Estimating Distribution and Detection of Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) to Design Effective Presence/Absence Surveys
Research Advisors: Dr. Michael Dreslik and Dr. John Crawford
Habitat loss negatively impacts many wildlife species, leading to range contractions and local extirpations. For conservation efforts to mitigate these declines, it is imperative to identify where wildlife populations still exist on the landscape and target critical habitats for management. However, rare and cryptic species can go unnoticed during presence/absence surveys, meaning populations are overlooked for protection. Multiple site visits can alleviate the probability of missing populations during surveys, but the increased effort drains survey resources (i.e., time, money). To maximize the efficiency of survey resources for the imperiled Kirtland's snake (Clonophis Kirtlandii) I developed a framework for designing presence/absence surveys. First, I created a spceis distribution model to categorize protected lands based on environmental suitability and prioritize sites for future surveys. Then, I estimated detection probabilities to determine the ideal conditions for surveys and create a tool for estimating the site visits required to detect Kirtland's Snake populations
Meeting ID: 896 0321 5091 Password: 327601