Team Salamander and its Evolution as the Longest-Running
Group-Studies Initiative at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga
Thomas P. Wilson, Bradley R. Reynolds, Penni Jo Wilson, Paul-Erik Bakland, Jeremy Hooper, Nyssa Hunt, Simone Madsen, Maria Cooksey, Patricia Garland, Wes Grigsby, Brittany Killian, Nakeisha Ricks, Elizabeth Staundt, Micah Taylor, Emily Busby, Jose Barbosa, Ethan Carver, Daniel Armstrong, Mark Dillard, Joe Simpson, Mark Wisdom, Tabitha M. Wilson, and Team Salamander
Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 16, Special Issue 10 (2017): 70–93
Full-text pdf (Accessible only to subscribers.To subscribe click here.)
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
70
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
70
Team Salamander and its Evolution as the Longest-Running
Group-Studies Initiative at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga
Thomas P. Wilson1,*, Bradley R. Reynolds1, Penni Jo Wilson2, Paul-Erik Bakland1,
Jeremy Hooper1, Nyssa Hunt1, Simone Madsen3, Maria Cooksey3,
Patricia Garland3, Wes Grigsby3, Brittany Killian3, Nakeisha Ricks3,
Elizabeth Staundt3, Micah Taylor3, Emily Busby3, Jose Barbosa1, Ethan Carver1,
Daniel Armstrong3, Mark Dillard1, Joe Simpson3, Mark Wisdom3,
Tabitha M. Wilson4, and Team Salamander3
Abstract - Since 2004, over 750 students have participated in Team Salamander, the
longest-running group-studies experience at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
(UTC). Like most curricula, Team Salamander is based on predetermined benchmarks that
have to be met. However, rather than following the traditional syllabus-based lecture/laboratory
model, the program is a hands-on cooperative experience that encourages students to
become independent and forward-thinking. Ultimately, we strive for participants to become
natural-science practitioners and informed citizens, and several program participants have
continued on to graduate or professional school in natural-science disciplines. The Team
Salamander program has contributed to UTC by teaching students to think creatively and
connecting them with community partners. Specifically, Team Salamander has constructed
a framework that provides students with job skills through hosting workshops on wetland
conservation, participating in regional bioblitzes, and training visiting scientists. Team
Salamander equips and empowers its members to facilitate change by encouraging them to
become practicing scientists and community leaders that positively impact others.
Introduction
Undergraduate student involvement in conservation-based research is similar
to most citizen science programs in which the participants generally lack science
training and have little or no research experience. Inclusion of undergraduate
students in meaningful conservation-based research is increasing at both private
(Dorcas and Price 2008, Gibbons and Dorcas 2014) and public institutions
(Reynolds 2013). Providing research experiences for undergraduate students to
1Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science #2653, 215 Holt Hall,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403.
2Department of Biology, Cleveland State Community College, PO Box 3570, Cleveland,
TN 37320. 3C/O Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Initiative for a better Environment,
Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, #2653, 215 Holt Hall,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403.
4Chattanooga High School, Center for Creative Arts, Chattanooga, TN 37405. *Corresponding
author - Thomas-Wilson@utc.edu.
Manuscript Editor: John Placyk
The Outdoor Classroom
2017 Southeastern Naturalist 16(Special Issue 10):70–93
Southeastern Naturalist
71
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
gain valuable hands-on experience is important to both students and the community
because such opportunities lead to the creation of a better-trained workforce from
which employers can select the most appropriate candidates (Elbroch et al. 2010,
Holck 2008). The program also seeks to include women, minorities, first-generation
college/university students, and non-traditional students in conservation basedresearch.
The benefits are clear: a more diverse student population expands the
sphere of influence and increases the likelihood of solving environmental problems
in the larger community. Conservation-based science attracts participants that are
mindful of the various threats to the organisms and ecosystems that they have come
to respect. Reptiles and amphibians are severely threatened by habitat alteration,
invasive species, overexploitation, pollution, global climate change, and disease. It
is well-established that populations of amphibians and reptiles are declining (Dodd
2010, Gibbons et al. 2000); amphibians have been cited as the fastest-declining
terrestrial vertebrates on the planet (Dodd 2010). Clearly, proactive measures are
needed to ensure that amphibian and reptile populations persist. Team Salamander
is a monitoring program and undergraduate group-studies initiative at the University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) focused on herpetology that seeks to
reverse these declines by acting locally (Figs. 1, 2). Team Salamander strives to fill
gaps in our knowledge of amphibians and reptiles and develop improved habitatmanagement
techniques to protect these important species
Academics strive to share information with their peers and the public, but few
have disseminated information on how to conduct student-based research on conservation
projects (Dorcas and Price 2008, Nerbonne and Nelson 2008, Reynolds
Figure 1. Team Salamander crew pictured at the BFS (LT6), September 2006. Photograph
© T.P. Wilson.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
72
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
2013). Studies involving the scientific method (Anderson 2001, Nagda et al. 1998),
and non-traditional opportunities such as citizen science programs (Danielsen et al.
2007) have received much attention and are numerous, but too few programs have
employed design-process thinking and transformational leadership as the underpinnings
of their student-based research programs in conservation (Reynolds 2013).
Design-process thinking is a form of problem-based learning that is used to solve
dynamic problems that are often encountered in the private sector, but it is seldom
used for solving environmental problems (CPM 2013). Conservation and biodiversity
research present complex, multifaceted challenges. Design-process thinking
takes these complexities into account and treats conservation-related problems like a
puzzle (Fig. 3). The diverse interests of stakeholders are like puzzle pieces, and effective
communication and the free exchange of ideas are necessary in order to fit them
together. Once the problem is clearly identified and articuluated, innovative thinkers
systematically process information and arrive at probable solutions (see http://
dschool.stanford.edu). The design process is iterative and seeks empathy to better understand
the end user (i.e., stakeholders). The roots of modern conservation biology
are those of empirical and analytical disciplines that focus on answering questions
and does not seek to integrate the human element. However, most environmental
problems, like their solutions, are anthropogenic. In practice, conservation often
results in compromise as the needs of people are weighed against the necessity of
maintaining a healthy environment. This approach tends to create conflicts across
groups because it yields incremental changes that are not substantial enough to lead
Figure 2. Team Salamander crew pictured at a self-organized wilderness clean-up celebrating
Earth Day at BFS (LT7) April 2013.
