Cumberland Plateau. Some

sites had evidence of niter mining. Niter is a key ingredient in gunpowder and niter miningin Big South Fork NRRA became a popular and profitable cottage industry for a periodafter the War of 1812 and again during the Civil War. More spectacular finds may have beendiscovered if the student archeologists had been instructed to dig rather than glean artifactsoff the ground surfaces.

Tom Des Jean is not sure the student internships will continue. Funding has shifted tofocus on other archeological needs. MTSU was able to find its own means to provide a single student last summer. This has been a tremendous learning opportunity for MTSUstudents, immeasurable in its long term benefits. With such great interest from both thepark and MTSU, Tom is confident that the program will continue, most likely at a slowerpace. The ongoing preservation efforts of the National Park Service will insure that thearcheological sites, needed to answer the many more questions that we have about thelifestyle, behavior, and culture of our prehistoric ancestors, are going to be there.

The Big South Fork NRRA has more archeological sites than any other park in theeastern US, almost three times more sites than Great Smoky Mountains National Park,which has five times more land than the Big South Fork. The rock shelters within the BigSouth Fork NRRA represent an irreplaceable part of the American story. They tell of theways of people and a time we can never go back to. They tell of a solitary hunter crouchedby a fire.

Ray Albright is the NPS CESU Coordinator for the Southern Appalachian and thePiedmont-South Atlantic Cooperative Ecosystems Study Units. Tom Des Jean is the Archeologistfor the Big South Fork NRRA.

The rock shelters within the Big South Fork NRRArepresent an irreplaceable part of the Americanstory. They tell of the ways of people and a timewe can never go back to.

4 9

A student sketches a cliffline in Big South Fork NRRA.

Photo Credit: Paige and Jason Silcox

Junkyard bug covered in snailsPhoto credit: Dan Dourson

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The southern AppalachianMountains are one of the most species-rich temperate regions on Earth and areparticularly wellknown for theiramphibian diversity.This region is theglobal center of evo-lutionary divergencefor the lungless sala-manders(Plethodontidae), a family which includes67% of all the world’s salamander species.

Inventories for reptiles and amphib-ians have been completed in all but one ofthe network parks; Big South ForkNational River and Recreation Area sur-veys will be completed in late 2006. Themost significant finds to date include,among others, a substantial breeding pop-ulation of green salamanders (Aneidesaeneus) (a G3/G4 species) found at ObedWild and Scenic River, and two newspecies for Big South Fork – the cave sala-mander (Eurycea lucifuga) and spadefoottoad (Scaphiopus holbrookii). The findingof the cave salamander at Big South Forkwas significant, indicating that this speciesthrives there in habitats other than caves –in this case, rock shelters or overhangingcliffs. At the Blue Ridge Parkway, thepygmy salamander (Desmognathuswrighti) – a G3/G4 species, was docu-mented from several locations, along withfirst park records of northern cricket frogs(Acris crepitans), southern gray-cheekedsalamander (Plethodon metcalfi), and red-bellied turtles (Pseudemys rubiventris).The red-bellied turtles were found in themountains of Virginia, which representeda range extension for the species ofapproximately 100 miles. Collectingmethods included a combination of struc-tured surveys in randomly-placed plotswhich were selected to represent all themajor habitat types in each park and to

Reptile and Amphibian Inventories of the Network Parks

RESULTS OF REPTILE AND AMPHIBIAN INVENTORIES IN APPALACHIAN HIGHLANDS NETWORK PARKS

(Numbers include species that have been found in the parks, or immediatelyadjacent areas, during network-funded inventories or during previous studies.

PARK Salamanders Frogs & Toads Snakes Lizards Turtles Totals

BISO* 19 13 18 7 8 65BLRI 34 11 17 5 8 75GRSM 31 14 21 9 8 83OBRI 18 13 21 6 7 65

(*BISO inventories are still in progress)

Red-bellied turtle (Pseudemys rubiventris)- a new species for the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a 100 mile range extension for the species.

Photo credit: Acciputer Biological Consultants

Tin cover boards used in herpetological inventories.

Sometimes park visitors callrangers to report these as

airplane crash sites. Photo Credit:

Leslie Morgan-Smith

Green salamander (Aneides aeneus), a large breeding population of this rare salamander was found at OBRI during network inventories. Photo credit: Les Meade, Third Rock Consultants

Snake trap with drift fences in powerline corridor at OBRI

The G ranks were originally conceived by The

Nature Conservancy as measures of a species' global

status. NatureServe, once the science arm of The

Nature Conservancy, but now an independent

organization, updates the G ranks. It's a quick way of

checking how rare or threatened a species is

throughout its entire range. Here they are, in brief:

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme

rarity or because of some factor(s) making it espe-

cially vulnerable to extinction. (Usually five popula-

tions or less remaining).

G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity or because

of other factor(s) (usually six-20 populations left).

G3 - Either very rare and local throughout its range

or found locally in a restricted range, or because of

other factors making it vulnerable to extinction

throughout its range. (21-100 populations).

G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it may be

quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the

periphery (100 - 1,000 populations).

