Wildlife Diversity Webinar Series - Restoration of spring habitat occupied by Salado Salamanders

Salado Salamanders are one of several fully-aquatic salamander species in central Texas that occur in groundwater and groundwater-fed springs and creeks. This species is listed as federally threatened and is only known from 11 surface locations in Williamson and Bell counties. Of these, Twin Springs is the most extensively studied, and the salamander population has been consistently monitored since 2009. Twin Springs is located in a Williamson County preserve, and accordingly, has minimal anthropogenic impacts compared to other locations. However, this site has experienced natural degradation that has ultimately resulted in siltation of the spring habitat and the creation of scour pools populated by predatory fish, both of which are detrimental to Salado Salamanders. In this presentation we will detail our efforts to restore the riparian areas and Salado Salamander spring habitat at Twin Springs, and we will discuss the pre- and post-restoration comparisons of riparian, spring, and salamander metrics.