Southeastern Naturalist
73
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
to innovations that promote transformative change through environmental leadership.
We suggest that design-process thinking should be integrated into conservationbased
research, education, and outreach to complement inquiry and the scientific
method. When used to its fullest extent, design-process thinking encourages entrylevel
science students to explore nature, empowers observation, and increases
communication to produce better solutions. Environmental leadership is a transformative
process because it applies interpersonal influence and engages participants
in collective action to protect natural resources (Gallagher 2012). Team Salamander
represents environmental leadership in practice. Instructors and students work together
toward the common goal of measuring and monitoring local amphibian and
reptile populations. By focusing on local salamander populations, Team Salamander
promotes awareness and works to ensure that common species remain abundant.
Initiatives that involve a wide array of students help to further the work conducted by
researchers and facilitate a greater diversity of involvement along the continuum of
concerned individuals. Using design-process thinking and environmental leadership,
Team Salamander seeks to conduct sound basic science and communicate its findings
to policy makers and stakeholders.
Goals
Herein, we describe how Team Salamander evolved and explain the unique
opportunities it offers for the development of undergraduate research initiatives.
We will (1) describe how we have developed a productive cooperative research
Figure 3. The conservation
puzzle (adapted
from Reynolds
and Wilson 2011)
showcasing the representative
areas of
conservation in practice.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
74
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
experience at an open-enrollment public institution, (2) explain how Team Salamander
has come to offer unique opportunities for undergraduates to explore
natural environments using the various modes of investigative inquiry, (3) discuss
the lessons learned when working with undergraduates in a research setting, and
(4) discuss directions for the future.
The City of Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, like other rapidly expanding cities, has a regional plan for smart
growth and seeks to integrate the 16 counties that encompass the metro area into
that plan (Thrive 2016). Chattanooga has a rich history of philanthropy and environmental
conservation (TRGT 2016) that compliments UTC’s strategic plan, which
strives for student success by building sustainable partnerships with community
stakeholders (UTC 2014). Several UTC programs (e.g., Think and Achieve, Honors
College, Office of Undergraduate Research, Provost Student Research Awards, and
Student Government) encourage and facilitate student research opportunities with
faculty members and have provided Team Salamander with student recruits and financial
support. Most faculty research within the Department of Biology, Geology,
and Environmental Science (BGE) relies on undergraduate students.
UTC Biological Field Station
BGE oversees the day-to-day operations at the UTC Biological Field Station
(BFS); most of Team Salamander’s work is conducted at the BFS or with a community
partner (e.g., Hamilton County Government, Tennessee River Gorge Trust).
The BFS is located in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion where the underlying geology
is dominated by limestone and dolomite formations and rolling hills (Griffith et al.
1997). The BFS property is comprised of 2 distinct parcels (LT6: 35°6'20.51"N,
85°7'46.94"W; LT7: 35°5'54.78"N, 85° 5'52.13"W) and totals 115 ha in extent. The
landscape is a mix of hardwoods and is proximate to various water courses; the
wetlands are ephemeral and remain dry from late May through October depending
on precipitation (Figs. 4–7). The upland and aquatic landscapes at the BFS create
habitat for 43 species of amphibians and reptiles (Armstrong 2012; Miller et al.
2007; Simpson 2013; Simpson and Wilson 2009; Simpson et al. 2010; Wilson et
al. 2012, 2015; T.P. Wilson, unpubl. data) and 40 species of mammals (T.P. Wilson,
unpubl. data). Infrastructure at the BFS includes 2 outdoor classrooms, permanent
study plots, transects, drift fences, and a small weather station. This infrastructure
provides a framework for training students on basic field techniques. Unfortunately,
residential and industrial encroachment is occurring along the borders of the BFS.
General Methods
We used a protocol that integrated the specific, measureable, attainable, relevant,
and timely (SMART) approach for sampling small vertebrates (Cogalniceanu
and Miaud 2010, Simpson 2013). Specifically, we used drift fences in conjunction
with pitfall traps, funnel traps, cover objects, PVC pipe refuges, Sherman traps,
track plates, and camera traps (Figs. 8–10) to document small-vertebrate diversity
Southeastern Naturalist
75
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
at the BFS. We made daily collections of target species along a drift-fence array
from January 2004 to August 2015, and 3 times weekly thereafter to the present. We
recorded the snout-to-vent length (SVL), weight, sex, species, age class, collection
method, habitat structure, and capture location of each individual and released all
animals immediately after processing. These techniques are commonplace (Dodd
2010, McDiarmid et al. 2012), can be easily taught to a novice to immediately
immerse them into the project (Karns 1986), and, hence, are useful tools when
building the foundation for training students in field-based res earch.
Figure 4. Biological Field Stations managed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,
and intended to be used for Environmental Education, Research and Outreach. Top left: LT6
Wetland Biological Field Station (37.3 ha including a ~1.4-ha wetland pictured). Top right:
LT7 Upland Biological Field Station (77.6 ha of mixed-forest habitat).Bottom: LT6 and
LT7 pictured on opposite ends of the mixed-use industrial park. Aerial imagery: National
Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) Farm Service Agency, US Gelogogical Survey, base
imagery obtained 2014; Images created by N. Hunt (10 September 2015).
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
76
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
Team Salamander
Background
Team Salamander was initiated on 4 January 2004 as a student-based research
group dedicated to measuring and monitoring biodiversity of the southeastern US.
It is operated from the UTC Herpetology Laboratory and is led by T.P. Wilson.
The idea of developing an undergraduate-based research group started in 2002
with work focusing on riverine turtles that inhabit the Tennessee River. This project
came about because of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute,
Lupton Renaissance Fund, and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Although Team
Figure 6. UTC Biological Field Station; Forested wetland at LT6. Photograph © S. Madsen.
