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(52) Woodland Pool Conservation – An Issue-Based Approach
Kristi L. Sullivan, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY
Gary R. Goff, Cornell University Department of Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY
Session: Concurrent session C3: The Role of Extension in Community and Volunteer Programs - Part I
Shallow, woodland pools, often called vernal pools, are valuable to many species of wildlife and are critical habitat for others. In New York State, many species associated with these pools are identified as ‘species of greatest conservation need’ in the NY Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. State and federal wetland regulations usually do not protect woodland pools because they are typically small and isolated from streams or other bodies of water.
To address the need for woodland pool protection, we developed a targeted, regional extension-outreach program, focusing on multiple audiences. The program included workshops for foresters and loggers, who learned to recognize woodland pools, identify vernal pool organisms, understand best management practices for conserving woodland pools and surrounding buffers, and write prescriptions for protecting woodland pools into stewardship plans.
We also held workshops for landowners, land trust personnel, and Conservation Advisory Council members, to raise awareness of the importance of woodland pools and teach them how to recognize them on the ground. Participants became “Woodland Pool Stewards” by pledging to protect pools in their community. All participants were encouraged to take action by submitting data on locations and characteristics of woodland pools on their lands and in their communities.
In the spring of 2008, we will offer additional woodland pool workshops for environmental consultants and land developers. We will also be holding a “Woodland Pool Blitz”; a field event for people to document woodland pool locations and characteristics. The data collected through our program will help inform scientists and land managers about the distribution and characteristics of woodland pools in the Hudson River Valley Region.
Through this program, we are raising awareness of the importance of woodland pools on numerous fronts, encouraging better protection and management, and getting people involved in vernal pool protection at the grassroots level.
Kristi Sullivan
Cornell University
109 Fernow Hall
Ithaca, NY, 14853
Phone: 607-255-5508
Fax: 607-255-2815
kls20@cornell.edu