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PROVISION OF OTHER WILDLIFE HABITAT

The provision of other wildlife habitat by wetlands was evaluated in general terms. Species- specific habitat requirements were not considered. In developing an evaluation method for wildlife habitat in the glaciated Northeast, Golet (1972) designated several types as outstanding wildlife wetlands including: 1) wetlands with rare, restricted, endemic, or relict flora and/or fauna, 2) wetlands with unusually high visual quality and infrequent occurrence, 3) wetlands

with flora and fauna at the limits of their range, 4) wetlands with several seral stages of hydrarch succession, and 5) wetlands used by great numbers of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, marsh birds, and wading birds. Golet subscribed to the principle that in general, as wetland size increases so does wildlife value, so wetland size was important factor for determining wildlife habitat potential in his approach. Other important variables included dominant wetland class, site type (bottomland vs. upland; associated with waterbody vs. isolated), surrounding habitat type (e.g., natural vegetation vs. developed land), degree of interspersion (water vs. vegetation), wetland juxtaposition (proximity to other wetlands), and water chemistry.

For this analysis, wetlands important to waterfowl and waterbirds are identified in a separate assessment. Emphasis for assessing "other wildlife" was placed on conditions that would likely provide significant habitat for other vertebrate wildlife (mainly interior forest birds, amphibians, reptiles, and non-aquatic mammals).

Opportunistic species that are highly adaptable to fragmented landscapes are not among the target organisms, since there seems to be more than ample habitat for these species now and in the future. Rather, animals whose populations may decline as wetland habitats become fragmented by development are of key concern. For example, breeding success of neotropical migrant birds in fragmented forests of Illinois was extremely low due to high predation rates and brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds (Robinson 1990). Newmark (1991) reported local extinctions of forest interior birds in Tanzania due to fragmentation of tropical forests. Fragmentation of wetlands is an important issue for wildlife managers to address. Some useful references on fragmentation relative to forest birds are Askins et al. (1987), Robbins et al. (1989), Freemark and Merriam (1986), and Freemark and Collins (1992). The latter study includes a list of area-sensitive or forest interior birds for the eastern United States. The work of Robbins et al. (1989) addressed area requirements of forest birds in the Mid-Atlantic states and may be useful further south along the coastal plain. They found that species such as the black- throated blue warbler, cerulean warbler, Canada warbler, and black-and-white warbler required very large tracts of forest for breeding. Ground-nesters, such as veery, black-and-white warbler, worm-eating warbler, ovenbird, waterthrushes, and Kentucky warbler, are particularly sensitive to predation which may be increased in fragmented landscapes. Robbins et al. (1989) suggest a minimum forest size of 7,410 acres to retain all species of the forest-breeding avifauna in the Mid-Atlantic region. Schroeder (1996) noted that to conserve regional biodiversity, maintenance of large-area habitats for forest interior birds is essential. As mentioned previously, Robbins et al. (1989) suggest a minimum forest size of 7,410 acres to retain all species of the forest- breeding avifauna in the Mid-Atlantic region. Consequently, forested areas 7,000 acres and larger that contained contiguous palustrine forested wetlands and upland forests are important for maintaining regional biodiversity of avifauna on the Atlantic Coastal Plain based on recommendations by Robbins et al. (1989). Forested wetlands within large forest blocks 7,000 acres or more were rated as having potential for providing high value habitat for other wildlife.

While many amphibians are strictly aquatic animals living in water, salamanders, spring peepers, and chorus frogs spend most of their adult lives in other wetlands and upland habitats, but use open-water wetlands (including vernal pools) for breeding. For these species, small isolated permanently flooded or semipermanently flooded wetlands (including ponds) in an upland forest matrix (e.g., woodland vernal pools) have been rated as having high habitat value and other wetlands contiguous to or within 100m of these wetlands have also been similarly rated. Although this assessment focuses on wetlands, it is important to recognize that upland forests adjacent to these breeding ponds are prime habitats for the juveniles and adults of these species.

Many terrestrial mammals make use of wetlands including rabbits, raccoons, and deer. For these animals, large wetlands (> 20 acres) regardless of vegetative cover but excluding pine plantations and smaller diverse wetlands (10-20 acres with multiple cover types) have been rated as high value. Freshwater wetlands on or near back-barrier islands (including major hammocks) are particularly valuable habitat for numerous island wildlife. Any remaining vegetated wetlands are designated as having moderate value for providing wildlife habitat.

Please note that with the exception of vernal pools (woodland ponds), ponds are not listed as important as significant for "other wildlife." Wildlife species living in ponds, such as several species of frogs and turtles, are mentioned in the discussion of fish and aquatic invertebrate habitat, since wetlands designated as important for fish and invertebrates provide required habitat for these species.

Given the general nature of this assessment of "other wildlife habitat," other individuals may want to refine this assessment in the future by having biologists designate "target species" that may be used to identify important wildlife habitats in a particular watershed. After doing this, they could identify criteria that may be used to identify potentially significant habitat for these species in the watershed.

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