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need not provide all of the conditions needed for <br />long -term survival and successful reproduction, <br />but they must provide adequate conditions to <br />allow individuals to make the journey. <br />Like the tracts of forest themselves, the effec- <br />tiveness of a connection depends on its size. Like <br />other kinds of conduits, the shorter and wider a <br />connection between habitats is, the more <br />wildlife can pass through it. So to increase the <br />interchanges of individuals between otherwise <br />isolated patches of forest, the broader the <br />connection the better. <br />Biologists know little about what makes a <br />connection effective for any one species. No <br />doubt, just as for the sizes of forests, the answer <br />differs from species to species. Although broader, <br />shorter, less disturbed connections are probably <br />always better, some species can make do with <br />connections that other species cannot. <br />8 <br />i <br />OTHER CONSIDERATIONS <br />FOR WILDLIFE <br />Each species of native animal and plant has its <br />.own specific requirements. In most cases, we <br />do not yet know exactly what these requirements <br />are. Some native species require highly specific <br />habitats. The distinctive communities of plants <br />and animals, that occur on steep north - facing <br />slopes along Morgan Creek, New Hope Creek, <br />and Eno River are good examples. Many such <br />cases are documented in the 1988 Inventory of <br />Natural Areas in Orange County. <br />The presence of natural bodies of water <br />(streams, rivers, vernal pools, seasonally inundat- <br />ed floodplains) augments the diversity of habi- <br />tats within forests. Partly for this reason, mature <br />forests on floodplains include the greatest diver- <br />sity of wildlife species of any habitat in Orange <br />County. In general, forested areas that include or <br />are adjacent to natural water courses often <br />harbor more species and individuals of native <br />wildlife than those that do not. <br />The presence of rare or threatened species <br />often indicates an area with a long history of <br />ecological integrity. In Orange County most <br />areas with these characteristics were mapped <br />in the 1988 Inventory of Natural Areas in <br />Orange County. These identified natural <br />areas are thus important as indica- <br />tors of especially rich habitats for <br />wildlife. <br />Green Heron <br />