Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team

Vernal Pond Surveys 2017


The Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team's mission is vernal pond conservation and education. One of the ways we protect vernal ponds is by working to certify these wetlands with the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP).

In the Certification Reporting Process, data is collected in the field for the pools we are working to certify. Vernal pond surveys include photographs of the pond full of water in the spring, evidence of obligate species (wood frog egg masses, spotted salamander egg masses, or fairy shrimp), and a description of the pool (length, width, depth and location using GPS coordinates). Field work is completed by our Team. 

Certification information is entered by our Team into the database of the Vernal Pool & Rare Species (VPRS) Information System maintained by the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP). NHESP is part of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

We have a narrow timeframe to accomplish these surveys because the ponds must have water and the evidence of obligate species occurs during the spring... and this is generally a 3-4 week span.

A more thorough description of the Certification Reporting Process can be found on the Vernal Ponds page.

Below are photographs of field work taken during our 2017 Vernal Pond Surveys.

Photographs compliments of Keith Bertone, Nick Taormina and Rick Roth.


Shoemaker Vernal Pond Surveys



Wood frog Egg
Masses













Below Keith Bertone in Shoemaker Vernal Pond #1





CSCAR Vernal Pond Surveys


CSCAR Vernal Pond #3














Below are Fairy shrimp and

Wood frog egg mass



CSCAR Vernal Pond #4














Below are Spotted salamander egg masses




Parker Lot Vernal Pond Surveys


Parker Lot Vernal Pond Survey #1













Spotted salamander e
gg masses and Fairy shrimp



Keith Bertone in Parker Lot Vernal Pond #1


Nick Taormina at Parker Lot Vernal Pond #2










Wood frog egg masses in water and Spotted salamander out of water.




Nick Taormina at Parker Lot Vernal Pond #3











Below
Spotted salamander egg masses 



Forest Lane Vernal Pond Surveys




Above Forest Lane Vernal Pond Survey #1













Left
Spotted salamander egg masses



Above Forest Lane Vernal Pond Survey #2













Right
Spotted salamander egg masses



Just a little American toad friend Keith found and photographed along the way...  



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Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team    *    366 Main Street #2    *    Gloucester, MA  01930

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