Figure 5. UTC Biological Field Station, Wetland Classroom at LT6. Photograph © S. Madsen.
Southeastern Naturalist
77
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
Salamander still works with riverine turtles, we found that the logistics of getting
a sizeable number of students to consistently participate in such an initiative was
challenging, mostly due to space and time constraints. Most of the riverine turtle
sampling took place from a small (less than 6 person) boat, and with research gear, we were
only able to have 2–3
students working on the boat at any one time. The timing of
the turtle project also proved challenging because sampling took place during the
summer months when students were off campus. We tried different iterations of
the riverine turtle platform until 2004, when we began to expand the initiative to
include both aquatic and terrestrial habitats as well as other reptile and amphibian
species. Our new focus on salamanders allowed a greater number of students to
participate on a more consistent basis because students could access the terrestrial
and semi-aquatic habitats on foot, and if a student had access to their own vehicle
they could dedicate as much time to the team as their schedules permitted.
Recruitment
Students are recruited to Team Salamander either though participation in a Team
Salamander event (e.g., workshop, field trip, or guest speaker), word of mouth
(i.e., faculty, staff, or Team Salamander members), responding to a university-wide
list-serve announcement, or via an advertisement posted to the Scholar Bridge
website (i.e., a web service that links interested students with participating faculty).
Team Salamander recently started using social media to recruit students through
Facebook (www.facebook/teamsalamander) or Twitter (@teamsalamander1). All
interested students that contact T.P. Wilson are interviewed to determine whether
Figure 7. Box Turtle media event at UTC Biological Field Station, Upland Classroom at
LT7. May 2014. Photograph © J. Hooper.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
78
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
their interests and skills intersect with the vision of Team Salamander. Students are
then invited for a post-interview opportunity to shadow Team Salamander at work
in the field or laboratory in order to get a better feel for the scope of the research,
understand the different working conditions, and meet the current members of
Team Salamander.
Structure
The structure of Team Salamander is built upon the concepts of student mentoring
and problem solving. Its framework is like most cooperative internship
programs encountered in industry in which resident experts train interns as apprentices,
who then become trained professionals, eventually replacing their original
mentors. Therefore, to facilitate this pedagogy, Team Salamander has 3 distinct,
nested stages (i.e., Experience, ARMIE, Crew), in which student involvement,
feedback, and critical reflection are paramount.
Figure 8. UTC Biological Field Stations. Top row: Two gravid female Crotalus horridus
L. (Timber Rattlesnake) being processed at the BFS by T.P. Wilson and B.R. Reynolds.
Photographs © M. Wisdom. Bottom row: T.P. Wilson mentoring Jeremy Hooper using radio
telemetry to track Terrapene carolina L. (Eastern Box Turtle) at LT7. Photographs © B.
Reynolds.
Southeastern Naturalist
79
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
A student’s first exposure is through the Team Salamander Experience (Experience)
where environmental concepts and connections are made, and this stage is
where most students first learn about the research and educational opportunities
that are available through the team at the BFS. Students who engage in the Experience
are primarily mixed majors as freshman and sophomores but become largely
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-focused as juniors
and seniors. Since 2004, 761 students have participated in the Experience through
Figure 9. PVC Pipe being used as refugia by Pseudacris feriarum Baird (Upland Chorus
Frog). Photograph © S. Madsen.
Figure 10. Left: Drift-fence array with pitfalls. Photograph © S. Madsen. Right: Team Salamander
member processing amphibians taken from a pitfall trap. Photographs © P.J. Wilson.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
80
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
various courses (Table 1) or a Team Salamander-sponsored event (e.g., wetlands
festival, habitat restoration, frog-call survey, bioblitz, etc.). The Experience is open
to all students in good academic standing, and participants receive no academic
credit for their involvement, although some students have received letters of reference
because of their contributions to Team Salamander. The Experience remains a
popular outlet for many students despite its status as a no-credit activity.
The second tier of Team Salamander is the Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring
Initiative for a better Environment (ARMIE) and has included 388 Experience
students. The level of engagement with these students is more focused and allows
them to gain a working knowledge of environmental leadership and science
in practice (Reynolds 2013). As part of the ARMIE, students are expected to
develop and execute their own individual research project that is based in conservation
and science education, but it must also incorporate a sound environmental
ethic. All projects must demonstrate a substantial effort (>16 hours of work not
including preparation of the proposal or final product) that can be used immediately
to promote amphibian or reptile conservation locally. Past projects have included
Table 1. A list of 21 courses offered at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga that have exposed
students to the Team Salamander Experience via field trips, wet laboratories, environmental stewardship
events, guest lectures, and student government opportunities. *Indicates an ARMIE-affiliated
course.
Rank Major Course
Undergraduate
Mixed, non-STEM majors
Conservation of Biodiversity*
Mixed, non-STEM & STEM majors
Environmental Science I & II
Ecology* & Ecology Laboratory*
Innovations in Honors I* and II*
Military Science
STEM majors
Environmental Survey Methods*
Soil Science
Environmental Chemistry*
Environmental Geology
Biology Seminar
Undergraduate/graduate
Mixed, non-STEM & STEM majors
Geographic Information Systems*
Remote Sensing & Imagery Analysis*
Advanced Geospatial Applications*
STEM majors
Mammalogy*
Mycology*
Ornithology
Herpetology*
Amphibian Conservation*
Southeastern Naturalist
81
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
developing conservation lecture-series and citizen science programs; constructing
vernal pools; following a modified USGS-NAAMP protocol for frog-call surveys;
implementing a conservation platform while assisting in field/survey work; creating
online field-guides for the amphibians and reptiles of specific natural areas;
conducting wetland delineations; developing a multimedia platform to promote
local conservation efforts that emphasize amphibians, reptiles, or their associated
habitats; undertaking data collection in the field using mobile technology; assessing
impacts of the pet trade; and posting YouTube videos that document local conservation
concerns and evaluate probable solutions. These ARMIE projects are largely
executed by students majoring or minoring in biology, geology, or environmental
science who are able to satisfy course requirements by using their ARMIE project
for a particular course (e.g., Amphibian Conservation or Remote Sensing). ARMIE
students receive no additional credit beyond that provided by their individual instructor
for a specific course. Courses offered to students in this tier are used to
satisfy program or degree requirements.
