If you would rather stay inside your cozy, dry house on the next cold and wet night, please do. And leave the night to the amphibians.
This is the time of year that amphibians and reptiles emerge from winter hideaways under rocks, leaves and mud to eat and breed. Keeping them safe is the goal of a project called Maine Big Night that is coming to wetlands in the region.
With hundreds of volunteers across that state helping these creatures cross roads where they might otherwise have met their deaths, Big Night volunteers saved 9,000 amphibians last year.
At a dozen sites in South Berwick, humans are standing by for the first cold, wet night above 40 degrees, when they will put on raincoats and grab hi-viz vests and flashlights to help these fellow Earthlings walk, hop or shimmy to vernal pools.
These small pools, the only place wood frogs, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders and fairy shrimp can breed and lay eggs, fill with water in the spring and typically dry up over the summer.
Frogs and salamanders are carried across the road in their direction of travel because many species instinctively return to the vernal pool where they were born.
“I keep a spatula under the front seat of my car this time of year,” said Cindy Bean, who uses that technique to move wood frogs and spring peepers. “I especially love the spotted salamanders, they are just magical.”
Among the various amphibian hot spots where Bean goes every spring to move creatures to safety is the intersection of Boyd’s Corner and Ogunquit roads, which has been identified as a high impact area with hundreds of crossings and high amphibian mortality.
The Mount Agamenticus region of South Berwick and York has large tracts of connected conserved areas providing great habitat for snakes, hawks, owls, fish, coyotes, skunks and raccoons, all among the animals that eat frogs and salamanders. according to the Maine Audubon website. The amphibians in turn eat worms, spiders and insects, including mosquitos.
Those who want to volunteer must take a short online training before they begin collecting information that includes time of day, temperature, vehicle numbers and how many critters are killed on the road. Those who want to sign up to volunteer can do so at Maine Big Night
Since the start of the project, information has been gathered on migration routes and population trends for over 35,000 individual amphibians.
