Published On: 03.05.21 | 

By: Michael Sznajderman

Alabama Power experts helping survey for rare species

StewardshipFeature

Alabama Power is working with a number of partners to protect and grow populations of species such as the trispot darter, the gopher tortoise and the Black Warrior waterdog. (contributed)

As winter wanes and spring approaches, Alabama Power biologists are helping environmental partners with field work aimed at protecting rare species around the state.

Recent work has varied – from an ongoing search in east Alabama for an elusive, tiny fish, to gathering genetic material related to a rare salamander in the Black Warrior River Basin, to seeking out the underground homes of a protected tortoise in southeast Alabama.

“Alabama Power is committed to protecting fish and wildlife and their habitats where we live and serve,” said Susan Comensky, Alabama Power vice president of Environmental Affairs. “Species and habitat conservation ensure the sustainability of our natural resources for future generations.”

Trispot darter

Last week, in St. Clair County in east Alabama, biologists from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Geological Survey of Alabama, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Alabama Power searched several small creeks for evidence of the trispot darter.

The multicolored fish, which is less than 2 inches long at maturity, has long been found in parts of the Coosa River Basin in southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia. But for more than 50 years, it wasn’t seen in Alabama – until scientists pinpointed a small population in St. Clair County in 2008. In 2019, federal officials listed the trispot darter as a threatened species.

The waterways surveyed by the team are seasonal brooks that essentially dry up in summer. But at this time of the year, flush with winter rains, they are potential breeding grounds for the tiny fish, which swim upstream to these spots to spawn and then retreat before the water recedes.

Last week’s survey was successful in identifying a new location where the trispot exists. Ongoing surveys will determine whether there are even more places where trispots are hiding, identify potential breeding sites and help expand understanding about the trispot population. Alabama Power has actively participated in the effort, in coordination with FWS. Support is provided through the Southeast Aquatics Fund of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), which also receives support from Alabama Power and its parent company, Southern Company.

Black Warrior waterdog

Meanwhile, in north central Alabama, experts were in the Black Warrior River Basin last week, searching for the genetic markers of the rare Black Warrior waterdog. This nocturnal salamander is found only in streams within the Black Warrior basin in Alabama.

Not much is known about the species, which can be elusive and hasn’t been studied extensively. What is known is that the brown, spotted amphibian can grow to more than 9 inches, retains its larval form throughout its life, and prefers streams with bedrock, minimal sediment and plenty of crevices for shelter and egg-laying.

In 2018, federal officials listed the species as endangered. About 420 miles of streams and rivers in Blount, Etowah, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marshall Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston counties are designated as critical habitat for the waterdog.

The latest work focuses on gathering water samples from Brushy Creek and other tributaries, in hope of finding environmental DNA (eDNA) – essentially genetic markers that would indicate the presence of the waterdog. The U.S. Forest Service is taking the lead on the survey, with experts from Alabama Power and others participating.

Of course, if the experts can find actual waterdogs, all the better. The research will also be used to help refine plans to help protect waterdog habitat and improve the outlook for the species.

“The Bankhead National Forest has profited tremendously from our partnership with Alabama Power, and specifically our ongoing eDNA collection efforts,” said Forest Service Biologist Rollins Jolly. He said the relatively new sampling method has allowed the agency to expand its survey efforts and has already helped identify multiple locations where the waterdog and another rare species, the flattened musk turtle, weren’t known to exist before. “It has been very exciting,” Jolly said.

Gopher Tortoise

A half a state away, in Southeast Alabama, another group of Alabama Power experts were walking across dry land last week, searching for the subterranean homes of another species: the gopher tortoise.

The gopher tortoise can be found in the coastal plains of Alabama, as well as in a tiny slice of eastern Louisiana, southern sections of Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia, and throughout Florida. Within the western part of its range in Alabama – in Mobile, Washington and Choctaw counties – as well as in Mississippi and Louisiana, the tortoise is listed as a federally threatened species, although officials are considering whether to expand geographically the federal protections for populations east of the Tombigbee and Mobile rivers. State regulations also help protect the gopher tortoise in states where they live.

Gopher tortoises can live up to 60 years in the wild, but because of habitat destruction their numbers have dwindled over the past century. Gopher tortoises are considered “keystone species” because their burrows – some as deep as 20 feet – also serve as permanent or temporary homes for more than 360 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, according to the Gopher Tortoise Project.

Alabama Power works with partners, such as the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and FWS, to help protect the species, especially around transmission lines. The tortoises can sometimes be found living in open areas along Alabama Power rights of way, especially near longleaf pine forests.

When work needs to be done along company transmission lines, Alabama Power biologists will first search the area for tortoise burrows. If found, they are marked with signs such as “Sensitive Area” and “No Equipment or Excavation Within 25 Feet” to ensure they aren’t disturbed. The efforts not only help protect tortoises and their existing habitat but also can help support long-term sustainability of local populations.

Alabama Power is enrolled in a Gopher Tortoise Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA). Its goal: to organize a cooperative, range-wide approach to gopher tortoise management and conservation. The company is also involved in the Alabama Tortoise Alliance, which fosters communications and coordination among a variety of organizations, agencies and private landowners interested in helping protect the species.

Alabama Power and Southern Company also are working to protect tortoises through NFWF’s Longleaf Stewardship Fund, which is focused on expanding and improving management of the longleaf pine ecosystem, a favorite habitat for the tortoise and many other important species. Other partners in tortoise protection include the Alabama Forestry Commission, ADCNR and the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

“Partnerships like these, particularly ones that have the potential to benefit many associated species, leverage conservation efforts,” said Alabama Power Biologist Jeff Baker. “We look forward to continuing Alabama Power’s long history of environmental stewardship.”