The last tier of Team Salamander is the research crew (Crew) which is comprised
mainly of students majoring in biology or environmental science; 262
students have been Crew participants since 2004. All students at this level assume
a higher degree of responsibility than those at the ARMIE level, and they are
expected to actively lead conservation-based research initiatives and provide direction
to more-inexperienced peers while they work at the BFS or with a community
partner (e.g., Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Tennessee Valley Authority, or Hamilton
County Government). Some students at this level become repeat volunteers but
others elect to earn up to 4 credit hours in research, independent study, internship,
or group studies, and apply those credits toward completing their degree. Students
that successfully complete their research and take a strong leadership role in Team
Salamander are invited to present at UTC’s Research Dialogues. Some of the
more-motivated Crew members have gone on to present at regional, national, and
international conferences (e.g., Southeastern Partners in Amphibian and Reptile
Conservation, Association of Southeastern Biologists, Association of Zoos and
Aquariums, Joint Meeting of Herpetoligists and Ichthyologists, American Society
of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Herpetologists’ League, Society for the Study
of Amphibians and Reptiles, The Wildlife Society, or ESRI) and publish their findings
in peer-reviewed journals as primary or secondary authors (Moss et al. 2009;
Reynolds and Wilson 2011; Simpson and Wilson 2009; Wilson et al. 2012, 2015).
Team Salamander is a resource for community stakeholders which provides
baseline data for conservation researchers who wish to conduct ecological studies
at the BFS or contrast the team’s findings with those from nearby communities.
Team Salamander members regularly attend City Council and Town Hall meetings,
and participate in community events (e.g. Wetland Festival, Athens TN; Tennessee
Naturalist Program). Team Salamander serves as part of a larger long-term ecology
project that has benefited students interested in environmental science (Armstrong
2012, Carpenter 2013, Colson 2009, Manis 2008, Moss 2005, Reynolds 2013,
Simpson 2013) and environmental stewardship. Current and future land owners,
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
82
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
developers, and other stakeholders in the Greater Chattanooga Metropolitan area
will be able to make informed decisions if proactive groups like Team Salamander
disseminate information at town-hall meetings or through outreach events (Armstrong
2012, Reynolds 2013, Simpson 2013). As an example, the local government
recently used Team Salamander data to make an informed decision concerning the
location of a proposed recreational development, and as a result they moved
the staging area for a series of new horse trails to avoid impacting a nearby wetland.
Assessment
Each semester, we assess the various tiers of Team Salamander by evaluating
student-learning outcomes through the use of rubrics, reflections, and interviews
(Reynolds 2013). We recognize that not every member of Team Salamander makes
a major contribution to the effort. Some Team Salamander members are better and
more effective than others in helping to achieve the program’s vision (Reynolds
2013), but even less-effective students benefit as a result of their participation in
Team Salamander. Student evaluations of Team Salamander state that participants
learn (1) the importance of being timely, (2) how to take responsibility for tasks
upon which the larger group depends, 3) that supervisors expect one’s best effort,
and (4) that there are consequences for shirking one’s responsibilities. Team Salamander
is a tiered platform, and consequences for insufficient performance are also
tiered. For example, students involved in the Experience are largely volunteers and
would not be invited to participate in future events if they were disruptive or interfered
with the operation of Team Salamander. Students involved in the ARMIE tier
have a class project that is graded on a rubric, and if they do not meet their project
goals, a point penalty is applied. Students on the Crew have an academic contract
to meet certain goals within a set timeline, and if those goals are not met or they
commit a serious infraction, they may be dismissed from Team Salamander.
Broader Impacts
Team Salamander has processed over 13,000 amphibians, reptiles, and small
mammals at the BFS since 2004 (Fig. 11; Armstrong 2012; Simpson 2013; T.P.
Wilson, unpubl. data). We have analyzed mark–recapture and genetic data to make
recommendations to local stakeholders regarding animal conservation and their associated
wetland and upland habitats (Armstrong 2012; Simpson 2013; T.P. Wilson,
unpubl. data ), spoken to community officials regarding the threats to local biodiversity
at the BFS, and recommended that owners of neighboring parcels not alter
hydrology or clear upland habitats. The UTC administration has listened to Team
Salamander and encouraged the close and continued monitoring of amphibian and
reptile populations at the BFS in an effort to minimize future declines caused by
anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., mixed-use trails, horse trails, industrial manufacturing).
Team Salamander has taken a strong leadership role in the community and
provided a template for educators to follow regarding transformational leadership
and environmental education (Reynolds 2013). Beyond these accomplishments,
Team Salamander has contributed to the research and education efforts at UTC,
Southeastern Naturalist
83
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County Public
Schools, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation, Thrive 2055, the Tennessee
Aquarium, the Challenger Center, the Chattanooga Arboretum, and the Nature Center
(Fig. 12). The team has organized wetland clean-ups and restorations, has been
Figure 11. Top row (left to right): Ambystoma opacum (Gravenhurst) (Marbled Salamander),
Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque) (Eastern Newt), Pseudacris feriarum Baird (Upland
Chorus Frog); Bottom row: Boykin Spaniel searching for Terrapene carolina (Eastern
Box Turtle). Photographs © S. Madsen.
Figure 12. Team Salamander hosts biodiversity program for Boy Scouts of America Biodiversity
Program. Photographs © S. Madsen.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
84
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
instrumental in starting a new UTC-sanctioned club, the UTC Wildlife-Zoology
Club, contributed materials to a new UTC course (Amphibian Conservation), and
have shared educational materials with interested parties using multimedia and the
internet. Team Salamander has worked with visiting international students from
the Asian Scholars Program for In-Situ Turtle Conservation as a means of training
these scholars in field-based survey techniques (Manis 2008, Moss et al. 2009,
Reynolds and Wilson 2011). In all cases, the team has sought to educate others
about life-history and conservation issues involving amphibians and reptiles found
locally and within the greater Southern Appalachian region.
Lessons Learned
We have put several mechanisms in place to achieve student success. We emphasize
the importance of team work, cooperation, and capacity building where
communication is the key to success. Faculty and staff members mentor their students
closely and provide them with the tools to make informed decisions. Team
Salamander members go through extensive training and are required to score above
80% on all training modules involving animal use (e.g., IACUC- laboratory, field,
and husbandry) and human-based initiatives (https://www.citiprogram.org/). Students
are also required to have one-on-one training with a faculty mentor before
they can begin research. We have developed checks and balances where students
police each other on standard operating procedures, and hold one another to a high
standard. We have regular team meetings to ensure that progress is being made and
that problems can be addressed promptly.
We facilitated the development of leadership skills that transcend socioeconomic
and age barriers by extending educational opportunities to a diverse array
of students. Through their experiences with Team Salamander, students have discovered
significant information concerning the local flora, fauna, and environment
which can be used in future land-management practices. Sharing their research
findings with other students and members of the community has created a network
that links individuals who seek to strengthen STEM programs and build parity
among programs based on successes and failures. This communication heightens
community-based science and environmental awareness through an easy-tounderstand
program based on task-oriented projects and a long-term commitment
focusing on the region’s natural heritage.
We have used various approaches to encourage students to become practicing
scientists. Beyond our use of the scientific method and design-process thinking, we
have challenged students to be actively immersed in problems that seek local solutions,
as demonstrated in their dedication and willing participation in all aspects of
Team Salamander, ranging from environmental awareness and habitat protection to
the spatial ecology of Terrepene c. carolina L. (Eastern Box Turtle) and nest-site
selection of Ambystoma opacum (Gravenhurst) (Marbled Salamander). Throughout
the evolution of Team Salamander, several overarching themes have emerged, and
we will highlight the top 3 below.
Southeastern Naturalist
85
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
First, students are particularly intrigued by the nuances of the natural world as
they learn about natural history. Students are awestruck when they witness firsthand
the explosive breeding (Harris 2008, Petranka 1998) and mass migration of
ambystomatid salamanders as they make their way from the adjacent uplands to a
nearby wetland. We have taught and students have learned much in the field while
processing salamanders or other amphibians and reptiles. Students learn science by
watching, listening, experiencing, and practicing the profession.
Second, students crave real-world experiences that provide job skills and put
them on a career path. When students were asked to provide feedback on the
Team Salamander experience, responses were overwhelmingly positive. Most
students felt that they had grown personally and intellectually as a result of their
involvement in Team Salamander (Reynolds 2013); areas of development included
critical thinking, accountability, leadership skills, teamwork, and collaboration.
Many students attributed skills and knowledge gained in Team Salamander to their
acceptance into graduate programs and successful employment in the fields of biology
and environmental science. Responses also reflected that students developed a
greater appreciation and understanding of the complexities involved in long-term
field studies, and their involvement with Team Salamander provided them with
important insights into the scientific process. In addition to new skill-sets and their
associated benefits, students also reported gaining a strong sense of camaraderie
with teammates and an increased appreciation for the study organisms. Members
of Team Salamander experience the full process of scientific research, including
project development and design, data collection and processing, interpretation and
reporting results, and the realities of conducting research in an uncontrolled environment
(e.g., extreme weather; Fig. 13). Through these experiences, members of
Team Salamander have gained a knowledge and passion for amphibian and reptile
conservation that has been translated into community outreach and service, including
efforts at the Tennessee Wetlands Festival, the Tennessee Naturalist Program,
UTC Earth Day, and local non-profit organizations. These efforts serve to educate
Figure 13. Checking double-ended funnel traps for small vertebrates during a snow storm.
Photograph © P.J. Wilson.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
86
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
the Chattanooga community about amphibian and reptile conservation and provide
Team Salamander members with experience in engaging a range of community
members, from children to adults, who represent a diversity of stakeholders—individuals
they may one day encounter as professionals. It is through such experiences
that Team Salamander members report that they have gained the skills needed to
succeed as professionals, including leadership, critical thinking, personal accountability,
the practice of healthy and educated skepticism, respect, and, above all,
the value of hard work and determination. The lessons learned through the Team
Salamander experience are invaluable not only to its members, but to UTC, BGE,
and the various communities in which Team Salamander members go on to work
and represent conservation in practice.
Third, transformational leadership is central to the adaptability of Team Salamander
because it builds and empowers future leaders and decision makers (e.g.,
stakeholders). Team members are transformed through the acquisition of knowledge
and the development of skills via training in transformational leadership
(Hall et al. 2015); Team Salamander members are empowered by their experiences.
For example, T.P. Wilson has influenced many Team Salamander students
over the years, including co-author B.R. Reynolds, who was one of these students.
Once influenced and transformed, B.R. Reynolds independently introduced ~80
non-science majors to the Team Salamander Experience. At the end of the Experience,
the non-science majors he recruited reported a strong desire to tell others
about the biodiversity crisis and amphibian declines, and to teach others about
ways to counteract both phenomena. The desire to tell and teach is essential for
successful leaders and effectively demonstrates the cycle of transformation. This
account demonstrates how transformational leaders invest in those who follow by
tying the educational needs of the follower to the framework of the research experience,
which, in turn, prompts the followers to develop and grow from a place of
security (Avolio and Bass 2004). In time, fledgling leaders gain the abilities they
need to become influential, autonomous leaders in their own right (Avolio and
Bass 2004). Within the context of conservation, effective leaders can only address
and positively impact the future of biodiversity with the support of an informed
citizenry; this situation further highlights the importance of engaging and transforming
undergraduate non-science majors. If these leaders in training somehow
fail to acquire a connection with nature during their undergraduate experience, it
is unlikely that they will acquire such a connection once they become non-STEM
professionals (Louv 2008). STEM educators, therefore, have a personal responsibility
to foster among their students a greater awareness of the natural world
and the development of a sound environmental ethic. Long-term science-based
initiatives like Team Salamander that incorporate transformational leadership and
design-process thinking encourage environmental stewardship and the recognition
of the importance of sustainability.
