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Dear Fellow Vermonter,
Each spring, Vermonters across our state come out at night when the conditions are just right — melting snowpack, thawing ground, temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rainfall — to help our amphibian friends that are on the move. According to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, frogs and salamanders leave the forests where they spend the winter to migrate to wetlands where they will breed and lay eggs.
Every year, Vermonters turn out for these “Big Nights,” to help migrating amphibians safely cross roads near ponds and wetlands. In April, the Bernie Buzz caught up with the organizers and more than 200 local volunteers on Pond Road for the town of Shelburne’s Big Night to learn about why these evenings are important — and to get a look at some of the creatures that were migrating.
This particular event was organized by Jon Cocina, treasurer of the town’s Natural Resources and Conservation Commission, and Kate Kelly, a herpetologist with the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas who is dedicated to protecting the reptiles and amphibians across our state. |