"Each spring in Keene, New Hampshire, wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), red back salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) must navigate roads to reach their natal spawning grounds.
"This particular road in Keene is routinely closed to cars during nights of amphibian migration. At other crossing sites in the region, volunteers are the only thing standing between these slow-moving critters and the danger posed by passing traffic. Carrying animals across the road by hand gets the job done, but it’s limited by human availability and energy.
"Thelen and her salamander squadron are at the center of a new initiative to build small tunnels under Jordan Road, a crossing site in Keene known for Jefferson complex slamanders. “They need to be able to move across the landscape to find food, to access different habitat at different times of year. Even when there’s conserved land on both sides of a road, roads interrupt that ability to move across the landscape. They create a barrier.” Thelen said.
"Once completed, Thelen said the project in Keene, which is still in the design phase, will feature fencing along both sides of the road to guide amphibians into two, or possibly three, underpasses.The underpass project is a partnership between the Harris Center, the city of Keene, and the state wildlife agency. It’s funded by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that’s also supporting turtle crossing projects elsewhere in New Hampshire."
Today we are sending cards to Brett Amy Thelen, at the Harris Center for Conservation, and the Salamander Squadron, who monitor amphibian road crossings and are pivotal in advocating for wildlife connectivity crossings across dangerous roadways.
Article: https://tinyurl.com/nu4ktt9y
Website: https://harriscenter.org/
Harris Center for Conservation Education
83 King's Highway
Hancock, NH 03449
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