Fellow Herpers, I was recently reading through the old AAWG email archives and I came across the dialogue (2006) regarding Northwestern Salamanders near Graves Harbor / Pelican on Chichagof Island. This is of particular interest to me since the species has not been seen frequently in the state and few vouchers exist. In fact, the only voucher that I've found so far is a specimen housed at the Smithsonian that was collected in 1895 at Mary Island near the outer coast of POW. I've requested that the curator take a photo for me and send along an SVL (though this is probably not going to be completely accurate after spending 118 years shriveling in ethanol). Still, the conversation in 2006 suggests that the population on Chichagof are extraordinarily large. Interestingly, I've encountered local knowledge reports from Hydaburg and Wrangell that refer to "huge lizard-like creatures in remote areas," very similar to the descriptions given to Lewis Sharman.
There is a pdf associated with the email conversation but I have been unable to retrieve it from the archive (can anyone send me this?). I am wondering if anyone on the list can answer the following too: 1. Is there a photograph or voucher of these individuals anywhere? 2. Was the area ever sampled after this report came in? 3. How can I get a hold of Matt or Adrianna Cahill who sent the original message to Lewis? To refresh your memories: "Last night Adrianna and I were leaving the school at about 9:30, and I spotted this cool creature on the boardwalk!. Being from California, my first reaction was *lizard*. Being from San Diego, Adrianna's first reaction was *plastic lizard*. I couldn't believe how large this salamander was. It was between 25 and 30cm overall, and the width of a chicken egg. I knew salamanders were around here, but I thought they would only be up in the muskeg ponds and slow river bends. Too cool." Thanks so much! Joshua T. Ream -- Doctoral Student Ethnobiology Resilience and Adaptation Program University of Alaska - Fairbanks 7620 Pleasure View Circle Anchorage, AK 99507 (814) 883 - 6629 [email protected]
