Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program
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What is the Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program?

The Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program is an Ohio Division of Wildlife supported program to monitor the occurrence and abundance of Ohio's salamander species. The program works by partnering with park districts, nature preserves, wildlife areas, and other groups and individuals to monitor salamanders using standardized monitoring protocols.

Please, do not begin salamander monitoring in Ohio without first contacting the survey coordinator! Salamanders are protected by Ohio law and permits are required to capture or collect them. If you are interested in beginning a salamander monitoring project in Ohio, please read the survey protocols to understand what is required. Once you have determined that you can commit the time necessary for the survey, contact the survey coordinator to discuss setting up a survey.

Eastern Tiger Salamander
Salamander Survey Protocols

The Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program has identified three groups of salamander species based on their ecology and life history. These groups are the pond-breeding salamanders, the stream-dwelling salamanders, and the terrestrial salamanders. Monitoring protocols are based on these three groups.

Pond-breeding Salamanders - Eight species of Ohio salamanders use temporary or semi-permanent standing bodies of water for reproduction. These habitats include depressional wetlands, vernal (ephemeral) pools, bogs, swamp forests, oxbows, ponds, lakes, and wet prairies. Learn more about pond-breeding salamander monitoring here.

Stream-dwelling Salamanders - Too small for fish, Ohio's primary headwater creeks and streams are where salamanders reign supreme! Ten species spend all or portions of their life within or adjacent to these habitats and monitoring their health is the goal of the stream-dwelling monitoring protocol.

Terrestrial Salamanders - The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program has developed a protocol for monitoring terrestrial salamanders, available at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/Sally/salamandersteps3.html. If you are interested in testing this protocol in Ohio, please contact the survey coordinator.

News and Events

January 11, 2005: The salamander season has begun! Staff at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve (Adams County) report finding the first Jefferson Salamander eggs of the year.
The Ohio Salamander Monitoring Program is supported by the Ohio Division of Wildlife with funds donated to the Wildlife Diversity & Endangered Species Progam through the state income tax checkoff and revenues from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates. Thank you Ohio!