Friday, June 24, 2016

Episode 322 (6-27-16): Fish, Wildlife, Habitats, and Human Interactions on the Agenda Since 1916 for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (3:47)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-24-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 27, 2016.

SOUND – ~ 6 sec

The sound of a rattlesnake opens our introduction to a Virginia state natural resources agency that turned 100 in June 2016.  Have a listen for about 30 seconds to the following mystery sounds—all related to that agency’s missions—and see if you can guess the agency.  And here’s a hint: you’ll win this game by fishing for the answer.

SOUNDS - ~31 sec

If you guessed the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, you’re right!  Reptiles, frogs, boats, fishing, birds, elk, and much more fall within the scope of this department, tasked with managing wildlife, fish, and habitats across Virginia’s lands and inland waters.  The department began on June 17, 1916, with its first office in the Senate cloak room of Virginia’s Capitol building, and with its first priority to appoint game wardens who could reduce wildlife poaching. From that modest beginning, the department has grown into today’s central office in Richmond; regional and district offices in several locations; and nine fish hatcheries across the Commonwealth.  The Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, made up of 11 citizen members appointed by the governor, oversees the work of the department.   According to the department’s mission statement, that work includes the following five major areas: managing populations of wildlife and inland fish; providing opportunities for citizens to enjoy wildlife, fishing, boating, and related outdoor recreation; protecting the rights of citizens to hunt, fish, and harvest game as provided for in the Virginia Constitution; promoting safety in boating, hunting, and fishing; and providing educational programs about Virginia’s fish and wildlife.

From boats to game-check stations, catfish to frogs calls, fur-bearers to freshwater mussels to fishing-line recycling—the world of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries now occupies a very large "cloak room" indeed.

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The rattlesnake and elk sounds were taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Digital Library, http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/. The rattlesnake sound was accessed at http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/audio/id/61/rec/18; the elk sound was accessed at http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/audio/id/22/rec/6.

All other sounds were recorded by Virginia Water Radio.

EXTRA FACTS NOT IN AUDIO

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) produces the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan, a 10-year strategic plan that identifies species and habitats needed particular conservation attention.  VDGIF information about the plan, which was most recently updated in 2015, is available online at http://bewildvirginia.org/wildlifeplan/.  Virginia Water Radio Episode154, 3/25/13, focuses on the Wildlife Action Plan and includes music recorded especially for the Plan in 2007 by Virginia musician Adrienne Young-Ramsey and her group Little Sadie.    

IMAGES
 
 
A sampler of the many activities of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries:
top – boater education (image accessed at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/lifetime-boater-card/);
middle – conservation policing (image accessed at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/conservation-police/);
lower – educating property-owners on providing wildlife habitat (image of the cover of VDGIF’s “Habitat at Home” booklet, accessed at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/habitat/).

SOURCES

Used in Audio

Bill Cochran, “Virginia wildlife agency turns 100,” by Bill Cochran in The Roanoke Times, 6/12/16, online at http://www.roanoke.com/sports/outdoors/bill-cochran-wildlife-agency-celebrates-years-of-success/article_30599d02-d671-5cea-9b29-e763592c22dd.html.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), main Web site http://www.dgif.virginia.gov.  See the “About VDGIF” link for the department’s mission statement.

VDGIF, “Elk Management and Restoration,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/elk/management-plan/.

VDGIF, “Fishing Line Recycling Sites,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/fishing-line-recycling/.

VDGIF, “Freshwater Mussels,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/freshwater-mussels.asp.

VDGIF, “Game Check Stations,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/checkstations/.

VDGIF, “On the Road to the 100th,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/100/.  The department’s first annual report (September 1917), available online (as PDF) at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/100/vdgif-first-annual-report-1917.pdf, describes the department’s first office and first tasks.

VDGIF, “Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/vbwt/.

VDGIF, “Virginia Frog & Toad Calling Survey,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/frogsurvey/.

VDGIF, “Virginia Wildlife Action Plan,” online at http://www.bewildvirginia.org/.

VDGIF, Virginia Wildlife magazine, online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/virginia-wildlife/.  The May/June 2016 issue is a special 100th anniversary edition.

