Effects of Natural Gas Drilling on Wildlife

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