1. Effects of Natural Gas Drilling on Wildlife Dr. Jerry Skinner Keystone College Who…"speaks for the trees, as the trees have no tongues“?

3. What are the impacts? It depends…… • Land use-farmland of forest?

7. What are the impacts? It depends…… • land use-farmland of forest? • core forest is of special concern • >300 ft from edge or opening • number of wells and their placement • depends on geology, proximity to pipelines and water, and size of the gas drainage unit The bottom line…the landscape will change.

8. Pad Site • often 4-6 acres • stabilized with compacted stone and aggregate • created ponds • roads and pipeline connections

9. Linear Openings:Roads, Seismic Lines, and Pipelines • some wildlife avoid roads-even deer • forest-dependent salamanders are impacted by both active and inactive roads • encourage trespass by ATVs • seismic lines 8 m wide became territorial boundaries • lines 2-3 m wide were incorporated into territories

11. Linear Openings:Roads, Seismic Lines, and Pipelines • highways for invasive species: • Multiflora rose • Stiltgrass • Autumn olive • Garlic mustard

12. Invasives: Garlic Mustard • Allelopathic • Aggressive

13. Japanese Knotweed/Bamboo

14. Japanese Barberry

15. Autumn Olive

16. Mile-a-Minute

17. freshwater reservoirs frac waters trap for amphibians attractor for migratory waterfowl Impoundments

18. Noise • Drilling is temporary • Compressors stations are permanent • Birds and amphibians communicate vocally during breeding season • along highways, birds wait until big trucks have passed to sing • low frequency sounds travel farther • songbird diversity is 1.5x higher away from noise (Baynbe, Habib, and Boutin 2008)

19. Ovenbirds had lower pairing success by compressors; younger males occupied sites nearer to compressor stations. (Habib, Bayne, and Boutin 2007)

20. Habitat Fragmentation

24. Species Area Curve: Bats on Caribbean Islands Log of cumulative # of species Log of island size in square miles Conclusion: Larger islands patches have more species.

28. Allegheny National Forest

30. Roads and Wildlife • Forest dependent salamanders negatively impacted by both active and inactive logging roads (Semiltisch et al. 2007) • Road traffic and location influence mortality rates (Langen et al. 2009, Eigenbrod et al. 2008) • 40-60% reduction in density of sage-brush songbirds within 100 m of roads associated with natural gas extraction (Ingelfinger and Anderson 2004)

31. Disturbance to Sensitive Habitats

32. When the ‘edge’ increases… • the core “deep dark woods” decreases • higher predation and nest parasitism

33. Increased Predation

34. Brown-headed Cowbird

35. The Winners: habitat generalists, tolerant of distubance and people American Crow, Common Raven, Blue Jay

37. The Losers: intolerant of disturbance or habitat specialists Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk

38. Poor Dispesral Abilities Spotted Salamander, Northern Red Salamander, Wood Frog

39. Area sensitive or forest interior birds Scarlet Tanager, Blue-headed Vireo

40. Allegheny Woodrat, Timber Rattlesnake

41. Timber Rattlesnake

42. PA candidate species • species of immediate concern • responsibility species-may have 5% of total world breeding population; PA is the NE US stronghold • strong correlation to Marcellus shale distribution • seismic testing can collapse dens

43. Impacts to Plants & Communities • Pads • Direct mortality & loss of ecological community • Fragmentation (more on this later) • Invasive-on equipment or natural dispersal • Won’t be restored to original community • Related Activities • Seismic survey • Access roads • Impoundment • Water use and disposal • Pipelines

44. Is there legal protection?

45. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory(PNDI)

46. Possible Outcomes of PNDI “Hits” • No impact • Recommend moving the site • Other mitigations • Extensive survey for species of special concern (endangered, threatened, etc.) • Monitor impacts

47. Indiana Bat Northern Myotis Eastern Small-footed Myotis Silver-haired Bat PNDI Species of Interest

48. Upland Sandpiper PNDI: Grassland Birds-avoid activity during nesting season

49. Short-eared Owl

50. Northern Harrier/Marsh Hawk