Chapter 4 Habitats
pools of water, preferably without fish, for breeding purposes. They are associated with mountain bogs, to the extent that mountain bogs (as defined here) often contain pools of water that are used as breeding habitat. Their association with mountain bogs is less related to the bog being spring fed, muddy, or with specific plant associations than many of the other priority mountain bog species. These species are more suited to treatment of their threats/problems within the depression community’s habitat type and surrounding upland and intact forest corridor habitat. Loss of wetland habitat in general is a significant problem for these species. Beavers represent an additional unknown factor in mountain bogs and fens. Beaver impoundments may kill bog plants and flood habitats used by wildlife, including rare species. Situations such as Beaver control and fire suppression by humans may not have occurred at all mountain bog sites, but their indirect impact upon mountain bog habitats through facilitation of secondary succession certainly has occurred at some sites. However, some characteristic species, such as Bog Turtles, may have benefited from Beaver activity in the long run. 4.3.2.6 Recommendations Bogs and fens occur as small, widely separated patches in certain landscapes and will not be able to migrate in response to climate change. They occur in specialized hydrological environments that are not driven primarily by climate. Much of their biota ranges far to the north and little, if at all, to the south. Because the composition and suite of rare species associated with each site vary dramatically, it is important to protect many examples, and to manage appropriately. Protecting the remaining unprotected examples and conducting appropriate management in the protected examples are the most important actions for these communities. This includes determining the best vegetation management practices and understanding and correcting artificial alterations to hydrology. 4.3.2.6.1 Surveys Surveys are systematic and scientific methods of collecting information about the distribution, abundance, and ecology of wildlife or their habitats in a specific area at a specific time. A habitat survey is a method of gathering information about the ecology of a site. The results of a habitat survey provide basic ecological information that can be used for biodiversity conservation, planning and/or management, including targeting of more detailed botanical or zoological investigations (Smith et al. 2011) . Repeated surveys using the same methods can provide information about conditions and changes to species assemblages and habitat composition over time. Priorities for conducting distributional and status surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining or mainly dependent on at-risk or sensitive communities.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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