The amphibian and reptile conservancy (ARC) aims to advance the recovery of the frostedflatwoods salamander (FFS), a species faced with significant conservation challenges

This $174,433.16 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657) aims to advance the recovery of the frosted flatwoods salamander, a species faced with significant conservation challenges.

The key activities of this 3-year project include expanding headstarting and habitat restoration efforts to bolster the Fort Stewart salamander metapopulation, conducting comprehensive surveys and habitat assessments to prioritize restoration sites within the Atlantic genetic clade, implementing targeted habitat restoration to improve habitat quality and create candidate translocation sites, and developing a strategy to secure stakeholder buy-in for future reintroduction efforts. This collaborative program will work with the Flatwoods Salamander Recovery Working Group to select sites and implement habitat restorations in preparation for translocations to geographically distinct areas, reducing the burden on federal agencies to enhance and rebuild the Fort Stewart metapopulation and ensure a prolific future for this endangered species within the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Thisiconic salamander has experienced steep declines over the past 20 years across its entire range(FIG. 2) and is now considered extirpated from two of its four recovery management units(rmus). In the fort stewart complex (RMU-3) only a single population represents the lastsurvivors of the entire atlantic genetic clade (FIG. 1), which represents 3 rmus preventing thisloss is critical for maintaining representation. The following proposal seeks to expand recent onthe-ground efforts and begin to rebuild the ffss atlantic coastal plains population.to restore the resiliency and redundancy of this genetically unique FFS population, thisprogram will focus on priority 1 and 2 recovery actions to increase abundance throughheadstarting and ensure a complex of high-quality habitat. This collaborative effort aligns withthe central goals of the recovery challenge by seeking to restore breeding habitats, bolsterresilient metapopulations, and develop a plan to meet the ffss broader recovery andconservation objectives.key activities of the project include: expanding headstarting and habitat restoration efforts to bolster the FT. Stewartmetapopulation comprehensive surveys and habitat assessments to prioritize restoration of sites withinthe atlantic genetic clade, potentially discovering undocumented or remnant populations implementing targeted habitat restoration to improve habitat quality and create candidatetranslocation sites developing a concrete plan to strategize and secure stakeholder buy-in for futurereintroduction sites within the regionthis program will provide the needed capacity to reduce the burden on federal agencies toenhance and rebuild the FT. Stewart metapopulation and develop a strategy to ensure a prolificfuture for FFS within the atlantic coastal plain. Through a collaborative framework, we willwork with the flatwoods salamander recovery working group to select sites and implement thehabitat restorations to prepare for translocations to geographically distinct areas. ARC is aleading authority in herpetofauna conservation, committed to FFS conservation through itsmission of integrating national conservation strategies with local implementation. Now is apivotal moment to take this fundamental step necessary to achieve a meaningful impact for thefrosted flatwoods salamander.