Hundreds of Vermont salamanders, frogs and newts have a better shot at reproducing thanks to volunteers who recently spent the night helping the critters cross the road.
On rainy nights in early spring, roads between forests and vernal pools are hopping and crawling with activity. On some nights, hundreds of amphibians cross small stretches of roads to mate. But many don’t make it, getting squashed by cars.
That’s where the volunteers come in, with a project that’s part education, part conservation and part science. Volunteers with flashlights and clipboards move the animals across the road, keeping count of how many they saw, how many didn’t make it and how many cars pass by.