Amphibian Conservation Project
Since 2002 we have been working to protect early-spring breeding amphibians like the wood frog, spotted salamander, jefferson salamander, and spring peeper during their annual migration. We work to help to project these species at road crossings.
Zoom+ Spotted salamnder. © Dave Blinder
We all know that “April showers bring May flowers,” but the earlier rains of March stir beauties of a different kind. When the first Spring raindrops hit the barely-thawed ground and night falls on the forest, a menagerie of frogs, salamanders, and toads emerge from their winter burrows to jump-start the season. These amphibians – the spotted salamanders, wood frogs, spring peepers, and others – are anxious to get to their breeding pools and lay their eggs.
The waters that they choose are called vernal pools because they fill with rainwater, snowmelt, and rising groundwater in early spring but then dry up as summer advances. The pools are thus temporary and cannot support fish, meaning fewer predators for the amphibian eggs and young. But to survive the dry-out themselves, the new generation of amphibians must race to complete metamorphosis and leave the water before it is gone.
So that’s what all the haste is about. Under perfect conditions of warm (>40ºF), thawing, nighttime rains, there may be hundreds or even thousands of amphibians moving at once toward the same breeding pool. The darkness and the rain allow them to move stealthily over the landscape, hidden from predators like the owl and raccoon. Most people will never notice their migration either.
The problem in a place like New Jersey is that we’ve criss-crossed a web of roads and developments across the land. Habitat loss aside, many of our frogs, salamanders, and toads must now challenge traffic in order to get where they need to go. A single vehicle can crush dozens of these slow-moving animals as they try to cross the road during migration. From the driver’s seat they may look like mere twigs, leaves, or raindrops bouncing off the road. With high mortality rates year after year, it doesn’t take long for a population to nose-dive.
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation has been partnering with NJ’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program (ENSP) and NJ Audubon Society since 2002 to protect early-spring breeding amphibians like the wood frog, spotted salamander, Jefferson salamander, and spring peeper during their annual migration. On peak nights each Spring, we work with a fleet of incredible volunteers to hustle amphibians across the road at rescue sites, collect data on the numbers and species seen, measure the impacts of vehicular traffic, and document additional amphibian crossings for future protection. A lovely article in the New York Times (April 2009) described our group as “chaperones to an amphibian dance.”
A Four-toed salamander on a roadway in northern New Jersey. © MacKenzie Hall
We continue these efforts in 2010 as we work toward a more sustainable long-term vision. We hope that townships and community groups will use our model to take on protection of their local amphibians; to make road closures and/or volunteer efforts a part of the annual repertoire. Additionally, a pilot road culvert project for one Warren County road is currently in the planning stage. A successful “critter crossing” here could set the stage for many other road permeability projects, allowing salamanders, frogs, and toads (as well as snakes and other small animals) to safely and independently cross between their upland habitats and breeding pools each spring.
Would you like to help?
- You can help us find and safeguard amphibian road-crossings by letting us know where you’ve seen them or by volunteering with our Amphibian Crossing Survey Project.
- Please contact us for more information. NOTE: This project is currently limited to northern New Jersey.
- A set of guidelines are now under development to help citizens and townships establish an amphibian conservation program. Please contact us to request a copy.
- This season, learn more about the incredible lives of amphibians found right here in NJ! For field guides and CDs, visit our Store.
Contact Us:
MacKenzie Hall, Private Lands Biologist: Email
908.782.4614, Ext. 104
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