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CA Press: Letter - Little salamanders are swimming in my pool!

wes_von_papineäu

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CONTRA COSTA TIMES (Walnut Creek, California) 07 November 08 Little salamanders are swimming in my pool! (Gary Bogue)
Dear Gary:
Every year after the first rains, I find very small salamanders in our pool, some swimming around, but mostly at the bottom (our yard backs onto San Pablo Creek).
I imagine the pool was installed on their migration path to the creek. It takes me quite a time each day to fish them out of the pool without squishing them, and empty them out onto the slope to the creek. Any way I can keep them from falling in the pool? I've been doing salamander rescue duty since 1990 when we moved into our house and I'm sure some of them are poisoned by the chlorine before I can get them out.
Although we have lots of frogs and lizards, and I love them all, the salamanders are the only ones who land in the pool. I would love to find a way to prevent them from drowning in the pool.
Peri, Orinda
Dear Peri:
This is the time of year when salamanders and other little creatures get flooded from their holes and they roam around looking for new places to live.
During their travels, especially at night, they often tumble into swimming pools, so keep checking to see if anyone needs to be rescued.
You can lay wooden 2-by-4 or 2-by-6 boards around your pool to make temporary "walls" to divert them to safer areas of your yard. Salamanders usually turn right or left and keep walking when they bump into a barrier.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/garybogue/ci_10921044?nclick_check=1
 

John

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Someone please save us from know-nothing know-it-alls. (Referring of course to the Gary person)
 

Kaysie

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The reasons he gives are pretty shady, but at least he did offer a fairly decent solution. In fact, that's the same method we use for drift fences (although we use aluminum flashing).
 
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