Assess the current conservation status population sizes geographic ranges and habitat needs for six caudates designated as species of greatest conservation need sgcn in the oklahoma comprehensive…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 awarded the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation a formula grant of $199,810.83 under the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program (CFDA 15.634) effective January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029. This award supports a comprehensive assessment of six salamander species designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) under Oklahoma's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. The target species—Eurycea multiplicata, Hydromantes scutatum, Plethodon kiamichensis, Plethodon ouachitae, Plethodon sequoyah, and Plethodon serratus—inhabit the white oak hickory mesic forest ecosystem of southeastern Oklahoma. The project will generate improved baseline ecological datasets documenting microhabitat preferences, spatial distributions, seasonal activity patterns, and population dynamics for these salamanders in eastern Oklahoma.

The University of Oklahoma serves as the primary sub-grantee, leveraging its research capabilities through the Office of Research Administration to execute data collection and analysis activities. The project deliverables will establish foundational monitoring resources applicable to forecasting conservation threats affecting these species and other native amphibians throughout the region. Results from this SWG formula grant initiative will directly support evidence-based wildlife management decision-making and contribute to the state's proactive conservation strategy for species at risk, consistent with the program's objective of preventing species decline before federal endangered species protections become necessary.

Assess the current conservation status population sizes geographic ranges and habitat needs for six caudates designated as species of greatest conservation need sgcn in the oklahoma comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy appendix E. These include E. Multiplicata H. Scutatum P. Kiamich P. Ouachitae P. Sequoyah and P. Serratus all of which occur in the white OAK hickory mesic forest of southeastern oklahoma. The data from this project will be used to develop improved baseline datasets on the ecology microhabitat preferences spatial distributions and seasonal activity patterns of these six scgn species of salamanders in eastern oklahoma. The results will serve as a powerful resource for monitoring and forecasting conservation threats that would also be broadly applicable to other native species of amphibians in the region.