wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
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THE BOUNDARY (Pincher Creek, Alberta) 16 May 08 Why did the salamander cross the road? (Jocelyn Mercer)
In the past the long-toed salamander has had a pretty tough life in Waterton Lakes National Park. So bad, that the critter has found himself labelled a Species of Special Concern in Alberta, but staff at the park are hoping to change all that.
Masters student Katie Pagnuccon has been out in Waterton since April investigating the habits of the slimy salamanders.
According to Pagnuccon the amphibians’ numbers have been on the decline because of a road that runs straight through their trail from their overwintering habitat to Linnet Lake where they breed.
“Their populations have a long history of research,” says Pagnuccon. A study conducted in 1994 demonstrated that the little critters’ numbers were falling by about 10 per cent every year. In 2001 a study revealed that number was up to 40 per cent.
“A large percentage of the population are being decimated by the road.”
Between April and June every year the salamanders slide down from their winter habitat to breed in the lake and then return back soon after their deed is done. There’s a second crossing later in the year in August and September when the salamander eggs in Linnet Lake hatch and the youngsters march over the road to join their parents for the winter.
Since April, Pagnuccon’s had the rather macabre job of checking the road every morning for casualties. Luckily numbers are a little less this season thanks to a handy fence and live bucket traps.
“We’ve got fencing on both sides of the road and traps, buckets buried in the ground. They bump along the fence until they fall into the traps,” explains Pagnuccon.
These traps allows her to find out the most popular crossing areas along the road and Pagnuccon gets the opportunity to tag the salamanders with a special kind of paint under their skin, which allows her to track them on their return journey. Once she’s caught and tagged the critters, she also gives them a helping hand across to the other side of the road.
“This past couple of days it’s been really busy,” she says. “We had 104 yesterday and 74 this morning.”
That’s more than Pagnuccon expected, which is a good sign for the salamanders.
With so many little charges to deal with, Pagnuccon has become pretty quick with her tagging, which minimizes the amount of handling necessary. Early in the morning when she goes out to collect the critters, they tend to be rather sedate, because of the cooler temperatures. This makes applying the paint a little easier. Later in the day, when it starts to heat up is when the salamanders start to get a little feisty. The paint is one of the most humane methods of labelling the salamanders, she says, adding that passing a UV light over their bodies is a quick way to read their tags.
A twist will be added to Pagnuccon’s research later this season. Parks Canada is hoping to install four special underground tunnels for the little critters to cross the road without assistance within the next few weeks. The tunnels, which will go under the section of road along Linnet Lake, will be 60 centimetres by 50 wide. Once these are in place Pagnuccon will be able to test just how effective they are.
http://www.watertonboundary.com/News/401359.html
In the past the long-toed salamander has had a pretty tough life in Waterton Lakes National Park. So bad, that the critter has found himself labelled a Species of Special Concern in Alberta, but staff at the park are hoping to change all that.
Masters student Katie Pagnuccon has been out in Waterton since April investigating the habits of the slimy salamanders.
According to Pagnuccon the amphibians’ numbers have been on the decline because of a road that runs straight through their trail from their overwintering habitat to Linnet Lake where they breed.
“Their populations have a long history of research,” says Pagnuccon. A study conducted in 1994 demonstrated that the little critters’ numbers were falling by about 10 per cent every year. In 2001 a study revealed that number was up to 40 per cent.
“A large percentage of the population are being decimated by the road.”
Between April and June every year the salamanders slide down from their winter habitat to breed in the lake and then return back soon after their deed is done. There’s a second crossing later in the year in August and September when the salamander eggs in Linnet Lake hatch and the youngsters march over the road to join their parents for the winter.
Since April, Pagnuccon’s had the rather macabre job of checking the road every morning for casualties. Luckily numbers are a little less this season thanks to a handy fence and live bucket traps.
“We’ve got fencing on both sides of the road and traps, buckets buried in the ground. They bump along the fence until they fall into the traps,” explains Pagnuccon.
These traps allows her to find out the most popular crossing areas along the road and Pagnuccon gets the opportunity to tag the salamanders with a special kind of paint under their skin, which allows her to track them on their return journey. Once she’s caught and tagged the critters, she also gives them a helping hand across to the other side of the road.
“This past couple of days it’s been really busy,” she says. “We had 104 yesterday and 74 this morning.”
That’s more than Pagnuccon expected, which is a good sign for the salamanders.
With so many little charges to deal with, Pagnuccon has become pretty quick with her tagging, which minimizes the amount of handling necessary. Early in the morning when she goes out to collect the critters, they tend to be rather sedate, because of the cooler temperatures. This makes applying the paint a little easier. Later in the day, when it starts to heat up is when the salamanders start to get a little feisty. The paint is one of the most humane methods of labelling the salamanders, she says, adding that passing a UV light over their bodies is a quick way to read their tags.
A twist will be added to Pagnuccon’s research later this season. Parks Canada is hoping to install four special underground tunnels for the little critters to cross the road without assistance within the next few weeks. The tunnels, which will go under the section of road along Linnet Lake, will be 60 centimetres by 50 wide. Once these are in place Pagnuccon will be able to test just how effective they are.
http://www.watertonboundary.com/News/401359.html
