North Carolina Giant Salamander Network Meeting
When: January 27, 2016, 9:30 am - 4 pm
Where: Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC
Who: state/federal agency, tribal, academic, zoo, and NGO partners (invitation only)
The North Carolina Giant Salamander Network focuses on Eastern Hellbender and Mudpuppy/Waterdog conservation and includes North Carolina state and federal agencies, tribal partners, zoos, NGOs, and researchers from neighboring states. Our first gathering was in 2007, and we have had subsequent meetings every two to three years.
We held our 4th meeting in January 2016 with 43 people attending from North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Participants shared updates and gave presentations on hellbender and mudpuppy surveys, research, outreach/education, and habitat restoration in North Carolina and within the Southern Appalachian region. The afternoon included a productive group brainstorming session to create a list of >20 conservation actions and research topics needed for giant salamanders in NC and within the region. Via an online poll, 38 people ranked their choices to generate a list of highest priority topics.
The final list of prioritized actions and research topics is as follows: