MARC #1 – Nature Lovers Across State Unite for Michigan Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy
(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 6, 2024)
Midland, MI – Educational resources. Training and outreach. Stewardship. And research. All of those pieces must work together if Michigan is going to be a home for thriving amphibian and reptile populations – known by those who love them as herps.
Herpetile conservation has not always been consistent in the state, though a recently formed organization named MARC – Michigan Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy – is hoping to take on the challenge.
Formalized in 2021, MARC had their first conference at the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, with dozens of professionals, activists, researchers, and amateurs who all care about the snakes, turtles, salamanders, frogs, toads, and more that make up the herp community.
For President David Mifsud, a group like MARC has been on his mind for over two decades. Over the years he’s worked with regional conservation efforts that do great work, but don’t have the capacity to dive into Michigan-specific needs. And he’s collaborated with agencies, nonprofits, and universities who each have their own niche. But there wasn’t really anyone able to connect them.
“MARC can fill in the gap, and do more,” Mifsud said.
One task of particular interest is the documentation and protection of animals that are common. He explained the oftentimes funding is only available for imperiled species, but protecting all varieties it can prevent them from joining that list.
“There is not a single species [of snake] in Michigan that is doing well,” he said.
Mifsud is also part of Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s Herp Atlas – a database where anyone is welcome to upload photos to share sightings of amphibians and reptiles. It doesn’t matter if it’s a garter snake or more rare find like a blue racer – knowing where animals live helps to keep them safe. People can also view entries on the site, though location is only listed by county so as to protect the animals that are catalogued, as there are people who seek to take wild animals for commerce, or simply just to harm them.
Which leads to another area of interest – public perception. Too often animals die just because humans are afraid of them, or don’t understand their importance to the environment. “I want people to be positively engaged when they see reptiles,” Mifsud said. “MARC has the greatest impact by being a resource to the public.”
One of the goals of the conference was to find people in different parts of the state who would be willing to field phone calls with local area questions, and to be ambassadors for animals at events or by speaking opportunities.
“We have to get away from vilifying herps,” Mifsud said.
Another important task is gathering research in a centralized place. They are compiling old publications – from well-funded studies down to student research projects. “A lot of records from the 1970s-1990s were not digitized,” he said. While it may make sense that the most contemporary research is the best, historical research helpful in tracking animal populations over time, and understanding how and why populations change. Sometimes it’s as simple as someone going into an area to do research and finding animals having already been tagged or marked in some way by a human. Having a central place for findings can help that researcher know who else has studied there, and what were they able to learn.
Also excited about this is Vice President Jim Harding, who has worked as a zoology professor and wildlife information specialist at Michigan State University. One long-term project he started was while working on his Master’s Degree – tracking the population of wood turtles. Harding found that while turtles themselves can live for decades, young turtles are not surviving into adulthood. He’s worked with partner organizations to experiment with raising baby wood turtles in the safety of captivity before releasing them into the wild when they are better able to move, hide, and fend off predator attacks.
Having long-term data can also help researchers determine if a species is native, and if it isn’t, it can help pinpoint when it got here, how, and the impact it’s having on the surrounding ecology.
MARC also is poised to work with planners and developers to promote herp-friendly construction practices and landscaping design. For example, many developers use sheets with plastic netting for restoration projects. However the netting traps and kills snakes. MARC hopes to warn others of this, and to let them know alternatives are available.
Another popular design that impacts local wildlife is the use of seawalls, because creatures like turtles cannot get past them.
Controlled burns are another topic that MARC seeks to raise awareness of. Controlled burns happen in parks and natural areas to clear out invasive species and give native plants some hope of reclaiming their space. Professionals have best practices to avoid unnecessary casualties of animals during the burns.
Other issues come up in habitat restorations, dam removals, and other times of change in natural environments where MARC and their partners can lend their assistance.
Next up for the group is to continue bringing partners together, inviting members to submit a new logo, creating educational resources, building up their research collection, and of course raising money and seeking out opportunities to expand cataloguing amphibian and reptile sightings in Michigan.
“We need to keep looking,” Mifsud said.
Learn more about MARC at https://www.miarc.org/
