The program now involves over 250 volunteer Loon Rangers throughout the state. The information is turned over to agencies for use in assessing permits, selecting public access sites, and regulating development. People like loons, and want them to thrive. According to LoonWatch coordinator Terry Daulton, similar volunteer programs exist in all 11 states that have nesting loons. Salamander Habitat in Wetlands Klaus Richter, senior ecologist for King County, Washington, has ventured into wetlands to evaluate salamander habitat.
Salamanders also like the early spring sun.
So Richter tells his students to look for thin-stemmed plants such as soft rush and spike rush, water depth over 30 cm, and a southwest orientation when evaluating Northwestern salamander habitat. Richter has also found other species of both salamanders and frogs that have their own particular preferences of water depth and plant species for attaching their eggs. As these examples indicate, habitat monitoring is an increasingly used, and useful, tool. Habitat monitoring helps us understand the land-water connection. As our understanding increases, so does our ability to preserve, protect and restore watersheds.