This photo was taken by Lori S. of Georgia, Vermont who shared this photo on the Vermont State Parks facebook page!Picture this: It's past 10pm and Peggy is outside in her rainboots, a bright yellow raincoat, and some reflective gear. She has a bucket on her arm, a flashlight in one hand, and a big spotted salamander in her other hand. It's cold and raining and way past her bedtime but dozens of these local amphibians need her help! Yep, It's salamander migration season! For the past 15 years Peggy has been helping these Spot-tacular salamanders make it across busy roads towards the vernal pools they use for breeding. With the help of great organizations like BEEC, we've saved hundreds of salamanders from being run over by cars (and depending on the amount of traffic, this can result in huge dents in the salamander population)!
Smile, you're on Salamander camera! These little guys were making moves right around Stonehurst. You may be wondering why the owner of a furniture company is spending her free time helping frogs and salamanders cross the roads. I can assure you that it's actually very relevant and important work, and it's quite symbolic of the exact reason she started Vermont Woods Studios in the first place.
Our forests are so much more than just trees. When Peggy started Vermont Woods Studios in 2005, she was inspired to help save disappearing animal habitats by promoting sustainable forestry. Did you know that almost every species of large primate & big cat are endangered? While these salamanders aren't endangered (at least not yet), we want to make sure it stays that way! These salamanders have been following the same migration patterns for hundreds of years, way before roads and cars and all of the man-made things that put them in danger. On nights where we might have missed them crossing, there is evidence left on the roads of the threat to the survival of these crawly creatures that cars pose.
The least we can do is help these slow movers make it to where they're headed.
Here's my #NatureSelfie! That's Peggy in the background making her way to check up on the salamander eggs.
You can find many different types of eggs in local Vernal pools. Can you guess which ones are Spotted Salamander eggs?After the salamanders have crossed and made it to the vernal pools, we visit them to see how many egg clusters we can find. This helps us keep track of the success of the salamanders each year and assures us that our efforts are making a difference!
All in all, we take care and keep track of the success of the salamander migration because we care about our environment-- even the smallest parts! If you're interested in learning more about helping salamanders, check out the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center website.
