Every spring, salamanders, wood frogs, spring peepers and other amphibian species make their way out of hibernation to their nearest vernal pool where they will mate and lay eggs. Amphibians are wildly important to the health of our forests. Did you know that the biomass of salamanders in Northern forests is greater than that of ALL the breeding birds and small mammals combined? They are a key part of the food web and our local ecosystems.

This migration can be a vulnerable time for these important species. Busy, paved roads crisscrossing the landscape sometimes separate the amphibians from their destination in nearby forests or wetlands, putting them at risk of being hit by cars.

You can help amphibians cross the road by signing up to be a Big Night volunteer! With help from volunteers from the Maine Master Naturalist program, we've adopted two crossing locations in Bridgton. Sign up to volunteer here.

We don't know exactly when we'll be going out, because conditions have to be just right (rainy between 40 and 50 degrees) for the migration to occur. We will send out notification to interested participants when the conditions look good.

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