For More Information about the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF)

You can contact the department’s main office at P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228-0778; phone (804) 367-1000. The regional offices, district offices, and fish hatcheries are all listed at this Web site: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/about/offices/.

VDGIF videos on many topics are available online at https://www.youtube.com/user/VDGIF/videos.

The “Fish Head Chronicles,” by Jason Hallacher, in VDGIF’s Region 4 office, cover a variety of aquatic life and fishery topics, such as sampling for Snakeheads at Mt. Vernon, invasive Water Chestnut removal, stream restoration on the Maury River, and population estimates of Smallmouth Bass in the New River. The videos are available online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwKl6ZCwUDtnmOCNxoAVsA.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).

For fisheries or boating episodes, see also the “Fish” and “Recreation” categories. Many of the episodes in the “Amphibians” category use frog calls from a CD sponsored by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. For previous episodes on other agencies or organizations involved with water in Virginia, please see the “Community/Organizations” subject category.

The following specific episodes have connections to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries:
Boating safety - EP111 – 5/21/12; EP214 – 5/19/14; EP270 – 6/15/15;
Fishing-line recycling - EP175 – 8/19/13;
Snakes - EP151 – 3/4/13;
Stream access law in Virginia - EP76 – 8/22/11;
Virginia Wildlife Action Plan - EP154 – 3/25/13.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Civics and Economics Course
CE.7 – government at the state level.
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.

Government Course
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.
GOVT.16 – role of government in Va. and U.S. economies, including examining environmental issues and property rights.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Episode 321 (6-20-16): “I’m a Hog for You Baby” is NOT about Water, But Invasive Species Still Sing That Tune


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:21)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-17-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 20, 2016.

MUSIC -- ~ 8 sec

This week, we feature a Blacksburg- and Roanoke-based band with a song that doesn’t have a thing to do with water...or does it? Have a listen for about 40 seconds.

MUSIC – ~ 39 sec

You’ve been listening to part of “I’m a Hog for You Baby,” performed by No Strings Attached, on their 2003 CD, “Old Friend’s Waltz,” from Enessay Music. This song—written in the 1950s by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller—is about a two-legged, love-hungry “hog.” But the lyrics convey a fitting image of invasive species, the hogs of all kinds that affect waters and lands worldwide—from London to Hong Kong to right here in Virginia. Invasive species are non-native organisms whose introduction into an area eventually damages the environment, human health, or the economy—the latter on the order of about $120 billion nationwide each year.

Many non-native organisms don’t cause such problems, but the invasive ones are able to reproduce so successfully that they outcompete native species for resources, excessively feed on native species, spread new diseases, or alter natural habitats. Some invasive species actually are hogs—wild, or feral, hogs are increasing in numbers and impacts in Virginia and other states. But other invaders are plants, insects, microbes, fish—you name it. For example, species mentioned in Virginia’s 2012 “Invasive Species Management Plan” include Phragmites, a wetland grass; Emerald Ash Borer, an insect; Zebra Mussel; Rusty Crayfish; Blue Catfish; and Nutria, a rodent.

Citizens can help in several ways to reduce invasive species’ spread and impacts; among the most important ways are cleaning boats and other water gear; using only local firewood; avoiding invasive landscape plants; and not releasing fishing bait, aquarium fish, or aquatic plants to waterways.

Thanks to guest host Kriddie Whitmore for lending her voice to this episode.

And thanks to No Strings Attached for permission to use this week’s music. And we close with a few more seconds of “I’m a Hog for You Baby.”

MUSIC - ~ 15 sec

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of "Cripple Creek" to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Virginia Tech graduate student Kriddie Whitmore for being a guest host for this episode.

“Old Friend’s Waltz,” containing “I’m a Hog for You Baby,” is copyright by No Strings Attached and Enessay Music, used with permission. More information about No Strings Attached is available from their Web site, http://enessay.com/. “I’m a Hog for You Baby” was written by Jerry Leiber (1933-2011) and Mike Stoller (born 1933), and first released by The Coasters in 1959. More information about the renowned songwriters Leiber and Stoller is available from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Web site, “Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Biography,” online at https://rockhall.com/inductees/jerry-leiber-and-mike-stoller/bio/. A list of recording artists who have recorded “I’m a Hog for You Baby” and other Leiber and Stoller songs is available at Leiber and Stoller.com, “Discography,” online at http://www.leiberstoller.com/Discography.html.

