The Braintree and Randolph Conservation Commissions will be co-sponsoring the following event on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM at Randolph Technical Career Center. Admission is free and open to everyone.
"Vernal Pools: Wicked Big Puddles or Critical Wildlife Habitat?"
This talk will focus on the ecology of vernal pools with an emphasis on the wildlife that depend upon them to complete their life histories, especially salamanders and wood frogs. We will explore the characteristics of vernal pools, the life histories and ecology of the unique assemblage of wildlife, both amphibians and invertebrates, that utilize vernal pools, and the roles these small, inconspicuous wetlands play in our forest ecosystems.
The presenter, Steve Faccio, is a co-founder of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and a Conservation Biologist with wide-ranging interests and skills as a scientist, naturalist, writer, and photographer. With over 25 years' experience, much of his work at VCE is focused on forest ecology, including long-term population monitoring of forest songbirds, ecology of pool-breeding amphibians, and vernal pool mapping and conservation.
Additionally, citizen scientist volunteers are needed for the following project:
North Branch Nature Center's
Amphibian Road Crossing Program
Get involved: Help protect amphibians in your neighborhood and across Vermont!
Why did the salamander cross the road? To get to the vernal pool!
Each spring, amphibians migrate from their upland wintering and denning habitats to breed in lowland swamps, ponds, and vernal pools. After wintering deep underground, or in a frozen state of torpor, they emerge on warm, wet nights in early spring, often crossing our busy roadways at great peril. Many of Vermont's beloved species of frogs, toads and salamanders are threatened due to various factors, including springtime roadway mortality.
The ARC Program goals are simple:
1. Help more people get involved in amphibian conservation.
2. Decrease amphibian mortality at road crossing sites.
3. Inform and influence roadway planning and design.
How Can I Help?
Sign up to volunteer and attend a training!
NBNC has identified numerous confirmed and suspected amphibian road crossing sites. Volunteers each "adopt" one of these sites and visit it at least three times over the spring, on warm rainy nights. With other volunteers you will record species, abundance, and weather data while escorting amphibians safely across the road.
As volunteers submit data, NBNC and our partners (the Vermont Reptile & Amphibian Atlas, the Vermont Agency of Transportation, and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies) will map amphibian movement and prioritize road crossing sites in our communities. By sharing our data and findings with city and town planners and conservation commissions, we influence road improvement projects and transportation planning at the local level.
If you'd like to learn more, join us at NBNC next Wednesday 3/27 at 7pm for a free program about Amphibian Ecology and Amphibian Road Rescue.
You can learn more today at //NorthBranchNatureCenter.org/amphibian-conservation