Monitoring Vernal Pools with Huron Pines AmeriCorps

Emma McCarthy, Nicolette Sexton and Izzy Wejrowski (l-r) remove salamanders from a trap net during a population survey in Southern Michigan.

Three Huron Pines AmeriCorps members who set out to collect fairy shrimp from vernal pools found themselves immersed in a search for salamanders in a fleeting forest wetland.

Nicolette Sexton, Emma McCarthy and Izzy Wejrowski are serving as Conservation Science Technicians at Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) in Lansing. Sexton is assisting MNFI in researching the distribution of fairy shrimp in Michigan and traveled with her peers to Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings to gather samples of this tiny aquatic crustacean for the study.

There they met institute staff Mary Parr and Matt Dykstra who were conducting their own survey that day, checking traps for salamanders to gauge the health and productivity of their vernal pool habitats.

Huron Pines AmeriCorps members search a vernal pool for fairy shrimp, tiny crustaceans which live in these temporary wetlands in Michigan’s forests.

Vernal pools are shallow depressions in the forest floor which gather spring rain and snowmelt. Dry and seemingly lifeless for most of the year, these places come alive in March and April. Vernal pools are essential to the life cycle of fairy shrimp, salamanders and some frogs as a sanctuary for breeding and laying eggs.

Read more on vernal pools from MNFI (pdf)

“We joined Mary and Matt to check their traps so we could look for fairy shrimp while learning how they conduct their salamander counts,” Sexton said. “By counting the number of each salamander species that’s reproducing in the vernal pools each year, they can gain a better understanding of these seasonal wetlands and how tolerant these species are of a changing climate.”

Nicolette Sexton holds a spotted salamander, one of dozens found in vernal pools that day.

The vernal pools proved to be abundant in salamanders that day and the three Huron Pines AmeriCorps members gladly assisted in gathering and counting the creatures. Salamanders are highly sensitive to handling so the extra help sped up their count and subsequent release.

“You would be surprised by how strong their little legs are,” Sexton said. “We handled them only long enough to be counted and quickly returned them to their pools.”

Emma McCarthy holds a spotted salamander.

*Note: Salamanders, frogs and other amphibians can easily absorb substances and chemicals through their thin skin while being handled. Avoid using hand sanitizer, lotions or sunscreen and wash your hands with warm water before handling these creatures. Always release animals where they were found.

The fairy shrimp collection was also a success—McCarthy got to see one gracefully swimming for her first time—and the trio had the chance to observe wood frogs and many invertebrate species in the vernal pools that day.

Some of the fairy shrimp collected that day.

Huron Pines AmeriCorps has been developing leaders in conservation in communities across Michigan since 2007. Members enhance Michigan’s natural resources and foster environmental stewardship by engaging local volunteers, community groups and schools in service projects, hands-on learning opportunities and educational workshops. To learn more, and to apply for a half-term position for the 2024 service year, visit huronpines.org/americorps.