This episode is a revised version of Episode 218, 6-16-14, which has been archived.

IMAGES


Poster by the Virginia Invasive Species Council, accessed online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/vaisc/, 6/17/16.


Cartoon by George Wills of Blacksburg, Va. (http://www.etsy.com/people/BlacksburgArt), originally published in “When Aquatic Visitors Become Unwelcome Residents,” Virginia Water Central Newsletter, Aug.-Sept. 2011 (pp. 7-20), online at https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/handle/10919/49323.


Sign alerting boaters to the potential for spreading aquatic invasive species from one water body to another if boats and other water gear are not cleaned after use.  At Claytor Lake State Park, Pulaski County, Va., September 23, 2012.

EXTRA FACTS ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES

According to the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, “Over the past 200 years, more than 50,000 non-native plant and animal species have become established in the United States. Approximately one in seven has become invasive, with damage and control costs estimated at more than $120 billion per year - a cost higher than the total of all other natural disasters combined” (from page 7 or “Aquatic Nuisance Task Force Strategic Plan for 2013-2017,” online at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/default.php.

The citation for the $120 billion figure is “Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States,” by D. Pimentel, R. Zuniga, and D. Morrison, published in 2005 in Ecological Economics, Vol. 52, pp. 273–288.

SOURCES

Used in Audio

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, online at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/default.php. This is a collaboration among 13 federal agencies, coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Aquatic Nuisance Task Force Strategic Plan for 2013-2017 is available online (as a PDF) at http://www.anstaskforce.gov/Documents/ANSTF%20Strategic%20Plan%202013-2017.pdf.

Jennifer Gagnon, Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program, “Exotic Invasives” article series, online at http://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/resources/publications/index.html.

Scott Klopfer, “Nutria-sighting Website Allows Public to Help Control Spread of Invasive Rodent,” Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment “Engagement Matters” newsletter, May 2013; as republished with permission on the Virginia Water Central News Grouper Web site, 5/16/13.

National Invasive Species Council, online at http://www.invasivespecies.gov/. According to its Web site, this group includes the Secretaries and Administrators of 13 federal departments and agencies, who seek to provide high-level coordination on invasive species; it’s co-chaired by the secretaries of the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation/Natural Heritage Division, “Invasive Alien Plant Species in Virginia,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/invsppdflist.shtml.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, “Feral Hogs,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/feral-hogs/.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Wildlife magazine series on non-native invasive species, available online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/virginia-wildlife/feature-spotlight/v68/:
“Alien Invasion!” by David Hart, June 2007;
“Creatures from the Black Lagoon, by John Copeland, July 2007;
“War of the Worlds—Trying to Win the Battle Against Invasive Species,” by Bryan Watson, August 2007.

Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, “Invasive Species in Virginia,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/vaisc/. The Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan, approved by the group in August 2012, is available at this Web site.

For More Information about Invasive Species

South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, “Red Lionfish—A ‘Super Invader’ for Supper?” Coastal Heritage, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall 2013); available online at http://www.scseagrant.org/Sections/?cid=82, or contact the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium at (843) 953-2078.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, “Fish and Wildlife Information Service,” online at http://vafwis.org/fwis/?Title=VaFWIS+Species+Information+By+Name&vUT=Visitor. This site allows you to search for particular species and determine whether they are native or non-native to Virginia and to access much other information on species habitat, distribution, and ecology.

Virginia Native Plant Society, list of Web sites for non-native and native plants in Virginia, online at http://vnps.org/conservation/invasives/webreferences/.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html).  See particularly the "Science" topic category.  No episodes prior to this one have dealt specifically with invasive species.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standard of Learning (SOL):

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOL:

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2010 English SOL:

Reading Theme
11.4 (imagery and figures of speech)

The episode may also help with the Virginia 2013 Music SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Episode 320 (6-13-16): June 2016 Marks 80 Years of Conservation, Recreation, and Education in Virginia's State Parks

CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (4:44)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-10-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 13, 2016.

SOUNDS – ~ 5 sec

Here’s a riddle: What’s 80 years old, has 38 parts, is public and very popular, and offers sounds like these along with countless other natural and historical sounds and sights?

SOUNDS – ~4 sec

The answer: the Virginia State Park system!  The sounds you heard, recorded in August 2013 along New River Trail State Park, are just a sample of what visitors can find in Virginia’s 38 state park units.  On June 15, 2016, Virginia’s state park system celebrates its 80th birthday.   In honor of that occasion, this week we feature excerpts from three musical selections by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, all part of his “Common Wealth” album, compiled in 2001 to honor Virginia state parks’ 65th birthday that year.  Have a listen for about 60 seconds.

MUSIC – ~ 57 sec

You heard parts of “James and York River Bluffs,” for York River State Park in James City County; “Big Meadows Twilight,” for Sky Meadows State Park in Fauquier County; and “Hiking in the Highland Firs,” for Grayson Highlands State Park in Grayson County.  As those examples show, Virginia’s state parks cover the Commonwealth’s geography, from Tidewater to the Blue Ridge to the far southwest.  Many parks are specifically tied to water, such as False Cape in Virginia Beach; Mason Neck in Fairfax County; and Staunton River in Halifax County.  This diverse system of resources, histories, and activities all began on June 15, 1936, when a ceremony at Hungry Mother State Park in Smyth County marked the opening of Virginia’s first six parks.  Administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the system as of June 2016 includes 37 units, ranging in size from one block at the Southwest Virginia Historical Museum in Wise County, to over 8100 acres in Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County.  Later this year, the Natural Bridge site in Rockbridge County is scheduled to become the 38th unit.  Almost 9 million people visited Virginia state parks in 2015, exploring and enjoying these treasures of our common wealth.

Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with a few more seconds of “Hiking in the Highland Firs.”

MUSIC - ~ 9 sec

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The audio incorrectly referred to “James and York Bluffs” and “James and York River Bluffs.” Virginia Water Radio regrets and apologizes for that error.

“James and York Bluffs,” “Hiking in the Highland Firs,” and “Big Meadows Twilight,” all on the 2001 CD “Common Wealth,” are copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission. Mr. Seaman compiled music from five previous albums to produce “Common Wealth” in honor of Virginia’s State Parks on the park system’s 65th anniversary. Mr. Seaman’s Web site is http://www.timothyseaman.com/.

“James and York Bluffs” was featured previously Virginia Water Radio Episode 173, 8-5-13 and Episode 220, 6-30-14.

The sounds from New River Trail State Park were recorded by Virginia Water Radio on August 31, 2013.

PHOTOS


 
 
Photos: Top—Claytor Lake State Park, Pulaski County, Va., September 23, 2012; middle—Sloan Creek as viewed from New River Trail State Park, August 31, 2013; bottom—South Fork Shenandoah River, as viewed from Shenandoah River/Guest State Park, March 12, 2014.

EXTRA FACTS ABOUT VIRGINIA STATE PARKS



Location of 37 Virginia state parks, listed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), “Find Your Park,” online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/find-a-park, 6/9/16. At that site, the DCR’s list, but not the map, includes Tabb Monument, a one-acre property in Amelia County; for more information on that monument, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/tabb-monument. The parks, with the map abbreviations shown in parentheses, are as follows: Bear Creek Lake (BC), Belle Isle (BI), Breaks Interstate (BK), Caledon (CA), Chippokes Plantation (CP), Claytor Lake (CL), Douthat (DO), Fairy Stone (FS), False Cape (FC), First Landing (FL), Grayson Highlands (GH), High Bridge Trail (HB), Holliday Lake (HL), Hungry Mother (HM), James River (JR), Kiptopeke (KP), Lake Anna (LA), Leesylvania (LE), Mason Neck (MN), Natural Bridge (NB – scheduled to become a state park in late 2016); Natural Tunnel (NT), New River Trail (NR), Occoneechee (OC), Pocahontas (PO), Powhatan (PW), Sailor's Creek Battlefield Historic (SC), Shenandoah River Raymond R. "Andy" Guest Jr. (SH), Shot Tower (ST), Sky Meadows (SK), Smith Mountain Lake (SM), Southwest Virginia Museum Historical (HM), Staunton River (SR), Staunton River Battlefield (SB), Twin Lakes (TL), Westmoreland (WE), Wilderness Road (WR), and York River (YR).

SOURCES

Used in Audio

Lisa Romano, “Virginia’s State Parks,” Virginia Foundation for the Humanities’ Encyclopedia Virginia, online at http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Virginia_s_State_Parks.

HikingUpdward.com, “Sky Meadows State Park, Paris, Virginia,” online at http://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/SkyMeadows/.

Timothy Seaman, “Common Wealth” CD Web page, http://timothyseaman.com/en/common-wealth-album-main-page.

Virginia Association for Parks, “Virginia Outdoors/Pocahontas State Park,” online at http://www.virginiaoutdoors.com/parks/details/pocahontas-state-park.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation/Virginia State Parks Web sites: main site: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/; “Fun Facts” at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/fun-facts (for information on water features, see http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/fun-facts#waterwater); and “History of Virginia State Parks,” at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/history.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, “Virginia State Parks celebrates 80th anniversary with new contests offering prizes, $500 drawing,” 4/8/16 news release, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/pr-relz-detail?id=2016-04-08-16-17-48-724260-d23.

For More Information about the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

Dam Safety and Floodplains, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dam-safety-and-floodplains/.

Environmental Education, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/environmental-education/.

Land Conservation, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/land-conservation/.

Natural Heritage (including biodiversity, natural preserves, caves and karst), online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/karsthome.

Recreational Planning, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/recreational-planning/.

Soil and Water Conservation, online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil-and-water/.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

 
All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html); see particularly the “Recreation” subject category.

Previous episodes on Virginia State Parks are the following:
“Virginia State Parks and National Kids to Parks Day”—Episode 161, 5-13-13.

“Twenty-two Miles Along the New River Trail”—Episode 179, 9-16-13.

Three previous episodes on national parks in Virginia are the following:
“Virginia’s National Park Service Units Contain a Common Wealth of Waters, Lands, and History”—Episode 229, 9/1/14;

“An Introduction to Air Pollution and Water” (including impacts on Virginia national parks)—Episode 230, 9/8/14;

“Exploring Climate Change Basics, with Examples from Assateague Island National Seashore and Shenandoah National Park”—Episode 231, 9/15/14.

“Taking ‘The Great Road...’” (on the Colonial Parkway in Colonial National Historic Park)—Episode 273, 7-6-15.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

 
This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS.9 - adaptations for particular ecosystems’ biotic and abiotic factors, including characteristics of land, marine, and freshwater environments.

Earth Science Course
ES.6 – renewable vs. non-renewable resources (including energy resources).
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Virginia Studies Course
VS.2 – physical geography of Virginia past and present.
VS.3 – first permanent English settlement in America.

United States History to 1865 Course
USI.2 – water features important to the early history of the United States.

Civics and Economics Course
CE.7 – government at the state level.

World Geography Cour
se
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.
WG.3 - how regional landscapes reflect the physical environment and the cultural characteristics of their inhabitants.
WG.6 - past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction as influenced by social, economic, political, and environmental factors.
WG.7 - types and significance of natural, human, and capital resources.

Government Course
GOVT.8 – state and local government organization and powers.
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2013 Music SOLs at various grade levels that call for “examining the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of knowledge.”

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Episode 319 (6-6-16): Barking Treefrogs' Distinctive But Threatened Sounds


CLICK HERE to listen to episode audio (3:42)

Transcript of audio, notes on the audio, photos, and additional information follow below.

All Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 6-3-16.


TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO


From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 6, 2016.

MUSIC – ~ 12 sec

This week, that music of “Baldcypress Swamp,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, sets a forest wetland scene for an amphibious mystery sound, one that’s heard in late spring and summer in swamps, ponds, and other lowland habitats.   Have a listen for about 12 seconds, and see if you can guess what’s making these sounds.  And here’s a hint: you’ll be barking up the right tree if your answer rhymes with dog.

SOUNDS - ~12 sec

If you guessed the Barking Treefrog, you’re right!  This two-to-three-inch-long frog is one of 900 species worldwide in the family of treefrogs, and one of six species in Virginia in the scientific genus Hyla, meaning “belonging to the woods.”   In Virginia, the Barking Treefrog inhabits forested wetlands and pine woodlands, or savannas, in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth. From May to August, it breeds in pools and other shallow-water areas in forests dominated by cypress, gum, and willow trees.   Like other treefrogs, adults of this species spend much of their non-breeding time in trees, which they climb with sticky toe pads on relatively large feet, and where they find their main diet of tree-dwelling insects.  During hot, dry, or cold weather, though, the Barking Treefrog may burrow into the ground.  Known for its dog-like calls, the Barking Treefrog is also remarkable for its color-changing ability.  Unfortunately, this species is listed in Virginia as a state threatened species, due largely to habitat loss from various land uses.

Efforts by Virginia citizens, businesses, and agencies to protect and restore forested wetlands and other important habitats have many objectives: one of them is keeping the right trees and water for Barking Treefrogs.

Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and thanks to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and to Lang Elliott for permission to use this week’s sounds.

SOUNDS - ~ 4 sec

SHIP’S BELL

For more Virginia water sounds, music, and information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463. Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close the show. In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Barking Treefrog sounds were from “The Calls of Virginia Frogs and Toads” CD, copyright 2008 by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Lang Elliott/NatureSoundStudio, used with permission.   For more information, see https://www3.dgif.virginia.gov/estore/proddetail.asp?prod=VW252, or contact VDGIF at 4010 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230; phone: (804) 367-1000 (VTDD); e-mail: dgifweb@dgif.virginia.gov.  Lang Elliott’s work is available online at the “Music of Nature” Web site, http://www.musicofnature.org/.

“Baldcypress Swamp” is from the CD “Virginia Wildlife,” copyright 2004 by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  Mr. Seaman’s Web site is http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  The “Virginia Wildlife” CD was a collaboration between Mr. Seaman and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.   “Baldcypress Swamp” was featured in Virginia Water Radio episodes 151 (3-4-13) and 269 (6-8-15).

PHOTOS
Two photographs of a Barking Treefrog (Hyla gratiosa) in Virginia Beach, Va., 2006.
Photos by J.D. Kleopfer, used with permission.

EXTRA FACTS ABOUT VIRGINIA TREEFROGS

Listed below are the six species of treefrogs in the genus Hyla that are known to occur in Virginia, along with their scientific names and the meaning of those names.  Source: John D. Kleopfer and Chris S. Hobson, A Guide to the Frogs and Toad of Virginia, Special Publication Number 3, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Richmond, 2011 (pages 18-23).

*Barking Treefrog, Hyla gratiosa (“belonging to the woods/pleasing”).
*Cope’s Gray Treefrog, Hyla chrysocelis (“belonging to the woods/gold spot”—referring to a spot below the eye).
*Gray Treefrog, Hyla versicolor (“belonging to the woods/various colors”).
*Green Treefrog, Hyla cinerea (“belonging to the woods/ash-colored”).
*Pine Woods Treefrog, Hyla femoralis (“belonging to the woods/pertaining to the hind leg”—the species has yellow spots on its inner thighs).
*Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella (“belonging to the woods/little squirrel”—in response to approaching rain, this species is known to make a “rain call” that sounds like a squirrel’s alarm call).

The Barking Treefrog is the only frog listed in Virginia as state threatened, but several other frogs, other amphibians, and many other species (a total of 925) are listed in the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan as “species of greatest conservation need,” ranked in several tiers. The Wildlife Action Plan, published by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in 2005, is available online at http://bewildvirginia.org/wildlifeplan/plan.asp.

SOURCES

Used in Audio

AmphibiaWeb, “Hylidae,” online at http://amphibiaweb.org/lists/Hylidae.shtml.

John D. Kleopfer and Chris S. Hobson, A Guide to the Frogs and Toad of Virginia, Special Publication Number 3, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Richmond, 2011; purchase information available online at https://www.shopdgif.com.

Bernard S. Martof, et al., Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1980.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, “Treefrogs—Family Hylidae,” online at http://dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/frogs_toads/treefrogs/index.html.

Karen Terwilliger, John R. Tate, and Susan L. Woodward, A Guide to Endangered and Threatened Species in Virginia, McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Va., 1995.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, "The Natural Communities of Virginia/Classification of Ecological Community Groups/Bald Cypress-Tupelo Swamps (February 2016)," online at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/ncpia.

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), “Frog Friday: Barking Treefrog,” 11/13/15, online at https://blog.wildlife.virginia.gov/2015/11/frog-friday-barking-treefrog/.

VDGIF, “Special Legal Status Faunal Species in Virginia,” April 2016, online (as PDF) at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/virginiatescspecies.pdf.

VDGIF, “Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service,” online at http://www.vafwis.org/fwis/?Menu=Home.Species+Information. Information for the Barking Treefrog specifically is online at http://vafwis.org/fwis/booklet.html?&bova=020002&Menu=_.Taxonomy&version=16954.

VDGIF, “Virginia is for Frogs” Web site, online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/virginia-is-for-frogs/. Information on the Barking Treefrog specifically is online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?s=020002.

VDGIF, Virginia Wildlife Action Plan, 2005, online at http://bewildvirginia.org/wildlifeplan/.

Virginia Herpetological Society, “Barking Treefrog/Hyla gratiosa,” online at http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/frogsandtoads/barking-treefrog/barking_treefrog.php.

Herbert S. Zim and Hobart M. Smith, Golden Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, Golden Books, New York, N.Y., 1987.

For More Information about Frogs and Other Amphibians

J.C. Mitchell and K.K. Reay, Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Virginia, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF)/Richmond (1999); available online at http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/Herp%20Atlases/Mitchell-Reay-Atlas.pdf, courtesy of the Virginia Herpetological Society. (Herpetology refers to the study of amphibians and reptiles.)

VDGIF, “Virginia Frog and Toad Calling Survey,” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/frogsurvey/; part of the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, online at https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/index.cfm?. These programs use the sensitivity of amphibians to water availability and quality as a tool for assessing changes or threats to aquatic systems. If you’re interested in helping monitor amphibian populations, consider volunteering! For more information, contact VDGIF at (804) 367-1000.

VDGIF, “Wildlife Information/Species Information/Amphibians” online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/?t=1.

RELATED VIRGINIA WATER RADIO EPISODES

All Water Radio episodes are listed by category at the Index link above (http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/p/index.html); see specifically the “Amphibians” subject category for several previous episodes on frogs and salamanders.

SOLS INFORMATION FOR VIRGINIA TEACHERS

This episode may help with the following Virginia’s 2010 Science Standards of Learning (SOLs):

Grades K-6 Earth Resources Theme
4.9 - Va. natural resources, including watersheds, water resources, and organisms.

Grades K-6 Life Processes Theme
1.5 - animals’ basic needs and distinguishing characteristics.
2.4 - life cycles.
3.4 - behavioral and physiological adaptations.

Grades K-6 Living Systems Theme
2.5 - living things as part of a system, including habitats.
3.5 - food webs.
4.5 - ecosystem interactions and human influences on ecosystem.
6.7 - natural processes and human interactions that affect watershed systems; Va. watersheds, water bodies, and wetlands; and water monitoring.

Life Science Course
LS. 4 - organisms’ classification based on features.
LS.8 - community and population interactions, including food webs, niches, symbiotic relationships.
LS.11 - relationships between ecosystem dynamics and human activity.

Earth Science Course
ES.8 - influences by geologic processes and the activities of humans on freshwater resources, including identification of groundwater and major watershed systems in Virginia.

Biology Course
BIO.8 - dynamic equilibria and interactions within populations, communities, and ecosystems; including nutrient cycling, succession, effects of natural events and human activities, and analysis of the flora, fauna, and microorganisms of Virginia ecosystems.

The episode may also help with the following Virginia 2008 Social Studies SOLs:

Civics and Economics Course
CE.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

World Geography Course
WG.2 - how selected physical and ecological processes shape the Earth’s surface, including how humans influence their environment and are influenced by it.

Government Course
GOVT.9 – public policy at local, state, and national levels.

Virginia’s SOLs are available from the Virginia Department of Education, online at http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/.