Presentation by the Ohio Environmental Council and Ohio Wetlands Association at the 2013 Vernal Pool Workshop.

1. Ve
ernal Pool Monitoring
Workshop
Plum Brook
Plum Brook
Saturday, Apr. 6, 2013
David R. Celebrezze
D id R C l b
Director of Air & Water Special Projects

2. Overview
» OEC’s vernal pool program
» Monitoring tips
This is a space for a photo or
graphic or more text.
» Common macros of vernal pools

3. Donations:
ations:
a

4. Spon
nsors:
Anonymous (former workshop
Ray Stewart participant)
Mick Micacchion

5. Co‐host
Co‐host

6. Who is the OEC?

7. Vernal p l definiti n
pool definition
A mini ecosystem that plays out every spring. A small but dynamic, wetland
y
that fills with water, blossoms with lif and hosts a cacophony of sounds and
fe
a plethora of life forms every spring, o to disappear into the forest floor
only
every autumn.

8. OEC s Vernal Pool Program
OEC’s Vernal Pool Program
» Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership
(w/listserv) (www.ovpp.org)
» Curriculum
» Educational video
Educational video
» Field guide
» Workshops
» On‐line database
» Waders in the water
Waders in the water
» VP smart phone app!!

9. VP monitoring app
VP monitoring app
» Look up amphibians known to a
county
» Record time, temperature, wind,
p
and precipitation dataplay
» Document landowner and
observer information
» Log species and number
» Provide a checklist of tools to bring
to the vernal pool
» Record disturbances
» Send a report via email to the user
and the OEC for submission into
database
» Have frog and toad calls on it
» Data emailed to you and OEC
and much more!

10. Wetlands
Wetlands- Historical Aspect
90+%
9

11. Main Culprits

12. Ohio EPA 401 water quality
certification program
» Deve
eloper/individual must apply for a permit to
impa a wetland
act
» If we
etland is one acre or more an individual
p mit
perm is required
q
» Must meet certain criteria
» Avoid, minimalization, mitigation
» Mitigation to “replace” what is impacted

13. Ohio EPA 401 water quality
certification program
» Not 1
100% successful
» Mitigation banks are not replacing wetlands
that are impacted
» 2006 study revealed:
» ~82% “poor” or “fair” quality
poor fair
» ~18% “good” quality
» “Pond-breeding salamanders and
forest dependent frog species were
nearly absent…”
Overrall: “12 banks assessed in Ohio, 3 were
most successful, 5 were
tly successful
succ
cessful in some areas but failed in other
area and 4 were mostly failed.”
as,
OEPA

14. Solutions: Keep vigilant in
your community
» Sign up to mailing list
» Contact Chris Bowman at:
» 614-644-2052 or
chris.bowman@epa.state.oh.us
» Let him know you want to sign up for the
401 application notices for X county.
» Subm comments (team up with your local
mit
wate h d group)
tershed )

15. Tips
Ti on M nitoring
Moni i

16. How to monitor: Do’s and Don’ts

17. Do s
Do’s
Bring a cell phone
Go to the vernal pool during the day to plan your route
Bring a flashlight with back up batteries
Bring wading boots or chest waders
Bring your camera
Bring monitoring forms
Bring compass
Bring frog and toad call CD
Bring ear p g
g plugs

18. Do s
Do’s
Ask for permission to be on the properrty
Bring a friend
contamination callifthe Ohio it. If you see a spill
or
Do pick up trash you see
EPA.
e
Do bring a small aquarium.
Send a copy of the data to OEC
Do call the police
Do have a blast!

19. Don ts
Don’ts
x Don’t Trespass
x Don’t drink the water or eat berries, mushroo
oms, etc.
x Don’t liter
x Don’t use hand sanitizer or lotion before goin into the pool
ng
x Don’t handle amphibians with dry hands
x Don’t take anything home with you-intentiona or unintentionally
ally
x Don t
Don’t disturb egg masses
Also…

21. Tips
T when monitoring
» If at night
» Once get to the vernal pool cut your
flashlight and wait a minute to listen to the
o
frogs
» H ld fl hli ht over th water for a minute-
Hold flashlight the t f i t
fairy shrimp love that!
»S
Sometimes i takes a minute f your ey
i it k i for yes
to adjust and for the macros to come ou of
ut
their hiding places.

26. Clean off equipment and supplies
Limit the spread of undesirable organisms from
m one vernal pool to another
With a sturdy brush, pre‐rinse and scrub the wa
y ,p aders and boots with water to remove
excess debris (ex. caked on mud).
Using a bleach and water solution (one capful p
per every gallon of water) scrub the
items.
When done rinse the equipment with water and let air dry. If you can still smell bleach
after the items are dry, rinse and hang dry again.
Do not empty the rinse water near a water body (stream creek river wetland)
Do not empty the rinse water near a water body (stream, creek, river, wetland).

27. OEC s on-line
OEC’s on line database
» Chec to see if any vernal pools are monitored in
ck
your area
r area.
» If a vernal pool may be impacted contact us to
v
see if it has/is being monitored
i
» Send a copy of your data to us.
d

28. Macroinvertebrates
invertebrates that you can see with the naked eye
h
Need to adjust our perspective

29. What
What is this?

30. What is this?
W
A leaf

31. What is this?
W
A leaf
Home for a cadd
disfly larva

32. What is this?
W
A leaf
Home for a cadddisfly larva
Food for a copep
pod

33. What is this?
W
A leaf
Home for a cadd disfly larva
Food for a copeppod
Hiding place for an isopod

34. What is this?
W
A leaf
Home for a cadd disfly larva
Food for a copeppod
Hiding place for an isopod
Water cooling syystem that
doesn’t l t th pool get t
d ’t let the ol t too
hot too fast.

35. Common Macros of vernal pools

37. Dave-crawl on over to th P i f th
D l to the Prezi for the
common macros!

38. How You Can Get Involved
» Contact local watershed group
» J i h OV li
Join the OVPP listserv
» Stay on top of legislation and take action
on it by signing up for the OEC’s Action
Alerts at www.theOEC.org.
1207 Grandview Avenue, Suite 201
Columbus, OH 43212
Col mb s OH 43212
(614) 487‐7506
OEC @theOEC.org
www.theOEC.org