Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Massachusetts
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The four-toed salamander, a small cryptic animal, is infrequently observed in the Northeast, and thus believed to be a rare species in the region. To evaluate whether the species is truly rare, or just difficult to observe, we will use the results from field surveys to build local and landscape models of preferred habitat, and then validate these models by ground-truthing. Results will be used by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to direct conservation efforts and determine the status of the species.