Conservation of the 105 species of amphibians, reptiles, and turtles in the northwestern United States and western Canada is represented by a diverse mix of projects and programs across ten states, provinces, and territories. In this paper, 29 contributing authors review the status of herpetofauna by state, province or territory, and summarize the key issues, programs, projects, partnerships, and regulations relative to the species and habitats in those areas. Key threats to species across this expansive area include habitat degradation or loss, invasive species, disease, and climate change. Many programs and projects currently address herpetological conservation issues, including numerous small-scale monitoring and research efforts. However, management progress is hindered in many areas by a lack of herpetological expertise and basic knowledge of species' distribution patterns, limited focus within management programs, insufficient funds, and limited communication across the region. Common issues among states and provinces suggest that increased region-wide communication and coordination may aid herpetological conservation. Regional conservation collaboration has begun by the formation of the Northwest working group of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

We studied Dusky-footed Woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes) abundance and habitat associations in 39 stands of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest managed for timber production during 1992, 1993, and 1999. Abundance of woodrats (M_{t 1}, number of unique individuals captured) in seedling/pole timber forests (<20 y) was greater than abundance in unthinned and thinned small (21- to 60-y-old) and large sawtimber (61- to 80-y-old) forests. We developed statistical models relating woodrat abundance to forest stand and forest understory covariates collected on trapping grids in thinned forests >50 y old. We used an information-theoretic approach (Akaike's Information Criterion) corrected for small sample sizes to rank models. At the forest stand level, the top-ranked model indicated woodrat abundance was negatively associated with overstory conifer stems >45.7 cm dbh. The top-ranked model relating woodrat abundance to understory habitat variables showed a negative association with log volume, Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) and Salal (Gaultheria shallon) cover, and positive association with total understory cover. Our results from managed Coast Redwood forests of northern California indicate that woodrat abundance was greatest in young, even aged forests 5 to 20 y post-harvest. Because woodrats are a major prey species of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in northern California, forest management practices conducted at large scales (watershed or Northern Spotted Owl territory levels) that influence woodrat abundance have implications for the management of populations of federally threatened Northern Spotted Owls.

I used bat detectors to study the effects of a fuels-reduction silvicultural treatment in a forested area of northeastern Oregon where there were high numbers of standing and down dead trees. Data were collected in 3 control and 6 treatment units over a 4-wk period in mid-summer for 3 y prior to treatment in 2002 and for 4 y after treatment. Treatment significantly reduced number and basal area of tree stems and canopy layers. Bat species were divided into clutter-intolerant, clutter-tolerant, and clutter-neutral species groups based on morphologic and echolocation call characteristics. The proportion of each group's activity did not differ between control and treatment units prior to treatment and for control units pre- and post-treatment. However, the proportion of activity of clutter-intolerant species was greater in treatment units after treatment compared to treatment units prior to treatment and to control units after treatment. The opposite result occurred for the clutter-tolerant species group. No significant changes were observed for the clutter-neutral group. There was no change in overall bat activity after treatment. I attributed changes in activity among the groups primarily to the reduction of clutter, but at least some of the change may have been an indirect effect of the treatment on the availability of prey or roost sites.

In 2007, a new species of shrew, Sorex rohweri, was described from western Washington. We examined historical museum and recent voucher specimens to assess identification criteria and status of this new species in British Columbia. Most similar morphologically to Sorex cinereus and Sorex vagrans, S. rohweri can be identified by a combination of dental and skull traits. Three-group discriminant analyses of 100 specimens based on as few as 6 skull measurements correctly assigned 98% of individuals to the 3 species. The available records, consisting of 18 specimens from 13 locations, suggest that S. rohweri has a small range extent of about 360 km² in the lower Fraser River basin confined to the south side of the Fraser River. The combination of the shrew's association with forested habitats in a region greatly affected by agricultural and urban development, the concentration of recent records from Burns Bog, a fragmented 3000-ha patch of natural habitat, and the isolation of the British Columbian population from populations in Washington make it a species of national conservation concern in Canada.

Opportunistic observations of Nearctic River Otter (Lontra canadensis) were collected by volunteer observers in Humboldt and Del Norte counties to describe group and litter size patterns. In the first 5 y, 709 records were sent by email, mail, or an online form. River Otter pups were characterized relative to adult body size. Group sizes, ranging from 1 to 9 otters, were larger in summer and smaller in winter. Litter size ranged from 1 to 4 pups and declined from an average of 3.2 in spring to 1.6 in fall. Observers recorded 49 litters among 23 watercourses, with otters from some sites producing pups in multiple years. This Citizen Science approach to monitoring can provide valuable information to assess basic population parameters that might otherwise be unobtainable.

Distribution of the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa) has shrunk markedly, and more than two-thirds of known populations are located along the Cascade Range in central Oregon. Despite conservation concern, little is known about how habitat attributes and stressors such as invasive species influence R. pretiosa populations. We used egg mass counts to study R. pretiosa habitat relationships at oviposition sites and breeding ponds. Oviposition sites were in shallow water above gradually sloping substrates that supported moderate or dense herbaceous vegetation. Sixty-one per cent of occupied breeding ponds had fewer than 20 egg masses. We found strong support for 2 predictors of egg mass count: positive effect of other R. pretiosa breeding sites nearby, and a negative effect of non-native fish having access to preferred R. pretiosa overwintering habitat. We found moderate support for effects of emergent and submergent vegetation coverage (positive), and of ponds being located in the Klamath River Basin (negative). Maintaining and restoring overwintering habitats that are free of non-native game fish is likely to benefit R. pretiosa in our study area. Further work on movement ecology is needed to improve our understanding of habitat connectivity and the effects of site isolation on the persistence of R. pretiosa in Oregon.