Nature Scene: Things that Move in the Night

They only appear when spring is still a dream. They surreptitiously wait until after sunset to get where they’re going, via a route known only to them. They hide beneath litter and rubble and avoid daylight. They gather in large groups in March when and where few will ever see them. They are mysterious and dark, and blend in with their surroundings so very well. They are masters of their environment and eat off the land. Oh, and their legs are anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch in length. But we love them anyway. 

The story of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma macalatum) in East Brunswick is short and interesting. In most other towns, we wouldn’t have to tell this story, but here it all began with a road…Beekman Road, to be exact. The road’s origins are not precisely known, but it is seen on topo maps from 1954. Before it was constructed, Spotted Salamanders likely lived in the hundreds of vernal pools that existed here when this was still a farm town. Why a vernal pool (aka vernal pond)? The reason is that these are low-lying, temporary bodies of water, often with no substantial inlet or outlet, that fill at times of heavy rain, particularly in spring. As such, they can dry up during the summer and therefore cannot support fish. Fish might eat salamander eggs, so these ponds are perfect breeding grounds for our little friends. 

Every year during late winter, Spotted Salamanders are awakened from their winter state of torpor by the first heavy warmer rains that are accompanied by temperatures of at least 40° F during the early evening hours, when they tend to migrate. This is nature’s signal that it’s time to move to their natal vernal pools to make baby salamanders. Since this time also coincides with homeward-bound car traffic, in past years salamanders did not fare very well when trying to cross the road to reach their ponds. It’s likely that a good percentage of the local population spends the year on the “other” side of Beekman Road, the side closest to the Turnpike, and this migration effort probably eliminated a substantial portion of the population each and every year. The ponds are located on the western side of the road, the side farthest from the Turnpike.

Sometime around 2003, Dave Moskowitz, an environmental scientist by profession and a member of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, found a dead salamander on Beekman Road (a victim of road kill) and brought this to the attention of then Mayor Bill Neary. They decided that the best way to prevent this from happening was to close Beekman Road during the first warmer and rainy nights at this time of year, from sunset to sunrise, and thus began our annual East Brunswick Salamander Migration Event. The Environmental Commission has managed the event every year since then. 

Spotted Salamanders are NOT at all endangered in New Jersey, but because of the placement of this road directly in the center of a patch of prime salamander habitat, they are endangered in East Brunswick, as this is the only known such habitat in town. 

So what have we learned? Perhaps the most important thing is that this population still exists. It is possible that this population is related to salamanders that have been here since the end of the last glacier in this region more than 12,000 years ago. Every year, we do see very small salamanders, and this might indicate that our efforts are succeeding. Since it takes two to three years or maybe more for a Spotted Salamander to reach breeding age,we are looking for an increase in population. We also have begun to note Red Efts, the second phase of the Eastern Newt, and, in most years, Red-backed Salamanders, which do not migrate but which have been seen on Beekman Road. Additionally, we have noted six species of frog, Spring Peepers in large numbers, Bullfrogs, Northern Green Frogs, Pickerel Frogs, Chorus Frogs (heard and rarely seen), and the Northern Gray Tree Frog (seen once). We’ve also had two Garter Snakes on the road over the past few years. 

Most of our annual migration observations have taken place over half a dozen or more nights, with the start being particularly strong and with the finish diminishing to no movement by the sixth or seventh night. This year was quite different. We had almost good weather the first night we closed the road, but the weather timing  just wasn't right resulting in no movement. However, two nights later, on Feb. 28, a date that is nearly two weeks ahead of our usual start period, things turned out to be surprisingly good. We didn’t have large numbers at all, but there was a definite very early movement of Spotted Salamanders. 

March 6 seems to be the peak of this year’s (so far observed) migration. (Remember, much may happen in the wee hours of the morning when no one is there to observe any movement. We just don’t know.) On this night, we observed at least 50 Spotted Salamanders (likely, quite a few more were seen but not reported to us), more than a dozen Spring Peepers, a Pickerel Frog and several Bullfrogs. Dave led a very well attended citizen scientist effort to watch a specified part of Beekman Road so carefully that nothing could have gotten through without being counted. This team tallied 37 salamanders in just 90 minutes, a great effort that should be repeated on the first strong prospect of a night each year. This should provide valuable, quantifiable data against which comparisons may be made in the future. There is so much to learn…and we are. 

At this point, it would be great for readers to understand the additional benefits of conducting this event each year. Perhaps the primary thing is that it makes environmental issues interesting and relevant. This is not CO2 emissions or the ozone hole. This is REAL to all who attend and a tangible happening right in our own backyard. Anyone can come to Beekman Road to observe this migration…every year! Anybody can help be part of the salamander migration count, or help both salamanders and frogs across the road. Children who observe activities on Beekman Road come to understand that it’s not nerdy to be involved with things of nature and science. They learn that they are so fortunate to see something that most others will never see. They understand why we close the road and that they actually can help while there. They learn that it’s cool to be interested in nature and that they can and do make a real and positive difference. These are people who get involved today and who will be increasingly involved tomorrow. These are the people who will make this a better world and help us keep an environment that is healthy for many generations to come. 

For next year, think about getting entire classes involved, or your Scout troop, or just a group of friends. Remember that being here and learning about this event in person helps make every tomorrow just a little better. Please keep helping. 

Over the years, we have had as many as 80 people on Beekman Road on a given evening. They knew to be there because of the extensive information on the Salamander Page and theSalamander Extras Page, both on www.njnaturenotes.com. Many of you have taken advantage of the information on theFriends page. These people were on the email list and were notified of road closings (and of other events throughout the year) as soon as these events developed. If you would like to be on the email list, click HERE.  

See you at the next event. 

Rich

PS: Two errors corrected 3/16. Dave informed me this morning that there are indications of increased population in that there are egg masses and spermatophores in at least three vernal pools now. A VERY good thing!

This column also appears regularly in Mr. Wolfert's blog, Nature Notes...a Lifelong Journey.