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Long-term monitoring of reptiles and ground arthropods near the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Mesa, Arizona, USA, ongoing since 2010

Reptiles and amphibians have been monitored at the Gateway site since 2010. The goals of the project have been to provide undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to learn hands-on wildlife techniques, follow seasonal patterns of herpetofauna and ground arthropods, and serve as a test bed for new projects and technologies, including development of a mobile app for data collection. Live trapping methods include 6 trap arrays of pitfall and funnel traps placed along drift fences. Arrays are checked daily when traps are actively open to trap animals. Lizards are given a unique toe clip code, but all other species are unmarked. Reptiles and amphibians are weighed and measured and released at point of capture. Ground arthropods are counted to the Order-level. Arrays are open typically from March to October and the years vary in trapping effort with arrays open from 2 to 68 days per year. The most common species captured are tiger whiptail (*Aspidoscelis tigris*) and common side-blotched (*Uta stansburiana*) lizards.

ShareScore

52/100

Overall dataset sharing score

Score breakdown

These five areas show where the dataset supports — or may limit — practical reuse.

Stewardship
12
Harmonization
20
Access
4
Reuse readiness
8
Engagement
8

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