Instructors in this type of experiential program should consider using social media
and mobile technologies to share information quickly. For example, members
of Team Salamander have used Facebook and Twitter to post conservation news or
Southeastern Naturalist
87
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
information on upcoming events sponsored by Team Salamander (e.g., wetlands
festival, BFS work day, May Box Turtle survey). We have used Google Drive to
share documents with selected members of Team Salamander or the community.
This information may be in the form of species checklists, state reports, datasets,
photographs, or work schedules. In the past, we have used texting through a nested
contacts list which is similar to a smart-phone application called GroupMe. We
have used texting when we have been short-handed in the field and needed more
help processing Mole Salamanders during their mass-breeding events (e.g., spring
or fall). The benefits of this approach are that we are able to send out an instant
message to members of the current Team Salamander Crew and it provides them
information on where we need immediate help. This mode of communication is
valuable because it has gotten the word out quickly several times a year and provided
us with extra hands for processing animals in the field. While many people
shy away from texting, it provides a readily accessible way to send information
when cell coverage is poor or in the absence of a data connection that is required for
smart-phone users. Many students that are comfortable with geospatial technology
can use GIS, GPS, remote sensing, and drones to map or classify sensitive habitats,
core areas, or generate predictable buffer zones (Fig. 14; T.P. Wilson, unpubl. data).
It is imperative to understand how individual students acquire knowledge, skills,
and abilities so that mentors can better assign students specific duties (e.g., field
Figure 14. Team Salamander assists in mapping wildlife corridors for use in adaptive conservation
and management strategies. Map created by Jon Oakley and T.P. Wilson.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
88
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
work; museum/collections management; outdoor classroom/laboratory management;
management of data from catalogs, databases and field notes; liaison; and
communications officer) and hold them accountable for those tasks. Furthermore,
it is important that students identify themselves as members of the team and have
a sense of community. Members of Team Salamander receive a baseball cap depicting
an Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw) (Spotted salamander) on the front. It
is common to see members of Team Salamander proudly wearing their team caps
while on campus or in downtown Chattanooga; the caps identify them as productive
members of a team that operates beyond the classroom.
Significance
Team Salamander has established an educational and long-term ecological
research program that focuses on the conservation, ecology, and management of
free-ranging populations. Through their research and close work with faculty, students
have learned leadership skills, teamwork, critical thinking, reflection, design
principles, and other concepts that can be applied towards creating conservation solutions.
The program uses primarily salamanders as model organisms, but the team
also works with other species of amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and plants.
The Southern Appalachians are a biodiversity hotspot (Mitchell and Gibbons 2010).
Despite the rich amphibian diversity, the loss of habitat has raised concerns that
some amphibian populations are declining across the Southern Appalachians (Dodd
2010, Mitchell and Gibbons 2010). For example, Mole Salamanders are often longlived
(often >8 y; Petranka 1998, Snider and Bowler 1992), and because they can
be encountered in many habitats, learning about their life history and ecology offers
fantastic opportunities to better understand and reflect upon our environment,
including our roles and responsibilities as part of it. Thus, studies of pond-breeding
salamanders are excellent model systems for those wanting to involve students
in meaningful long-term ecological research. Long-term studies increase our understanding
of the natural world and promote an environmental ethic by teaching
students to appreciate non-human life forms. We have noted that some students
who are in or have completed the Team Salamander program are more concerned
with the stability of wild populations than they were before participating (Reynolds
2013). We know that the same biological principles and concepts that dictate and
define the well-being of wildlife populations also determine ours (Primack 2008,
Zug et al. 2001); therefore, beyond providing valuable information which can be
used to better understand, appreciate, and manage our native wildlife, long-term
ecological research can be a powerful tool used to educate students and others regarding
important environmental issues.
Directions for the Future
With community support, Team Salamander will continue to serve as a model
program. Team Salamander engages new groups of students and members of the
community at every opportunity. The success of Team Salamander is unparalleled
Southeastern Naturalist
89
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
at UTC, as evidenced by the high number of participants compared to the numbers
found in other university programs. Departments outside of the College of Arts and
Sciences have taken an interest in the success and operation of Team Salamander.
There are 2 prominent examples of the Team Salamander model being adopted
elsewhere on UTC’s campus: the UTC College of Business is developing a platform
for student engagement; and Team Salamander began working with the Honors College,
their students (UHON 2850 and 2860), and 4 community partners to develop
a land-use and management plan for the BFS. If successful, the plan will integrate
other community and campus groups into the conservation fold, and likely leverage
extramural support for salamander conservation and biodiversity as a whole in the
Greater Chattanooga Metropolitan area. Team Salamander’s work has been shared
locally, regionally, and internationally. We are committed to being proactive and are
willing to work with a variety of stakeholders. Overall, we are extremely optimistic
concerning the growth and continued success of Team Salamander (Fig. 15).
Acknowledgments
George W. Benz was a friend, mentor and colleague who passed away early in 2015.