G5 - Demonstrably secure globally (1,000+ popula-

tions).

There are also ratings of GX - extinction and GH -

historically-reported species.

Species with a split rank, like G3/G4, are on the line

between the two designations.

All the states maintain lists of corresponding "S

ranks" that indicate a species' status within that par-

ticular state. Some parks, like Great Smoky

Mountains, even keep lists of "P Ranks" that reflect

the status of the species within that particular park,

so a species that has only 1 or 2 populations in the

park might warrant more protection than its G Rank

would indicate.

The significance to the NPS is the mandate to pro-

tect the parks' resources from impairment, with

already-vulnerable species being an obvious target

for protection.

Nora Murdock

provide standardized results for defined habitat areas. In addition, unstructured surveys of otherareas were conducted by multiple methods. Survey methods included carefully turning and

replacing ground cover (rocks and logs), turtle traps, minnow traps,snake traps, nocturnal audio surveys for breeding frogs, cover-boards (pieces of plywood and tin placed in open areas to serve ascover), seining of streams and small ponds, snorkeling, nocturnalspotlight surveys of aquatic habitats, and use of drift fences with pit-fall traps and/or funnel-type live traps. The surveys of the BlueRidge Parkway were particularly arduous, involving placement ofover 200 coverboards, establishment of 219 inventory sites (each ofwhich was visited six times), and 12 complete surveys of the entire

road (six diurnal and six nocturnal) – 5,628 miles. As part of the final reports and analyses of the reptile and amphibian inventories, cooperators

identified habitats of greatest significance within each park, offered management recommenda-tions, and described species distribution and abundance by habitat type.Nora Murdock is the Ecologist for the Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring Network.

JUST WHAT IS A G3/G4 SPECIES?

The southern Appalachian Mountains areone of the most species-rich temperateregions on Earth and are particularly wellknown for their amphibian diversity.

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Spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrookii)Photo credit: R.W. Van Devender

Pygmy salamander(Desmognathus wrighti)Photo credit: David M. Dennis

Cave salamander(Eurycea lucifuga)Photo credit: David M. Dennis

The two men dug steadily, pausing only toplace a spear point or flake tool carefully to the sideof their hole. They were illegally digging up a prehis-toric fire pit at the base of a rockshelter in Big SouthFork NRRA. Each artifact they uncovered meant alittle more money in their pockets as they busily loot-ed the site. But they were not alone. Not far from thetwo robbers was NPS Ranger Barry Melloan with avideo camera. When Barry stepped forward toapprehend the two looters, he had all the evidenceneeded for a conviction. It was August 22, 2005.

The artifacts in the looted fire pit had to be professionally analyzed so that the information couldbe used by Bill Cohen, the Assistant US Attorney, incourt. To accomplish this as quickly as possible, thepark Archeologist, Tom Des Jean, utilized theSouthern Appalachian Cooperative EcosystemStudies Unit (SA-CESU) to partner with theUniversity of Tennessee’s Archeological ResearchLaboratory to perform an emergencyarcheological analysis.

The analysis revealed that the wood charcoal inthe fire pit was about 2,260 years old. The fire pitcontents included charred hickory, acorn, and beechnut hulls, and burned pine wood. This informationtogether with the analysis of the spear points andflake tools taken from the looters showed that theLate Archaic “Adena” people of 3,000-1,200 yearsago were using this area, probably in the fall. Theanalysis gave a fascinating glimpse into what the for-est of 2,000 years ago was like and what the prehistoric Native Peoples were burning, using, and eating.

The two looters were not so fascinated by theanalysis. They were charged with an ArcheologicalResources Protection Act violation, given a year ofprobation and fined $1,300 each. As Tom Des Jeanlater noted, “It was a whole lot of grief and destruc-tion for only $97 worth of artifacts.”

Ray Albright is the NPS CESU Coordinator forthe Southern Appalachian and the Piedmont-SouthAtlantic Cooperative Ecosystems Study Units. Tom DesJean is the Archeologist for the Big South Fork NRRA.

The Natural Resource Challenge: Parks for Science, Science for Parks

National Parks arecharged with preservingnatural resources for thefuture. For many years,the idea that naturalresources would take careof themselves if left aloneprevailed. In today’sworld, this is no longertrue. Park natural resources are threatened byissues such as exotic species, air and waterpollution, and fragmented habitats. Good sci-ence is needed for managers to make appro-priate decisions about the complex biologicalsituations occurring in their parks. This needfor information led the National Park Serviceto develop a strategy to attract the scientificcommunity to parks, offering some of themost unusual scientific labs in the world, soparks can obtain information to make themost informed decisions.

