HABITAT MANAGEMENT
by Gabrielle Graeter, Wildlife Conservation Biologist Training Opportunities to Enhance Bog Conservation N CWRC staff recently partici- pated in a couple training oppor-
rary staff members involved in this project took a 2-day chainsaw training course provided by NCWRC staff, and Gabrielle Graeter, NCWRC Conserva- tion Biologist, also attended the field training day to gain additional hands-on experience. These new skills will help us accomplish more on the ground as we work to restore these mountain bogs. NCWRC staff also attended drone training in February 2024 provided by NCDOT’s Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program unit. The UAS and its camera will document wetland conditions pre- and post- bog habitat management activities. Previ- ously, we took photos at ground-level to document our work, but ground- level photographs do not adequately illustrate what has been accomplished. In addition to better and more effi- cient site coverage by UAS, its images and other data collected by its soft- ware programs can be used with GIS applications. Another practical use of UAS is to monitor the extent of wet- land hydrological and erosion changes within a bog seasonally and over time. Staff who attended the training and want to be drone operators must each obtain a Remote Pilot Certifi- cate. Likewise, there are logistics to be sorted out within NCWRC about equipment and procedures with drone usage, but we are hopeful that we will be able to use this incredible technology soon!
tunities that will ultimately help improve our ability to restore and monitor mountain bogs. Bog turtles and their habitat — mountain bogs — are a high conservation priority in North Carolina. The bog turtle, Glyp- temys muhlenbergii, is federally threatened (S/A) and state threatened. As part of our conservation efforts with this species, the NCWRC man- ages wetlands with known bog turtle populations. Unfortunately, many of these wetlands have more woody veg- etation and more canopy closure than they had historically. Various factors have played a role in this change, including increased nutrient input, changes in land-use, development in the surrounding landscape, and changes from historical levels of bea- ver activity, and perhaps grazers and fire in some cases. Habitat manage- ment in these wetlands often consists of removing some trees and thinning the woody vegetation to create a mosaic of habitat types, with some areas as shrub-scrub and others dom- inated by herbaceous vegetation. Bog turtles lay their eggs on the ground within the wetland and thus, require areas with full sun so the eggs can incubate properly. To conduct this habitat manage- ment in mountain bogs, we must have training to operate chainsaws and other power tools. Two new tempo-
Top: NCWRC Biologist, Gabrielle Graeter, practicing flying a drone during a 2-day training session with NC DOT’s Unoccu- pied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program staff in February 2024. Bottom: NCWRC staff members after attending the field portion of a two-day NCWRC chainsaw training course.
74 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs