We set traps at 64 trap locations for 251.48 trap days (5,853.28 trap hours) and captured 19 turtles (18 from traps, one from VES) of 13 individuals. Of these, 16 captures (10 individuals) were Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta), and three were Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina).  An additional nine Painted Turtles were observed basking at Wetland 8 during VES.  We did not capture or observe any Spotted or Blanding’s Turtles.  We captured all turtles at Wetlands 4 and 8.  Environmental conditions varied considerably (AT: 7.5-30 °C; WT: 5.4-27 °C) during trapping but never exceeded the bounds of activity. Other species observed or captured in traps, included crayfish, Eastern Mudminnows (Umbra pygmaea), other fishes, Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans), American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus), American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus), and Northern Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). We noted counts of each species but did not take measurements.Ducere LLCunpublishednot peer reviewe

Dreslik, Michael J.

Feng, Christina Y.

Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository

                 Submitted by: Christina Y. Feng and Michael J. Dreslik   SURVEYS FOR SPOTTED AND BLANDING’S TURTLES FOR DUCERE LLC IN LOCKPORT, ILLINOIS Prepared for: Ducere LLC 27475 Ferry Road, Suite 150 Warrenville, Illinois   60555  INHS Technical Report: 2015(12):1–16 Date of Issue: 1 June 2015 Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Brian D. Anderson, Executive Director  Illinois Natural History Survey Geoffrey A. Levin, Director 1816 South Oak Street Champaign, IL 61820 217-333-6830 Fund Title – 375 INHS Scientific Services  INTRODUCTION  Two species of state endangered turtle – Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) and Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) – occur in Will County, Illinois, in the vicinity of construction proposed by Ducere LLC. This project to install a new barge landing within the I&M Canal poses a potential threat to turtles inhabiting nearby wetlands. To determine the project’s compliance with the Illinois Endangered Species Act, we trapped at multiple locations of potentially suitable habitat (marshes, streams, and backwaters) for these two endangered species.   Illinois represents the western limit of the Spotted Turtle and contains only two known populations located within 7.2 km of each other in the Des Plaines River Valley (Mauger, 2001). Spotted Turtles are active semi-annually during the spring and fall seasons, with the greatest activity in the spring related to mating and foraging (Ernst, 1976). In Illinois, they primarily occupy sedge meadows and cattail marshes and use the former as nesting habitat in mid- to late June (Dreslik et al., 1997). Research by Ernst (1970) and Wilson (2002) indicates Spotted Turtles occupy small home ranges (~0.5 ha) and travel the greatest distance (~300 m) during nesting forays. The persistence of Spotted Turtles depends on the availability of a matrix of wetland habitat types for its different life stages.  Blanding’s Turtles, range across multiple counties in the northern half of Illinois and co-occur with Spotted Turtles.  However, Blanding’s Turtles are more habitat generalists and can occupy and move between a variety of wetland habitats (Anthonysamy et al., 2014). Their larger size affords them the ability to navigate streams and rivers and thus have larger home ranges (~14.4 ha) than Spotted Turtles (Anthonysamy, 2012).   MATERIALS AND METHODS  Site Descriptions. – We sampled wetlands located within 2.0 km of each other and 1.0 km of the I&M Canal. During initial scouting, we determined where trap locations based on standing water depth and vegetation. We grouped sites into three blocks based on the previous wetland delineation and numbering system (Plates 1, 2, and 3):   • Block 1 - Wetlands 1, 2, and 8 • Block 2 - Drainage Swales 1 and 2, Wetlands 5, 6, and 7 • Block 3 - Wetlands 1E, 3, and 4  During the first bout, we randomized the block order for checking traps. Once Block 1 we eliminated from the trapping regime, we alternated between starting with Block 2 or Block 3 each day.  Trapping and VES methodology.–  We completed three bouts of active-season trapping from April 20-24, April 27-May 1, and May 7-May 15, at all sites in which water was sufficiently deep. Visual encounter surveys (VES) were conducted concurrently to setting, checking, and pulling traps. Times traps were checked varied from 0808 to 1946 hrs with the majority of visits occurring in the evening.  For trapping, we used Promar® 12” diameter collapsible minnow traps baited with sardines in oil and we changed every one to three days. On occasion, we left 1incidental captures of turtle prey species such as crayfish or minnows as supplemental bait. We also recorded the following environmental data at each trap check – air temperature (AT - °C), water temperature (WT - °C), and water depth (WD - cm), see Discussion for exceptions.    Turtle measurements. – For each turtle, we measured carapace length (CL), carapace width (CW), plastron length (PL), and shell height (SH), and growth rings on the left pectoral scute to the nearest mm with metric Vernier calipers.  We also recorded the mass in grams with digital scales, sex and took a tissue sample. Each turtle further received a unique carapacial notch code. We then returned turtles to their site of capture for release within 24 hours of initial removal.  Results  We set traps at 64 trap locations for 251.48 trap days (5,853.28 trap hours) and captured 19 turtles (18 from traps, one from VES) of 13 individuals (Table 1). Of these, 16 captures (10 individuals) were Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta), and three were Common Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina).  An additional nine Painted Turtles were observed basking at Wetland 8 during VES.  We did not capture or observe any Spotted or Blanding’s Turtles.  We captured all turtles at Wetlands 4 and 8 (Tables 2-4).  Environmental conditions varied considerably (AT: 7.5-30 °C; WT: 5.4-27 °C) during trapping but never exceeded the bounds of activity.   Other species observed or captured in traps, included crayfish, Eastern Mudminnows (Umbra pygmaea), other fishes, Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans), American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus), American Toads (Anaxyrus americanus), and Northern Watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon). We noted counts of each species but did not take measurements (Table 5).  Discussion  Species Captured.– All species encountered during the sampling period were common and widespread in Will County. Painted and Snapping Turtles are habitat generalists and are known to tolerate and even thrive in human-altered landscapes. Although we only found adult Painted Turtles, the capture of a juvenile Snapping Turtle in Wetland 4 indicates some recruitment from the area.  Sampling.– The minnow traps we used require a minimum depth of 15 cm to function properly. During initial scouting of all sites on April 20th, three wetlands did not meet this standard: Drainage Swale 1 (DS1), Drainage Swale 2 (DS2), and Wetland 7. We set traps in the drainage swales on the first day; we removed them due to low water levels (10 cm and 12 cm, respectively). Thus, we removed this effort from the results. Furthermore, these locations were periodically checked throughout the trapping season, including after rains elevated water levels in the other wetlands, and depths were never sufficient to install traps. Additional VES at these sites were impractical and thus eliminated. Because of the lack of water, they did not represent turtle habitat. At Wetland 7, the Phragmites was severely overgrown and matted down and too dense for searching for turtles.  Although Wetland 8 yielded the most turtle captures, the discovery of an unidentified petroleum product at the southern end of the wetland prevented further trapping or VES at this location and 2Wetlands 1 & 2 beyond the first bout (Plates 4 & 5). A large reservoir of the substance was found on April 20th when we set the first trap (TR18). Additional minnow traps were set out on April 21st primarily at the northern end of the wetland, and we placed three hoop nets in the Des Plaines River.  Upon identification of the substance as a contaminant, we removed all traps on April 23rd. Due to the proximity of Wetland 8 and Wetlands 1 & 2, the latter traps were also removed.  Habitat Assessment.– We did not find the preferred wet/mesic dolomite marshes habitat of Spotted Turtles at any of the sites surveyed.  