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Amphibian Monitoring Program
Background Info During the first warm, rainy nights of spring, over half a dozen different species of frogs and salamanders make a mass migration from their wintering sites in upland habitats to vernal pools and other suitable breeding grounds. Due to habitat fragmentation by roads, a vast number of frogs and salamanders are inadvertently killed each year trying to cross through the traffic. Road mortality is painfully high, destroying entire populations or limiting their success rate. Add to this increased development and higher road usage, and the scales are tipped squarely against these animals. The objectives of this program are to educate the public about this little-known mass migration, and to recruit volunteers to assist our four-legged friends in their dangerous journey. Program History In spring 2005 NBNC piloted an amphibian rescue program. Over 60 central Vermonters came to an informational training at the nature center to learn how to help amphibians safely cross roads. Over 30 volunteers sent in reports from locations throughout the region. In spring 2006, we brought our mission to other communities, hosting training sessions in Northfield, Stowe, Jericho, and Waterbury. In 2007 we held trainings in Waitsfield, Calais, Roxbury and Marshfield where we identified new crossing sites and recruited new volunteers. More new communities hosted trainings in 2008-2012, with over 400 people attending trainings. Program Future We hope spring 2013 to be our most productive year of amphibian monitoring yet! Please see our schedule of upcoming training sessions on the column directly right of this text and find a training session near you. Training Session Agenda
News 4/11/13 - Lots of amphibians have been active this week, with reports (collated by Jim Andrews) coming from Bridport, Salisbury, Shelburne Pond, Cambridge, Fairfax, Richmond, Huntington, Monkton, Calais, and Duxbury. There have also been some recent blog entries about amphibians... check out these articles for deeper insights as well as stunning images: Amphibian Monitoring & EducationSalamanders and the Midnight Rain 3/12/13 - Some minor amphibian movement occured in the warmest pockets of the Champlain Valley last night marking the first active amphibians in Vermont this year! See a photo of a Wood Frog taken in Essex at the NBNC Blog. 2/18/13 - Most of our news has moved to the NBNC Blog. To see old news posts, visit the old news page. New training dates were added for this spring (see the upper-right corner of this page). |
Upcoming Events Keep an eye on the weather forecast, as the next rainy nights could trigger amphibian migrations! Resources
Please return all data sheets, maps, and photos to: Larry Clarfeld
Volunteers Needed for
Make an Online Donation 
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