Serious fun 

Remember the exhilaration as a child of turning over a rock to find a hidden world—white gauzy plant roots; a curvy route of an earthworm; or, if you were lucky, a salamander nestled into the soil, sleepy and slow-moving in the cool darkness? “There is a feeling of excitement and anticipation, almost like you’re afraid of what’s underneath,” said Ellen Thomas, a volunteer at Martin Griffin Preserve, with a chuckle. “Mostly, it’s exciting to see what we might discover.”  

Thomas is one of the volunteers in a pilot research project checking up on amphibians and reptiles around Martin Griffin Preserve. Thomas isn’t looking underneath rocks though. The recently launched herpetology coverboard project uses square pieces of plywood on the ground to create environments where amphibians and reptiles might naturally gravitate. Volunteers flip these boards, see what’s underneath, take photos, and record the observations and the environmental conditions present. 

Another volunteer in the project, Zetana Demmerle, shared how flipping over a coverboard not only filled her imagination with “childlike wonder,” but also struck a deeper chord connecting her to the “importance of caring for environments.” In addition to evoking awe and eliciting wonder, this community-powered project is research, establishing important baseline data for reptiles and amphibians at Martin Griffin Preserve. Recorded systematically and over several years, this data will help answer questions about amphibians and reptiles on the preserve and make important contributions to conservation efforts in coastal Marin.  

A cause for concern 

Thomas, who began volunteering 12 years ago at the preserve as a nature guide, remembers a time when something was off with amphibians. Thomas, along with docents, other volunteers, and youth in education programs were taught by staff to walk through the preserve with keen eyes observing the landscape. In 2018, staff and volunteers discovered a significant number of dead amphibians. This wasn’t the only time this occurred. In late summer 2023, a notable number of California giant salamanders (Dicamptodon ensatus) and some rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) were found dead along streams and adjacent trails. These informal observations helped staff to take note of the occurrences and quickly act. 

After the 2023 deaths, Audubon Canyon Ranch collaborated with U.S. Geological Survey to analyze the dead amphibians. The preserve also enacted restrictions to limit human impact in the streams. The results of the analysis, though inconclusive, ruled out disease, which meant restrictions on the streams were lifted. Pat Kleeman, a biologist from U.S. Geological Survey, who collected the amphibians for analysis, speculated, after reading a study with similar circumstances from Santa Cruz, that in late summer and especially when drought conditions are prevalent, important water sources for amphibians shrink. The close quarters in the pools can lead to adverse health effects for the animals. 

Keeping tabs on herps 

After the 2023 deaths, it became increasingly important to monitor the preserve’s amphibians. The education team had already hatched an amusing, educational activity for youth, placing coverboards in the preserve to observe what was lurking beneath. When the need grew for establishing data on amphibians, education and conservation science staff created a more scientifically rigorous pilot project comprising 36 coverboards located in multiple habitats, such as freshwater marsh, riparian forest, and redwood forest, with data collection happening once to twice per month. Not only would researchers take note of amphibians, but the coverboards would also attract reptiles. Together, amphibians and reptiles make up the category of animals known as herpetofauna, or herps for short. Hence, the herpetology coverboard project was born. 

When preserve staff put out the call for volunteers to start training in early 2024, Ellen Thomas knew right away she wanted to be involved. “I wanted to get out to the preserve again, where I’m learning things, sharing them, and helping out with this project,” she shared. 

For Bolinas-born-and-raised Zetana Demmerle, volunteering for the project hit closer to home. “I want to protect the environments I grew up in and love,” she said. Demmerle spent her school-age years going on field trips to the preserve, observing the nesting herons and egrets. These formative experiences instilled in her the importance of accessible environmental education for the community at large. As she said, “Like Audubon Canyon Ranch, I want to protect the preserve in a way that benefits the community.” 

Many hands make light work 

With 36 boards to check twice monthly, the coverboard project is an ambitious undertaking for Martin Griffin Preserve staff. “Audubon Canyon Ranch’s robust volunteer community made it possible to even imagine setting up a long-term research project of this magnitude,” said Henry Inman, the preserve’s resource ecologist. “Having a community of volunteers collecting systematic data is an important part of stewardship at the preserve. The more people who care about herps, the better,” he continued.  

Volunteers in the coverboard project are valuable collaborators in this project, on the front lines of multi-year data collection. Inman noted, “Volunteers are essential for making sure everything gets checked — the more consistent our data collection is, the more useful our dataset will be.” According to Inman, this data will be analyzed to see how species are impacted by habitat, annual weather, and ecological events. This data is an avenue for noticing environmental changes, such as the drought conditions that may have contributed to the 2023 amphibian deaths.  

Inman also noted that this collaborative data collection has the potential for regional applications, helping land managers notice any deviations from the expected patterns. Since herps are sensitive to changes in their environment, they are also indicator species — species whose population health can be used to indicate that there may have been changes in the overall ecosystem such as temperature changes or the introduction of pollutants. Pat Kleeman, the biologist involved with the collection of the dead amphibians in 2023, shared that because the preserve has similar ecosystem characteristics as nearby areas, the coverboard study has the potential of being valuable to conservation projects in coastal Marin as well. 

Contributing to something greater 

Being part of a project with the potential to reach beyond the preserve, while also feeding a passion for learning about nature inspires Thomas and Demmerle to keep showing up to collect data. For Demmerle, the scientific training she is getting is providing her with “important life and undergraduate skills I significantly lacked.”  

Thomas shared, “It’s meaningful to know we can study amphibians on the preserve, learn more about their health and wellbeing, and contribute to the larger project.”   

Want to help herps?

Volunteer for the Stewardship Workday on January 5.  Sign-up

Volunteer for the Herpetology Coverboard Training on January 30. Sign up

Support research and stewardship projects at Audubon Canyon Ranch by becoming a member. 

Be kind to herps. Here are some helpful tips from our staff: 

• Many amphibians breathe through their skin. Avoid using chemicals in your yard. Don’t pick up amphibians after putting on sunscreen. 

• Drive cautiously in winter rains. Amphibians often wait to migrate until warm rainy nights. When passing lakes, ponds and seasonal wetlands can slow down and pay attention. 

• A worldwide amphibian pandemic is caused by a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). After hiking, boating, or fishing, follow this disinfection protocol to avoid the spread of this fungus. 

• Don’t release pet reptiles or amphibians in the wild. This is one of the main causes of invasive species (impacting pond turtles) and spread of disease. 

• Don’t let your dog run or swim in sensitive streams or ponds. Many amphibians lay their eggs in the water and disturbance can impact their success. 

• If you see interesting herps near you, snap a quick photo and add a description of the observation to the iNaturalist app to add to the study of herps.