This strategy, called the Natural ResourceChallenge, divided the country into 32 biologi-cal monitoring networks; providing directionand funding to each network to assist inobtaining and using the best scientific infor-mation. In the Appalachian HighlandsMonitoring Network, which serves theAppalachian Trail, Big South Fork NationalRiver and Recreation Area, Blue RidgeParkway, Great Smoky Mountains NationalPark, and Obed Wild and Scenic River, fourspecial programs have been established. They are as follows:Cooperative Ecosystem Study Units (CESU) – TheSouthern Appalachian CESU serves more thanjust the Appalachian Highlands MonitoringNetwork. Its mission is to provide research,technical assistance, and education to parkmanagers. Each CESU is structured as a work-ing collaboration among federal agencies anduniversities, providing agreements allowingeach of the partners to efficiently transferfunds and employees.Inventory and Monitoring Networks – The roleof the I&M network is to assist parks in devel-oping basic biological inventories and moni-toring vital signs, the key indicators of changein network parks. Information is being collect-ed in 12 basic data sets, including air and waterquality, base cartography (GIS), weather data,geology, soil and vegetation maps for eachpark, as well as information about the distri-

A PlunderedRock Shelter

Two thousand years ago, before the historyof the Americas was being written down, in a valleyof what we now call the Cumberland Plateau, asolitary Native American hunter crouched beside asmall cook fire. He was tucked into a shallow over-hang at the base of a large rock cliff, warm andprotected from the weather. As his food cooked, hepulled out a flint rock from his hunting pack andbegan to chip off flakes to create a stone spearpoint. Flakes of flint fell silent and unnoticed tothe sandy floor. Today, the shallow overhang canstill be found, but all the signs of the solitaryhunter are gone. Or are they?

Big South Fork National River and RecreationArea is a part of the National Park System, withgorges deeply carved into the elevated land of theCumberland Plateau. The park boasts more naturalarches than any other place in the eastern UnitedStates. The gorges are dramatically lined with over450 miles of sandstone rock cliffs, many hiddenfrom view by a blanket of forest vegetation. Someof the cliffs are small, barely higher than a person,and some are huge, presenting towering rock bluffsthat stretch hundreds of yards along the side of agorge. The early Native Americans recognized thatthe openings and overhangs at the base of the cliffsas safe places to lodge and linger. We call thoseareas rock shelters today.

The Park Service knows of about 800 rockshelter sites which ancient peoples once inhabited.The Park Service also knows that there are manyother sites, possibly as many as 2,000, along thecliff lines that have not been officially recorded.

The park’s Archeologist, Tom Des Jean, begana project in 1996 to survey the hundreds of miles ofcliff lines within the park for archeological infor-mation. “It is hard to develop a patrol strategywithout knowing where the cliff line sites are,” Tomreasoned. He knew it would take a long time, buthe also knew it would go faster if he had help. Tomfound help at the Middle Tennessee StateUniversity (MTSU). He established an agreementwith Dr. Kevin Smith of MTSU for archeologicalstudents to help survey cliff lines in the summer.When MTSU joined the Southern AppalachianCooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (SA-CESU) in2003, Tom began to use the SA-CESU agreementfor his student survey teams.

The 2-3 member student teams are given thetask of walking specified sections of cliff lines and

The Story of the Clifflines in Prehistory

Indians used the cliffs and bluffs as safe places to lodge and linger. Many artifacts of their lives can be found here. Photo Credit: NPS

Today, the shallow overhang can still be found,but all the signs of the solitary hunter are gone.Or are they?

Ray Albright and Tom Des Jean Tom Des Jean and Ray Albrightbution and relative abun-dance of vertebrates andvascular plant species. Exotic Plant ManagementTeams (EPMT) – Like theCESU, this team coversmore area than the one biological monitoring network. The Southeast

Regional EPMT travels to parks within themonitoring network to locate, control andeliminate invasive species of non-nativeplants.Research Learning Centers – TheAppalachian Highlands Science LearningCenter, located in Great Smoky MountainsNational Park, provides lodging, lab spaceand support for research in its host park.Additionally, staff facilitates research innetwork parks and provides opportunitiesfor learners to collaborate directly withresearchers or otherwise interact withresearch results.

Contacts for the Natural ResourceChallenge Projects.:Southern Appalachian CESU: Ray Albright, CESU CoordinatorRay_Albright@nps.gov, (865) 974-4714Appalachian Highlands I&M Network:(828) 296-0850­ Robert Emmott, Appalachian

Highlands Monitoring NetworkCoordinator, Robert_Emmott@nps.gov

­ Nora Murdock, Appalachian HighlandsMonitoring Network Ecologist,Nora_Murdock@nps.gov

­ Patrick Flaherty, Appalachian HighlandsMonitoring Network Science InformationSpecialist, Patrick_Flaherty@nps.gov

Southeast Regional Exotic PlantManagement Team: (828) 296-0850­ Nancy Fraley, Southeast Regional Liasion,

Nancy_Fraley@nps.govAppalachian Highlands ScienceLearning Center: (828) 926-6251­ Paul Super, Science Coordinator,

Paul_Super@nps.gov­ Susan Sachs, Education

Coordinator,Susan_Sachs@nps.gov

Park natural resources are threatened by issuessuch as exotic species, airand water pollution, and fragmented habitats.

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Appalachian Highlands ScienceLearning Center at Purchase Knob

Image of part of the 450 miles of sandstone cliffs that line the gorges of the Cumberland Plateau. Photo Credit: Paige and Jason Silcox