Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for April–June 2026
A Summer Opportunity
by Aubrey Heupel Greene, Herpetologist, Sandhills and Piedmont regions
Z ach Smith joined the Sandhills herp team for summer 2026 as an NCWRC Intern coming from App State. Zach has been splitting his time between the NC Zoo and the Sandhills, focus- ing primarily on amphibian monitoring and husbandry. His time at the Zoo is spent caring for larval gopher frogs and tiger sala- manders collected from the Sandhills. As the summer has pro- gressed both species have begun metamorphing and emerging, ready to be released back into the wild. Because most wetlands aren’t holding water this summer, Zach helped Sandhills Herpe- tology Technician, Marissa Calvert, create artificial burrows where released metamorphs can take refuge. Because genetic studies have indicated that gopher frogs in the Carolinas could use a boost in terms of genetic diversity, NCWRC and many regional partners decided to take action this year by headstarting eggs collected from a huge spring breeding event on the coast (over 70 egg masses!) and releasing them to other pop- ulations in the region. This effort will hopefully give those popu- lations more frogs as well as increased genetic diversity, which improves the overall health and survival of the population. Gopher frogs didn’t breed in the Sandhills in 2026 due to the drought, but thanks to the coastal population, we have frogs to release not just at Sandhills Game Land but at Fort Bragg as well. It has been several years since breeding has been confirmed (eggs) on Fort Bragg, so it is exciting to release frogs on this land- scape as another step toward the long-term survival of gopher frogs in the Sandhills region. The fieldwork portion of Zach’s time with NCWRC was intended to be spent surveying amphibians in ephemeral wet- lands but in a drought year there aren’t as many amphibians (or wetlands) to be found! Instead, we have focused on permanent wetlands to determine what species use these habitats. So far, we have found eight amphibian and two turtle species, including a very tiny hatchling mud turtle! This information will help us bet- ter understand the role these wetlands play on the landscape. It is particularly helpful to know which wetlands hold water even in extreme drought years and are thereby the only available breeding habitat for many species.
Left to right: A larval Eastern tiger salamander being raised at the NC Zoo; A metamorph Eastern tiger salamander is ready for transport from the NC Zoo. AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
MARISSA CALVERT/NCWRC
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
Above Clockwise: A hatchling Eastern mud turtle caught while surveying for amphibians on Sand- hills Game Land; NCWRC Intern, Zach Smith, releasing a meta- morph gopher frog into a recently filled wetland on Fort Bragg; A small wetland on Sandhills Game Land that continues to hold water despite severe drought conditions. Wetlands like this may be the only places available for amphibians to breed successfully in these condi- tions; Fort Bragg Biologist, Jessie Schillaci, releases a metamorph gopher frog into a recently filled wetland on Fort Bragg.
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
AUBREY HEUPEL GREENE/NCWRC
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