Presenter: Don Swann, Saguaro National Park
Don Swann is a biologist at Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona, where he has worked for more than 20 years. He has an MS in Wildlife and Fisheries from University of Arizona. Don’s projects include collaborative research and long-term monitoring of saguaros, desert tortoises, mammals using wildlife cameras, and inventories of reptiles and amphibians. He has been the lead on monitoring and management of lowland leopard frogs at the park since 1996.
Large wildfires can have dramatic watershed effects, including sedimentation of aquatic habitat that have the potential to impact stream species such as fish and frogs. In arid systems it may take years, even decades, for sediments to wash out from downstream areas. This talk will present an overview of the long-term interaction between wildfires and aquatic species in Arizona, with a particular focus on the lowland leopard frog in Saguaro National Park’s Rincon Mountain District. We have been monitoring leopard frog populations, sediment, and water availability since 1996, including in streams where a high percentage of the watershed burned in 1999 and 2003 as well as streams where no fires occurred. The talk will also discuss pre- and post-fire management options for fire and aquatic frogs and other species.
