North Branch Nature Center's
Amphibian Road Crossing Program
A Citizen Science Project
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 on 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
Dec 26, 2024, 6 to 8 PM
That's That Thursday with Nasteeluvzyou at AlchemistDec 26, 2024, 6 to 9 PM
Craft Group at the Joslin Memorial LibraryDec 27, 2024, 1 to 3 PM