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| Spotted salamander halfway across a road (conservewildlifenj.org) |
Every spring, vernal pool breeding amphibians migrate from upland wintering habitats to their spring breeding pools. Many of these ancestral migratory paths are bisected by roads, creating a barrier that not only disrupts natural migration and fragments habitat but often proves impenetrable, limiting gene flow and disconnecting populations.
Conserve Wildlife NJ's Amphibian Crossing Project works to protect these migration corridors through coordinated volunteer rescue efforts that move amphibians safely across the road during these annual mass migration events. Currently, our efforts are focused on select sites in northern New Jersey but we want to expand our database to document these migratory paths across the state.
They do ask that you only report known crossings and do not attempt to locate more by driving around on rainy spring nights. Increased vehicular traffic will increase mortality of amphibians during their annual spring migration.
If you would like to report an amphibian crossing near you, please email them the following information:
- Location of the crossing marked clearly on a map
- List of species seen crossing or DOR (dead on road)
- Date(s) of occurrence and any other pertinent information you may have
Slideshow of volunteer crossing photos
ConserveWildlifeNJ.org/blog/2013/01/11/report-local-amphibian-crossings-during-spring-migration/
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