THE KEENE VERNAL POOL PROJECT
Vernal pools are small, temporary ponds that serve as critical breeding habitat for amphibians, insects, and even tiny clams and crustaceans. To help protect this vital wildlife habitat in southwest New Hampshire, AVEO trains volunteers to identify and document vernal pools, with special focus on lands where information is needed for conservation planning. In 2010, AVEO used high-resolution aerial photography to develop maps of predicted vernal pools (PVPs) on public & conserved lands throughout the City of Keene. In Spring 2010 & 2011, AVEO’s corps of vernal pool volunteers ground-truthed and documented these PVPs. (Fieldwork will continue in 2012.) Although we are initially focused on public and conserved land within the boundaries of Keene, we hope to expand this project to include data from other southwest New Hampshire towns in subsequent seasons.
Map of Keene Vernal Pools
Click here for our online map of documented vernal pools on public land in Keene, complete with photo-documentation! Click on the icons for photos & data for each pool. Green pins represent documented vernal pools; orange pins represent potential vernal pools that need to be re-visited. (Note: This map is best viewed in Mozilla Firefox or Safari.)
Vernal Pool Documentation Resources
Keene Vernal Pool Project Volunteer Handbook (revised April 2011)(3.7 Mb download)
Field data sheet (Printable data sheet on which to record in-field observations)
Electronic Data Submission Form — you can submit your vernal pool data in the body of an email, in an Excel spreadsheet or online:
Excel spreadsheet (Download this spreadsheet, fill it out with observed vernal pool data, save changes to your computer, and send the new .xls file to AVEO.)
Online web form (Same as above, only without all the downloading!)
Egg mass identification field reference sheet
Egg mass identification video (This link will bring you to the Maine Vernal Pool Project’s page featuring a video on how to identify the egg masses of obligate vernal pool species)
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Here is what you need to do to document a pool:
(1) Take a picture of the pool when it is relatively full of water, especially in the spring.
(2) Take pictures of any obligate vernal pool species.
(3) Make a sketch of the pool.
(4) Record the following additional documentation information:
Observer: David Moon
Location: 42.940740N, 72.260230W
Written Directions to Pool: Enter Robinhood Park on the trail at Jordan Road. Follow the trail approximately 1/2 mi. This is the first pool on your left, just behind a low stone wall.
Habitat: 100% mixed woodland
Overstory: Heavy
Cover: 15% shrubs, 85% woody debris
Bottom: 100% leaf litter
Dominant Plants: Blueberry, Red Maple, Hemlock
Obligate Species (estimate number of egg masses 0-25, 26-100, 100+):
Wood Frog: 25 – 50
Comments:
This is a nice, simple pool. Spotted Salamander is expected and should be added to the documentation. 2008 has been too wet to document the dry stage.
For more information or to volunteer, contact AVEO at thelen@harriscenter.org or (603) 358-2065.
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