Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area Herpetological Inventory 2001-2002- Data Package

Reptiles and amphibians serve as indicators of ecosystem health, but populations are declining in many natural areas. Frequent inventories of species are important for keeping track of population numbers and determining if intervention is needed. In the summers of 2001 and 2002 a reptile and amphibian inventory was conducted in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (BICA). Prior to this study two herpetological inventories had been conducted in BICA and provided baselines for this study to be compared against. There were three goals of the 2001-2002 study. First, inventory at least 90% of the amphibian and reptile species in BICA. Second, implement random sampling surveys to assess occurrence, distribution, relative abundance, and species-habitat associations. Third, compare survey results with the previous inventory work. From this inventory there were 364 observations of reptiles and amphibians with 15 species then considered to be present in BICA.