George provided direction, inspiration, and feedback to us on the sections focusing on
significance and lessons learned. He will be forever missed†. Support for this project was
Figure 15. Team Salamander completes the Chattanooga 5K Mud Run, 16 August 16 2014 a
charity event to aid Habitat for Humanity. Photograph © S. Madsen.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
90
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
provided by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Biology SUF-TPW #E041011),
the Lupton Renaissance Gift Fund (#R040152003), NBII/USGS (#R041011026), Think and
Achieve, and volunteers. The field portion of this research was conducted under Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency Permit 3082. All research was conducted in accordance with
approved protocols (IACUC: #0907TPW-03 and #0408TPW-04; IRB #12-136). We are
grateful to those who provided comments on earlier versions of the manuscript and logistic
support. We thank the following members of the College of Arts and Sciences: Charles Nelson,
John Tucker, Timothy Gaudin, Hill Craddock, Mark Schorr, Peggy Kovach, Joey Shaw,
David Aborn, and Sean Richards. We appreciate Linda Frost, Greg O’Dea, and Sal Musumeci
of the UTC Honors College; and, Sue D. Culpepper and Irene J. Hillman of the UTC
College of Business. We thank other members of the UTC community: Karen Adsit, John
Scharer, Andrew Carroll, Chris Keller, Gretchen Potts, Tracy Jones, UTC ROTC, Richard
Brown, Doug Silver, Tom Ellis, and Lisa Darger. We are grateful to Dave Collins (Tennessee
Aquarium); Jim Brown, Mike Linger, and Rick Huffines (Tennessee River Gorge
Trust); Tom Lamb, (Hamilton County Parks and Recreation); Tim King (US Geological
Survey-Leetown Science Center); and, LaToya Cannon (US Department of Education). We
thank our international students from the Asian Scholars Program for In-Situ Turtle Conservation:
Pelf Nyok Chan (Malaysia), Fei Yan Zhang (China), Rajeev Chauhan (India),
and Nishant Sundaresan Pillai (India). We thank the contributing members of T.P. Wilson’s
Crew on Team Salamander for their efforts in the field, laboratory, museum, and beyond
the classroom, including Robert Altonen, Hillary Allen, Kari Baker, Mike Bascom, Taylor
Benson, Zachary Bible, Brittany Bird, Haylee Blalock, Sarah Bohr, Mary Bratton, Cameron
Brocco, Kirk Brodie, Philip Brown, John Burke, Sarah Candler, Greg Carter, Neil Choyce,
Curtis Cole, Evan Collins, Marie Colson, Erin Cougil, Alicia Courtwright, Matt Crane,
Chelsy Crosby, George Derouche, Abbey Fletcher, Hassan Gazzi, Steven Lee Graham,
Shawn Greevy, Jennifer Grubb, Charity Hammett, Paige Harmon, Cullen Harris, Jill Harrison,
Rachel Head, Clay Henry, Jason Hill, Jenny Hoose, Jessica Hubbach, Daniel Huser,
Stacy Huskins, Dillion Jennings, James Kee, Robert Kennedy, Brian Lee, Laura Lomenick,
Chris Manis, Jenny Marceaux, Nick Marceaux, Matthew Martin, John Mason, Stephen
McCallum, Ardyce Mercier, Heidi Messerly, Ashley Miller, Robert Minton, Kurtis Morris,
Leanne Morrow, Stefan Moss, Macall Nabors, David North, Charles Norton, Jon Oakley,
Sue Petersen, Ryan Piat, Matt Pollard, Carrie Pope, Preston Prigmore, Fawn Revels, Adam
Reynolds, Elijah Reyes, Daniel Richards, Paul Roy, Channing St. Aubin, Erin Schrenker,
Aaron Schoolfield, Tara Jade Scott, Rachel Seisinger, Jennifer Sexton, Kelsey Shipley,
Matt Schultz, Betsy Shutters, Roger Shutters, J. Trevor Slayton, Ashley Smart, Katherine
Smith, Matt Smith, Josh Smith, Andrew Smithson, Simon Stanley, Megen Stevenson, John
Stewart, Charles Strange, George Szarka, Savannah Takalo, Breland Taylor, Laura Taylor,
Jake VanThomison, Garrett Venable, Chris Vernon, Justin Walley, Joel Bret Warren, Justin
Welch, Jacob Wilkins, Dylan Williams, and others that we have likely forgotten but appreciate
no less.
Literature Cited
Anderson, D. 2001. The need to get the basics right in wildlife field studies. Wildlife Society
Bulletin 29:1294–1297.
Armstrong, D.S. 2012. Conservation genetics of a Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum,
Shaw 1802) local population in Southeast Tennessee. M.Sc. Thesis. University of
Tennessee at Chatanooga, Chatanooga, TN. 60 pp.
Southeastern Naturalist
91
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
Avolio, B.J., and B.M. Bass. 2004. Multifactor leadership questionnaire: Manual and sample
set. Mind Garden, Inc. Menlo Park, CA. Available online at http://www.mindgarden.
com/16-multifactor-leadership-questionnaire. Accessed 2 September 2015.
Carpenter, C.L. 2013. The phylogeography of Short-tailed Shrews (genus: Blarina) of
Southeast Tennessee. M.Sc. Thesis. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga,
TN. 51 pp.
Center for Park Management, National Parks Conservation Association (CPM). 2013. The
design-thinking process for innovation: A toolkit for leading creative conversations
about park and program relevance. Available online at http://www.npca.org/about-us/
center-for-park-mgmt/toolkit.html. Accessed 15 August 2015.
Colson, M. 2009. Landscape patterns and patch dynamics in Hamilton County over a fortyyear
period: Applicability to the conservation of the Eastern Box Turtle. M.Sc. Thesis.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. 120 pp.
Cogalniceanu, D., and C. Miaud. 2010. Setting objectives in field studies. Pp. 21–36, In
C. Kenneth Dodd (Ed.). Amphibian Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques.
Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. 556 pp.
Danielsen, F., M.M. Mendoza, A. Tagtag, P.A. Alviola, D.S. Balete, A.E. Jensen, M. Enghoff,
and M.K. Poulsen. 2007. Increasing conservation management action by involving
local people in natural-resource monitoring. AMBIO 36:566–570.
Dodd, C.K., Jr. (Ed.). 2010. Amphibian Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques
Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. 556 pp.
Dorcas, M.E., and S.J. Price. 2008. Effective undergraduate-based herpetological research
in an urban environment. Pp. 541–547, In R.E. Jung and J.C. Mitchell (Eds.). Urban
Herpetology. Herpetological Conservation. Vol. 3. Society for the Study of Amphibians
and Reptiles. Salt Lake City, UT. 608 pp.