We also did not locate any sedge meadow, required for nesting habitat, at or near any of the sampling sites. In contrast, Blanding’s Turtles are habitat generalists and frequently co-occur with Common Snapping Turtles, which we found at two of the wetlands. Furthermore, Blanding’s Turtles are both capable of navigating the currents in the Des Plaines River and of traveling >1 km overland for nesting or dispersal to new wetlands. However, multiple barriers – roads, berms, and the I&M Canal – between known locations of Blanding’s Turtles (Romeoville and Lockport Prairie Nature Preserves) eliminate the possibility of Blanding’s Turtles at Wetland 4. Although Wetland 8 is only 0.25 km from the northern edge of Lockport Prairie and contains some suitable habitat, the petroleum contamination did not afford us verification of their presence or absence. Overall, the fragmented and degraded nature of the wetlands surveyed combined and not capturing either species suggests neither species is present within the project site.  LITERATURE CITED  ANTHONYSAMY, W. B. 2012. Spatial Ecology, Habitat Use, Genetic Diversity, and Reproductive Success: Measures of Connectivity of a Sympatric Freshwater Turtle Assemblage in a Fragmented Landscape. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.  ANTHONYSAMY, W. J. B., DRESLIK, M. J., MAUGER, D., PHILLIPS, C. A. 2014. A Preliminary Assessment of Habitat Partitioning in a Freshwater Turtle Community at an Isolated Preserve. Copeia 2014:269–278. DRESLIK. M. J., MOLL, E. O., PHILLIPS, C. A., WILSON, T. P. 1997. The Endangered and Threatened Turtles of Illinois. Illinois Audubon:10–15. DRESLIK, M. J., MOLL, E. O., PHILLIPS, C. A., WILSON, T. P. 1997. The Endangered and Threatened Turtles of Illinois. Illinois Audubon. Spring:10–15. ERNST, C. H. 1970. Home Range of the Spotted Turtle , Clemmys guttata (Schneider). Copeia 1970:391–393.  MAUGER, D. 2001. Census of Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) Populations at Lockport Prairie and Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserves in the Spring of 2000. Joliet. WILSON, T. P. 2002. Microhabitat Parameters and Spatial Ecology of the Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata): A Comparison among Populations. . Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.   3Table 1:  Summary of time spent trapping at each survey location. *Drainage swale values were excluded from Total Trap Hours and Total Trap Days due to unacceptable water depths.     Site Trap hours Trap days # Trap Locations Drainage Swale 1 24.97 1.04 1 Drainage Swale 2 24.55 1.02 1 Wetland 1E 2016.83 84.03 20 Wetland 3 560.32 23.35 6 Wetland 4 1113.92 54.01 11 Wetland 8 693.52 28.90 11 Wetlands 1 & 2 76.60 3.19 1 Wetlands 5 & 6 1392.10 58.00 13 Total* 5853.28 251.48 64 4Table 2:  Summary of number of individuals captured and counts of all captures at each location (only Wetlands 4 and 8 produced captures) by species (CHSE = Chelydra serpentina; CHPI = Chrysemys picta). No turtle was captured more than twice.    Individuals captured All captures Location CHSE CHPI Total CHSE CHPI Total Wetland 8 1 9 10 1 14 15 Wetland 4 2 1 3 2 2 4 Total 3 10 13 3 16 19    5Table 3:  Summary of individual Chrysemys picta captured and all captures (some turtles were captured twice). All captured turtles were adults.    Individuals Overall Location Male Female Total Male Female Total Wetland 8 7 2 9 9 3 12 Wetland 4 1 --- 1 2 --- 2 Total 8 2 10 11 3 14    6Table 4:  Summary of Chelydra serpentina individuals by location and by stage. Each turtle was only captured once.  Location Adult Juvenile Total Wetland 8 1 --- 1 Wetland 4 1 1 2 Total 2 1 3     7Table 5:  Summary of captures of non-turtle species by location. Not all taxa were identified to species (crayfish and fishes other than Umbra pygmaea).    Species Site Crayfish U. pygmaea Other Fishes L. clamitans L. catesbeianus A. americanus N. sipedon Total Wetland 1E 3 23 --- 37 --- 2 3 68 Wetland 3 1 2 3 --- --- --- --- 6 Wetland 4 1 --- --- 2 --- --- 1 4 Wetland 8 --- --- --- 1 --- --- --- 1 Wetlands 1 & 2 --- --- --- --- 1 --- --- 1 Wetlands 5 & 6 5 --- 4 --- --- 2 2 13 Total 10 25 7 40 1 4 6 93    8   Plate 1:  Block 1 trap locations, including Wetland 8 and Wetlands 1 & 2 (eastern point). Only one small, wooded pond was deep enough for traps in either Wetland 1 or Wetland 2. Due to the discovery of petroleum, traps were set in Block 1 for only the first bout.    9  Plate 2:  Block 2 trap locations including Drainage Swales 1 & 2 and Wetlands 5 & 6. Drainage Swales 1 & 2 (eastern portion of map) had traps set for only a portion of the first bout due to shallow water.  Note: For trap locations, green = bout 1, blue = bout 2, magenta = bout 3        10  Plate 3:  Block 3 trap locations, including Wetland 3 (southernmost), Wetland 1E (eastern side of railroad tracks), and Wetland 4 (western side of railroad tracks). All three of these wetlands contained sufficient water for trapping during every bout.  Note: For trap locations, green = bout 1, blue = bout 2, magenta = bout 3   11 Plate 4:  Petroleum at water’s surface at southern edge of Wetland 8. The substance emerged after the substrate was disturbed.                12 Plate 5:  Habitat shot of the southern end of Wetland 8. A “bathtub ring” of petroleum is evident on the vegetation and the surface of the water.   13  Plate 6:  Example of a baited trap set at a sampling location (here, Wetland 4). This trap was set to rest on Phragmites stalks in deep water and at a distance from the edge of the water to avoid removal by raccoons.   14APPENDIX Trap placement by location. Every trap was given a unique number when set, so the different trap numbers may have the same coordinates if the traps were set at the same location but at different times.   Locality Trap Number Latitude Longitude Error (+/-) Drainage Swale 1 1 41.59464 -88.0594 3 Drainage Swale 2 2 41.59379 -88.0609 4 Wetland 1E 9 41.60403 -88.0522 3 Wetland 1E 10 41.60387 -88.0523 3 Wetland 1E 11 41.60359 -88.0523 3 Wetland 1E 12 41.60327 -88.0523 3 Wetland 1E 13 41.60306 -88.0524 3 Wetland 1E 14 41.60264 -88.0524 3 Wetland 1E 15 41.60197 -88.0526 3 Wetland 1E 16 41.60079 -88.0528 3 Wetland 1E 17 41.60075 -88.0525 4 Wetland 1E 46 41.60187 -88.0526 3 Wetland 1E 47 41.60275 -88.0525 3 Wetland 1E 48 41.60321 -88.0524 3 Wetland 1E 49 41.60374 -88.0522 3 Wetland 1E 50 41.60397 -88.0522 3 Wetland 1E 91 41.60194 -88.0526 3 Wetland 1E 92 41.60250 -88.0525 3 Wetland 1E 93 41.6027 -88.0525 3 Wetland 1E 94 41.60310 -88.0524 4 Wetland 1E 95 41.60376 -88.0522 3 Wetland 1E 96 41.60398 -88.0522 3 Wetland 3 44 41.60074 -88.0524 3 Wetland 3 45 41.60077 -88.0529 3 Wetland 3 89 41.60078 -88.0525 3 Wetland 3 90 41.60077 -88.0528 3 Wetland 4 30 41.60595 -88.0522 3 Wetland 4 31 41.60574 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 32 41.60528 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 33 41.60510 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 51 41.60435 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 52 41.60485 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 53 41.60504 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 97 41.60485 -88.0524 3 Wetland 4 98 41.60524 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 99 41.60570 -88.0523 3 Wetland 4 100 41.60591 -88.0522 3 Wetland 8 18 41.59375 -88.0673 3 Wetland 8 19 41.59433 -88.0671 3 Wetland 8 20 41.59451 -88.0672 3 15Locality Trap Number Latitude Longitude Error (+/-) Wetland 8 21 41.59475 -88.0672 3 Wetland 8 22 41.59502 -88.0672 3 Wetland 8 23 41.59533 -88.0671 3 Wetland 8 24 41.59412 -88.0674 4 Wetland 8 25 41.59393 -88.0673 3 Wetland 8 26 41.59502 -88.0675 3 Wetland 8 27 41.59452 -88.0675 3 Wetland 8 28 41.59387 -88.0676 3 Wetlands 1 & 2 29 41.59446 -88.0668 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 3 41.59452 -88.0642 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 4 41.59441 -88.0642 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 5 41.59454 -88.0644 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 6 41.59467 -88.0642 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 7 41.59446 -88.0637 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 8 41.59439 -88.0635 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 54 41.59444 -88.0635 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 55 41.59465 -88.0642 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 56 41.59441 -88.0642 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 57 41.59448 -88.0640 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 83 41.59451 -88.064 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 84 41.59465 -88.0643 3 Wetlands 5 & 6 85 41.59452 -88.0642 3   16

Surveys for Spotted and Blanding's Turtles for Ducere LLC in Lockport, Illinois

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Surveys for Spotted and Blanding's Turtles for Ducere LLC in Lockport, Illinois

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