The Flatwoods Salamander

I chose a threatened species call the Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum). This amphibian lives in Florida and interested me because we have lots of salamanders living around my home and I wondered if any of them were this threatened species. I enjoy watching these salamanders in their natural habitat and was curious what could be done to save the Flatwoods Salamander. We have learned a lot about the food web this year in science class and I realized if something as small as a salamander was threatened, it could impact larger species that depend upon this amphibian.

The goal of this Endangered Species Contest is to get students involved in their environmental community and promote awareness of these animals. This goal is supposed to be accomplished by having students select an animal (endangered or threatened) and figure out a realistic plan of action on how to save this animal by typing the plan in an essay form. The only problem is the limit of one piece of paper. Even though the Flatwoods Salamander is small, his problems are bigger than one page.

That is when I realized how to achieve the goals of the contest. After reading all of the information on the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website; including the original petition that was received in 1999 (17 pages long), the final biological status report (5 pages long), and the copy of the approved management plan (62 pages long). I realized not much more could be said about this salamander than was already written. I thought the best way to write the plan of action was to try to figure out if the plan written by the FWC was being followed.

When I was researching this species, I found lots of information on the internet from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "The FWC received a petition to add the Flatwoods salamander to the list of Endangered, Threatened, and Species of Special Concern in 1999. The salamander was evaluated according to the listing process rules and it was determined addition to the Species of Special Concern List was warranted. Final action was taken 2001 and the Flatwoods salamander was added to the Endangered, Threatened, and Species of Special Concern List as a Species of Special Concern."

After reading the plan, it seems that only research is being done. The only action a middle school student could take is to be aware not to collect or catch this threatened species; because, the state actually said "over collection of the pet trade" was one of the problems threatening this animal. One fun activity would be to search for the Flatwoods Salamander and report any findings to the FWC. The state has a program called the Florida Landowner Incentive Program which will work with private landowners to educate and encourage land management actions that will maintain or enhance habitat conditions that benefit the needs of any threatened or endangered species. If more people were aware of all of these species, more could be done to protect this animal and all others threatened and endangered, through education such as programs available at the Marine Science Center.

Ian
School: Creekside Middle School