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Pennsylvania Amphibian and Reptile Survey (PARS)
is an important state-sponsored atlas project launched in 2013. PARS will determine the distribution and status of all amphibians and reptiles throughout Pennsylvania, building upon previous atlas efforts and combining modern technology with an army of citizen scientists known as "herpers" (herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles, and herps is slang for amphibians and reptiles). The project is a joint venture between the PA Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) and the Mid-Atlantic Center for Herpetology and Conservation (MACHAC), funded by the PFBC (via the US Fish & Wildlife Service's State Wildlife Grants Program), the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Wildlife Resources Conservation Program), and MACHAC.
MACHAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and study of amphibians and reptiles through advocacy, education, and execution of research by professional herpetologists and ecologists in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States. Major partners and funding sources for programs include the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service (US Department of Agriculture), United States Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Major MACHAC projects also include the study and recovery of state and federally-listed amphibians and reptiles, notably important initiatives centered on the Bog Turtle and Eastern Massasauga.
Amphibians and reptiles
(collectively called herps by some) are important species found in just about every Pennsylvania landscape. Very little information about Pennsylvania’s has been collected through the years when compared to other groups of organisms. This is unfortunate as herps are important indicators of the health of our natural places and the very presence of certain species can tell us a lot about an area.
PARS needs volunteers,
from skilled professional scientists to the most amateur naturalist, to create an army of citizen scientists to help tell us about the status and locations of Pennsylvania’s herps. Please visit our website for more info and sign-up to volunteer today.
Goals:
PARS project data is based on a grid system that utilizes U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute quadrangle (quad) maps. These topographic maps have been the U.S. Geological Survey standard in the United States since 1947. This standardization will allow for future generations to understand the geospatial boundaries of PARS. Quad and block (each quadrangle consists of six blocks) maps offer a detailed assessment of geographic coverage and allow for searches based on the quad and block needs. There are 883 quads either within Pennsylvania or overlapping its borders, each named after a town or geographic feature on the map. Within each quad, blocks are referenced by their directional orientation (Northwest = NW, Northeast = NE, Center West = CW, Center East = CE, Southwest = SW, Southeast = SE). There are a total of 4,975 blocks in Pennsylvania. The PARS project is pursuing minimum documentation of 10 species per block and 25 species per quad. Observations from each block count towards our understanding of the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Pennsylvania.
PARS Quad and Block status can be monitored by users (logged in) by going to the "Search" tab in the main menu and then clicking "Search by Quad/Block". Quad/block maps are also available for download as a Google Earth KML from the PARS website. We encourage users to utilize the block map to determine areas that have not met this minimum. Even if you find a species in a block that has met the 10 species minimum we encourage you to add it to the database to help with species distribution.
