wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
SENTINEL-SOURCE (Keene, New Hampshire) 30 April 08 Safety at issue between police, salamander brigade in Keene (Anika Clark)
In the wake of North Lincoln Street's recent grisly accident, Keene city officials are hearing complaints that the roadway is a Wild West of renegade speeders and an accident just waiting to happen - again.
But Monday night, when the rainy weather provided perfect conditions for the annual spring salamander crossing at the street, Keene police delivered a clear message to the Elm City's amphibians:
"You're on your own."
Every year during spring rains, volunteers help salamanders, frogs and toads safely cross area roads on their way to vernal breeding pools.
There are several crossing locations throughout Cheshire County, according to David Moon, executive director of the Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory - a nonprofit organization that trains and coordinates so-called "salamander crossing brigades."
Two of those sites are in Keene, on Jordan Road and North Lincoln Street.
At the latter site Monday night, environmental idealism brought volunteers face to face with the Keene police.
Shortly before 9 p.m, Keene police records note a "disturbance" on North Lincoln Street, with people in the road holding a "salamander crossing" sign and shining flashlights in the eyes of motorists.
At the end of the incident's narrative, the officer on the scene reported that the subjects were leaving for the night.
But Timothy J. Garceau of Keene said this was because he and fellow volunteers were told to hit the road.
"At the recent event on April 28th, it was raining harder and the critters were not as numerous, but the spirit of the volunteers was still high. That is, however, until the Keene Police Department decided that we were a safety hazard," Garceau wrote in a letter to the editor.
Keene police Sgt. Darryl Madden - who was not at the scene - provided no details beyond what was written in the police records.
"My understanding is they were in the middle of the street. ... They were probably told to move," he said.
Madden also pointed to the danger of people standing in the road shining flashlights in drivers eyes.
"It certainly doesn't make a safe condition," he said.
Moon, who was not at the event, said volunteers are trained to be safety-conscious and law-abiding and not to obstruct traffic, even at the expense of a salamander's safety.
Still, he said, "I know that there's been some concerns on North Lincoln Street for safety recently because someone was hit there, so it's sort of understandable that the police are a little bit sensitive to safety issues there."
Moon said the organization - which has assisted in the salamander crossings for several years - didn't call police in advance to alert them of Monday's event. Moon said they would like to meet with police sometime to talk about the crossings.
An e-mail to volunteers from Ashuelot Valley Environmental Organization Science Director Brett Amy Thelen similarly said, "We are planning to talk with folks at the City of Keene, and we fully expect to work this out positively, peaceably, and productively."
Meanwhile, volunteer Barbara Gogolen - who echoed that she understood safety concerns - said it turned out to be a light night for amphibian crossings.
"I think everybody was relieved to be told to go home," she said.
But Garceau said he thought actions by the police were misplaced and ought to be focused on people who speed and break the law, not the volunteers.
"His car was there for 20 minutes," Garceau said of the police officer who spoke with volunteers, adding that two other cruisers also came down the street at the time.
"If we can spend money to have three officers show up to remove innocent volunteers," he wrote in his letter to the editor, "it seems apparent that at least two of those cops could have parked their brand new Dodge Chargers on opposite ends of our crossing site to assist with traffic calming and increased safety."
http://www.sentinelsource.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=37&ArticleID=186343
In the wake of North Lincoln Street's recent grisly accident, Keene city officials are hearing complaints that the roadway is a Wild West of renegade speeders and an accident just waiting to happen - again.
But Monday night, when the rainy weather provided perfect conditions for the annual spring salamander crossing at the street, Keene police delivered a clear message to the Elm City's amphibians:
"You're on your own."
Every year during spring rains, volunteers help salamanders, frogs and toads safely cross area roads on their way to vernal breeding pools.
There are several crossing locations throughout Cheshire County, according to David Moon, executive director of the Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory - a nonprofit organization that trains and coordinates so-called "salamander crossing brigades."
Two of those sites are in Keene, on Jordan Road and North Lincoln Street.
At the latter site Monday night, environmental idealism brought volunteers face to face with the Keene police.
Shortly before 9 p.m, Keene police records note a "disturbance" on North Lincoln Street, with people in the road holding a "salamander crossing" sign and shining flashlights in the eyes of motorists.
At the end of the incident's narrative, the officer on the scene reported that the subjects were leaving for the night.
But Timothy J. Garceau of Keene said this was because he and fellow volunteers were told to hit the road.
"At the recent event on April 28th, it was raining harder and the critters were not as numerous, but the spirit of the volunteers was still high. That is, however, until the Keene Police Department decided that we were a safety hazard," Garceau wrote in a letter to the editor.
Keene police Sgt. Darryl Madden - who was not at the scene - provided no details beyond what was written in the police records.
"My understanding is they were in the middle of the street. ... They were probably told to move," he said.
Madden also pointed to the danger of people standing in the road shining flashlights in drivers eyes.
"It certainly doesn't make a safe condition," he said.
Moon, who was not at the event, said volunteers are trained to be safety-conscious and law-abiding and not to obstruct traffic, even at the expense of a salamander's safety.
Still, he said, "I know that there's been some concerns on North Lincoln Street for safety recently because someone was hit there, so it's sort of understandable that the police are a little bit sensitive to safety issues there."
Moon said the organization - which has assisted in the salamander crossings for several years - didn't call police in advance to alert them of Monday's event. Moon said they would like to meet with police sometime to talk about the crossings.
An e-mail to volunteers from Ashuelot Valley Environmental Organization Science Director Brett Amy Thelen similarly said, "We are planning to talk with folks at the City of Keene, and we fully expect to work this out positively, peaceably, and productively."
Meanwhile, volunteer Barbara Gogolen - who echoed that she understood safety concerns - said it turned out to be a light night for amphibian crossings.
"I think everybody was relieved to be told to go home," she said.
But Garceau said he thought actions by the police were misplaced and ought to be focused on people who speed and break the law, not the volunteers.
"His car was there for 20 minutes," Garceau said of the police officer who spoke with volunteers, adding that two other cruisers also came down the street at the time.
"If we can spend money to have three officers show up to remove innocent volunteers," he wrote in his letter to the editor, "it seems apparent that at least two of those cops could have parked their brand new Dodge Chargers on opposite ends of our crossing site to assist with traffic calming and increased safety."
http://www.sentinelsource.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=37&ArticleID=186343