Environmental Commision

Hope Road Crossing

These photos are from the Hope Road crossing in 2011, which was a new rescue site for us that year - working just uphill from the intersection with Far View Road.

2012 was hard on the spotted salamanders, with the late-winter drought causing the early drying up of the vernal pool where they lay their eggs. On the positive side, the rain that did fall came in the early hours of the morning, when traffic was light, so road-kill numbers were comparatively low.

Salamanders can live several years, and with the increased pressure to rebuild the population, there could be a significant migration in 2013.

In 2011, we went out rescuing on two nights - Sunday March 6th, and Thursday the 10th, putting in a total rescue time of 2.5 hours (it was cold on the Sunday!) We carried across 91 spotted salamanders, 160 wood frogs, and 6 spring peepers.

We were working with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife as part of their Wildlife Conservation Corps. Thanks go to MacKenzie Hall for providing the signs, vests, survey forms and flashing lights, and to our DPW for loaning us the traffic cones.

- Phil Wooldridge