PREVIOUS NEWS
4/15/08 - There was a sizable movement of amphibians in Chittenden County, and other warmer areas of the state over the weekend. With a sunny forecast, the next movements may not be until next week. Be aware that snowmelt on warm nights can also trigger migrations, so be ready! Also, a crossing site in Cabot was added to the list.
4/07/08 - Thanks to a great suggestion from an anonymous trainee last evening, I have launched a Google Group for the Amphibian Monitoring Program. This will be a useful tool for networking with other volunteers.
4/03/08 - I've added a site in Huntington, quite close to Richmond. Perfect for the many folks who made it out to last night's training. For those in the south and in the Champlain Valley, keep your eyes on the weather tomorrow night.
4/02/08 - The first amphibian movements of the season were reported last night and Monday night, in southern areas of the state, and in the Lake Champlain Valley. It looks like the next potential movement date could be this Friday, April 4th.
3/31/08 - The training at ECHO in Burlington for 4/19 at 2pm has been canceled, but the training at 11am will happen as scheduled. Also, weather may be favorable for crossings as early as tonight in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont. Keep a close eye on the forecast.
3/26/08 - Amphibian Monitoring has been in the news again. Click here to see the article which appeared in today's Burlington Free Press about our upcoming training in Richmond. Thanks to everyone who has come to trainings so far, and if you haven't yet, there are still more opportunities to get involved. See the training schedule on the upper-right of this page.
3/05/08 - Note the following changes to training dates/times :
Our Training in Calais will take place 4/10 at 6:30pm
Our Trainings at ECHO in Burlington will be at 11:00am and 2:00pm on 4/19. Note that museum admission will be required for the training at ECHO.
2/15/08 - Amphibian trainings for the 2008 season have been announced! Tell your friends, families, and strangers you pass on the street. Our best source of advertising these free events is word-of-mouth.
1/31/08 - While the amphibians rest peacefully under the snow and ice, we are gearing up for their return! Expect to hear about the '08 trainings shortly, but first, a brief recap of last year. We:
So, congratulations to everyone who helped make last year a success!
5/1/07 - Congratulations to those volunteers who made it out this weekend! There are lots of data sheets still coming in, and so it may be some time before I have a final tally, but hundreds of amphibians were reported moving across Central Vermont. There very well may be some more crossing nights to come, so stay tuned to the weather, and check back for more updates.
4/6/07 - OUR LAST TRAINING EVENT will take place at NBNC on Monday April 16th at 7 PM. Tell your friends! Last night's presentation in Roxbury occurred despite the inclement weather, and went very well. New (and more easily accessible) crossing sites (in Shelburne, Hinesburg, and Northfield) are up on the link under "Resources".
4/5/07 - ONE LAST TRAINING EVENT will take place at NBNC due to popular demand. The date will be announced shortly, and will go up over the email list as well as on the web. Last night's training in Burlington drew a crowd of 18, while 16 people were in attendance in Barre.
The varying levels of snow received throughout Vermont yesterday should keep the amphibians at rest for the time being (no good looking nights yet in the 10-day forecast), but I will keep everyone posted.
I will also be adding some crossing sites in Chittenden County, and trying to make that info more easily accessible through the website, so check back later today for those updates.
4/3/07 - On April 1st, an email alert went out regarding the favorable weather conditions. It seems that things in the Montpelier area were still too frozen to permit amphibian movement, however I got reports of movement in New Haven, and Salisbury (where I was, numbers below). The cold temperatures (and even snow!) predicted for the remainder of the week will most likely mean no imminent movement, but I will send an email if that changes.
In the 2.5 hours I was at Morgan Rd. in Salisbury, there were 14 Spotted Salamanders, 1 Jefferson Salamander, 26 Jefferson/Blue-spotted hybrids, 49 Blue-spotted Salamanders, 18 Four-toed Salamanders, 43 Wood Frogs, and 34 Spring Peepers (plus a few roadkills). Click here for photos.
3/29/07 - I have added 2 new crossing sites to the list you can download under "Resources" (one in New Haven and one in Marshfield). The New Haven site marks the first crossing of AMP's '07 crossing effort. Jefferson Salamanders and Red Efts were found (8 total, 3 alive). Last night's training session had three people in attendance, and tomorrow will be our training in Calais. I will also try to post some pictures from the crossing in Salisbury over the next few days.
3/27/07 - Last night's program in Waitsfield went very well, with 10 people in attendance. There are still many more training sessions scheduled, so don't miss out! After last night's training I spend about 45 minutes looking around Middlesex for any signs of activity(just in case), but found no movement.
More activity, however, was reported farther south in Salisbury. Temperatures should remain cool the rest of this week, but if things change and activity looks likely, I will send out an email, and make some phone calls to let everyone know.
3/26/07 - More activity was reported in Salisbury this weekend, foreshadowing the coming amphibian movement in our area. Tonight will be rainy, but on the cooler side. There is still near 100% snow cover in the area, however I will check around for signs of early movement. Don't forget the training session tonight in Waitsfield!
3/23/07 - The Burlington Free Press ran a cover article today on amphibian migration, and the Amphibian Monitoring Program. Click here to view the article (the paper version has a nice section about our training sessions).
Also, note that a very small amount of amphibian movement (about a dozen Blue-spotted Salamanders) was observed in Salisbury last night, however, cooler temperatures will prevent any more movement in the near future. This sighting is not indicative of the rest of Vermont, where it is unlikely that any movement occurred.
3/22/07 - The Burlington and Calais training sessions have officially been announced, and are posted in the column to the right of this section. A flier is also available under the "Resources" section, for you to help us advertise these events in your community. Just download the flier, and then edit the date/location to match the training session you wish to advertise.
3/20/07 - The AMP's website is officially online! This page will serve as a resource to our volunteers and supporters. Please feel free to e-mail me at larry@northbranchnaturecenter.org with any suggestions on how to improve this site.
3/16/07 - Our first training session, held at the nature center, was a great success! Despite the poor weather, there were 16 people in attendance. If you missed this training session or were held captive by the snow, don't worry! There are plenty more training sessions to attend throughout central Vermont. I hope to see you at one soon!