Yellow-spotted salamanders are the largest species of salamander in the province. They spend most of their lives underground, but come to the surface for about two weeks each spring to reproduce. It is easy to predict where these salamanders will go to reach their breeding pools – they live for about 30 years and use the same paths for the rest of their lives. But crossroads can be dangerous, so they need a little help. “You can just imagine how much things have changed over a period of 30 years, especially in urban areas,” said Clarence Stevens, an environmental consultant involved in many local and county voluntary conservation efforts. “Many of these salamanders have to cross roads or even many roads to reach their breeding grounds now. As a result, many of them end up falling down.” Stevens said it is important to make sure your hands are clean and free of products before touching a salamander. (Judy Keating / Facebook)
That’s where Stevens and his team of volunteers come in. They go out in the evenings in perfect conditions and look for large groups of salamanders near the road. Then help them get through. “On hot, rainy nights we can help, like, 40 or 50 or more than 100 of them… because they’re making a mass movement at that time,” Stevens said. Stevens and other nature lovers have been following the salamander crossings for years. But last year he teamed up with Halifax Field nonprofits to encourage people across the province to go out on their own to help with crossings. Laura Eamon is one of the volunteers who started working with the team last year. He had never even seen a salamander before hearing about Stevens’s campaign, but he was stuck after the first night. Eamon said she had never seen a salamander before volunteering for the team. (Submitted by Laura Eamon)
“It’s something you can do, it’s a few hours, it’s immediate and you can really see the impact of habitat improvement,” Eamon said. She said her most rewarding experience was digging ditches on the side of a path to allow salamanders to lay their eggs safely. The next day, the ditch was paved with hundreds of eggs. “So the amphibians were able to see the new location and lay their eggs there,” Eamon said. “And it didn’t exist before we went out. So it was just the most incredible feeling.”

Species in “rapid decline”

Yellow-spotted salamanders are not classified as endangered or endangered, but Stevens said their numbers are “rapidly declining” like many other amphibian species. “Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in their environment,” he said. “So every time a body of water gets infected or you run off the road or something like that, even a change in temperature kills them.” He said the survival rate of the species’s eggs is also low. The salamander spot lays eggs in the water, but the site must meet certain conditions. Salamander eggs with yellow spots appear in a pond of water. (Angela Myers / Facebook)
“They can’t use pools or ponds or ponds big enough to have fish in them because the fish are devouring their eggs like crazy,” Stevens said. This means that they often lay eggs in puddles, which is not ideal. Because of this, ATVs pose a major risk to salamander populations, Eamon said. “You know, the most fun part of being on an ATV is going through puddles, but these puddles are perfect pools for amphibians to lay their eggs.” He said volunteers try to look for eggs on paths and move them to the side to give them a better chance of reaching maturity. When salamanders disappear from an area, Stevens said it has a big impact. “They play such an important role in our environment that as they disappear from water bodies, these water bodies become more contaminated by insects. And there is a whole cataract effect.”

What to do if you find one

Anyone who goes out for a rainy walk in April can help a salamander if it falls on one. Stevens said he has some simple tips for would-be rescuers. If you remove them from the road, “take them in the direction they see even if you do not see water because they may leave the water because they have already laid their eggs and are heading back to the forest.” The team says it has rescued every type of amphibian in the province. A salamander with a red back appears. (Hunter Stevens / Facebook)
Stevens said clean hands are necessary to handle salamanders. Eamon said she takes her stepdaughters with her to look for amphibians. Suggest to anyone interested to learn how. “Clarence is familiar with salamanders and is able to μαζί look at maps of your community with you and find areas that may be potential amphibian active zones,” he said.