Elbroch, M., T.H. Mwampamba, M.J. Santos, M. Zylberberg, L. Liebenberg, J. Minye, C.
Mosser, and E. Reddy. 2010. The value, limitations, and challenges of employing local
experts in conservation research. Conservation Biology 25:1195–1202.
Gallagher, D.R. 2012. Why environmental leadership? Pp. 3–11, In D.R. Gallagher (Ed.).
Environmental leadership: A Reference Handbook. SAGE Publications, Inc., Thousand
Oaks, CA. 1032 pp.
Gibbons, J.W., and M.E. Dorcas. 2014. What is a herpetologist and how can I become one?
Journal of North American Herpetology 2014:1–2.
Gibbons, J.W., D.E. Scott, T.J. Ryan, K.A. Buhlmann, T.D. Tuberville, B.S. Metts, J.L.
Greene, T. Mills, Y. Leiden, S. Poppy, and C.T. Winne. 2000. The global decline of reptiles,
déjà vu amphibians. BioScience 50:653–666.
Griffith, G.E., J.M. Omernik, and S.H. Azevedo. 1997. Ecoregions of Tennessee. US Environmental
Protection Agency. EPA/600R-97/022. Washington, DC. 51 pp.
Hall, J., S. Johnson, A. Wysocki, and K. Kepner. 2015. Transformational leadership: The
transformation of managers and associates. Available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
pdffiles/HR/HR02000.pdf. Accessed 2 September 2015.
Harris, W.E. 2008. Spermatophore-deposition behavior in an explosive breeder, the Smallmouthed
Salamander, Ambystoma texanum. Herpetological 64:149–155.
Holck, M.H. 2008. Participatory forest-monitoring: An assessment of the accuracy of
simple, cost-effective methods. Biodiversity and Conservation 17:2023–2036.
Karns, D.R. 1986. Field Herpetology: Methods for the study of amphibians and reptiles in
Minnesota. James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
MN. Occasional Paper 18. 88 pp.
Southeastern Naturalist
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017
92
Vol. 16 Special Issue 10
Louv, R. 2008. Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 390 pp.
McDiarmid, R.W., M.S. Foster, C. Guyer, J.W. Gibbons, and N. Chernoff (Eds.). 2012.
Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring. University of
California Press, Los Angeles, CA. 412 pp.
Manis, C. 2008. The community ecology of a riverine turtle assemblage in the Tennessee
River Gorge. M.Sc. Thesis. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN.
101 pp.
Miller, A., T.P. Wilson, M.B. Smith, R. Minton, and C. Manis. 2007. Geographic distribution:
Hyla cinerea. Herpetological Review: 38:97.
Mitchell, J., and J.W. Gibbons. 2010. Salamanders of the Southeast. University of Georgia
Press, Athens, GA. 324 pp.
Moss, S. 2005. Ecotoxicology and the level of persistent organic pollutants in a riverine
turtle assemblage: An environmental education perspective. M.Sc. Thesis. University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. 119 pp.
Moss, S., J. Keller, S. Richards, and T.P. Wilson. 2009. Concentrations of persistent organic
pollutants in plasma from a riverine turtle assemblage from the Tennessee River Gorge.
Chemosphere 76:194–204.
Nagda, B.A., S.R. Gregerman, J. Jonides, W. von Hippel, and J.S. Lerner. 1998. Undergraduate
student–faculty research partnerships affect student retention. Review of Higher
Education 22:55–72.
Nerbonne, J.F., and K.C. Nelson. 2008. Volunteer macroinvertebrate monitoring: Tensions
among group goals, data quality, and outcomes. Environmental Management
42:470–479.
Petranka, J.W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution
Press, Washington, DC. 587 pp.
Primack, R.B. 2008. A Primer of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland,
MA. 349 pp.
Reynolds, B.R. 2013. The impact of transformational leadership, experiential learning,
and reflective journaling on the conservation ethic of tertiary-level non-science majors.
Ed.D. Dissertation. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. 161 pp.
Reynolds, B., and T.P. Wilson. 2011. Conservation in the clouds: Cultural geography, environmental
education, and the Asian turtle crisis. Education About Asia 16:52–55.
Simpson, J.E. III. 2013. An assessment of a herpetofaunal community in Hamilton County,
Tennessee: Baseline ecology, species richness, and relative abundance. M.Sc. Thesis.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN. 79 pp.
Simpson, J.F., and T.P. Wilson. 2009.Geographic distribution: Acris gryllus. Herpetological
Review 40:233.
Simpson, J.F., D.S. Armstrong, and T.P. Wilson. 2010. Geographic distribution: Pseudacris
crucifer. Herpetological Review 41:241.
Snider, A.T., and J.K. Bowler. 1992. Longevity of reptiles and amphibians in North American
collections. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular
No. 21. 40 pp.
Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT). 2016. Home page. Available online at http://www.
trgt.org. Accessed 29 May 2016.
Thrive 2055. 2016. Home page. Available online at http://www.thrive2055.org. Accessed
29 May 2016.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). 2014. UTC Strategic Plan Update. Available
online http://blog.utc.edu/strategic-plan/2014/08/27/strategic-plan-update-3/. Accessed
29 May 2016.
Southeastern Naturalist
93
T.P. Wilson, et al.
2017 Vol. 16, Special Issue 10
Wilson, T.P., C.B. Manis, S.L. Moss, R.M. Minton, E. Collins, and T.M. Wilson. 2012.
New distributional records for reptiles from Tennessee, USA. Herpetological Review
43:111–112.
Wilson, T.P., J. Barbosa, E. Carver, B.R. Reynolds, D. Richards, Team Salamander, and
T.M. Wilson. 2015. An assessment of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis prevalence in
two species of ranid frogs on a former United States Department of Defense installation
in southeastern Tennessee. Herpetological Review 46:3741.
Zug, G.R., L.J. Vitt, and J.P. Caldwell. 2001. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians
and Reptiles, 2nd. Edition. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 630 pp.