wes_von_papineäu
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CALGARY HERALD (Alberta) 06 August 07 How did the salamander cross the road? By tunnel; Waterton project aims to prevent accidental deaths (Suzanne Goldman)
Special tunnels are being built in Waterton Lakes National Park for a rare type of salamander that wasn't discovered in the park until 1991, after great numbers of the little amphibians turned up dead, squashed by passing vehicles.
A new sidewalk was blamed for the salamander slaughter. The curbs were too steep for the long-toed salamander to climb as it migrated to and from Linnet Lake, according to the park's website.
The short-term answer was to give the critters a hand -- literally.
During a cool, rainy week in April 1992, community volunteers helped lift more than 2,000 of the tiny creatures over the curb.
The longer-term answer was to modify the road near the park information centre. The curbs were replaced with sloping, "salamander-friendly" curbs.
But still, the pond-dwellers were becoming roadkill while crossing the road.
Between 10 and 40 per cent of the population has been wiped out by vehicles.
The permanent solution was to build tunnels under the road.
The $150,000 project in Waterton will create four tunnels within a half-kilometre stretch across the entrance road leading into the park. Construction will begin in October and is expected to take only a few weeks.
The tunnels will be outfitted with special slots to let in ambient light and moisture -- attracting the water-loving salamanders away from heavy traffic and providing safe passage, said Cyndi Smith, ecosystem scientist for the national park.
While it's widely acknowledged there are other factors contributing to the annihilation of salamanders -- including climate change, pesticide use, UV radiation and fungal infections -- the mortality rate on the road is significant enough to warrant intervention, said Smith.
"Amphibians and roads are a major problem all over the world," said Dr. Anthony Russell, professor of zoology at the University of Calgary.
To combat the rising death toll from squashings, the installation of crossings to funnel amphibians underneath roads is becoming more common, said Russell.
The Waterton tunnels might also be used by the tiger salamander, which is found in the park.
Unlike its cousin, the tiger salamander is active both day and night. The long-toed variety is usually seen only at night.
The long-toed salamanders are about the size of a highlighter. They live in forested areas, but as soon as the snow has melted in spring, they migrate en masse during the night to breed in shallow bodies of water.
Salamanders provide a massive food resource for other creatures -- including snakes, birds and fish -- that often have few alternatives for nourishment. Without salamanders, warned Russell, expect to lose species higher up in the food chain, too.
The disappearance of the salamander is a scary sign amid the worldwide decline in amphibians, often considered to be an environmental indicator because of their delicate, permeable skin, said Russell, likening the salamander to the old adage of the canary in the coal mine.
"Whatever is happening to environmental conditions on a large scale around us, amphibians are more likely to be the early warning system for that," said Russell.
"Whatever's happening to them will increase in intensity and wreak havoc on other organisms at a later date."
Scientists say that 32 per cent of all amphibians will be extinct within 100 years. That's over 1,800 types of frogs, lizards and other egg-hatching vertebrates that are found making their homes both on land and in water, according to the Global Amphibian Assessment, compiled by over 500 scientists from more than 60 nations.
Any opportunity, then, to reverse the effects of human-caused extinction is a step in the right direction, experts say.
The nocturnal salamander may not be too noticeable to many park visitors, but knocking out a species almost always has consequences for others that scientists can't predict.
What it comes down to, really, said Russell, is picking up on warning signs and altering human behaviour to preserve an environment that remains habitable to humans.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=634d425f-accb-436d-af7b-ea15b9ae99c0&k=45422
Special tunnels are being built in Waterton Lakes National Park for a rare type of salamander that wasn't discovered in the park until 1991, after great numbers of the little amphibians turned up dead, squashed by passing vehicles.
A new sidewalk was blamed for the salamander slaughter. The curbs were too steep for the long-toed salamander to climb as it migrated to and from Linnet Lake, according to the park's website.
The short-term answer was to give the critters a hand -- literally.
During a cool, rainy week in April 1992, community volunteers helped lift more than 2,000 of the tiny creatures over the curb.
The longer-term answer was to modify the road near the park information centre. The curbs were replaced with sloping, "salamander-friendly" curbs.
But still, the pond-dwellers were becoming roadkill while crossing the road.
Between 10 and 40 per cent of the population has been wiped out by vehicles.
The permanent solution was to build tunnels under the road.
The $150,000 project in Waterton will create four tunnels within a half-kilometre stretch across the entrance road leading into the park. Construction will begin in October and is expected to take only a few weeks.
The tunnels will be outfitted with special slots to let in ambient light and moisture -- attracting the water-loving salamanders away from heavy traffic and providing safe passage, said Cyndi Smith, ecosystem scientist for the national park.
While it's widely acknowledged there are other factors contributing to the annihilation of salamanders -- including climate change, pesticide use, UV radiation and fungal infections -- the mortality rate on the road is significant enough to warrant intervention, said Smith.
"Amphibians and roads are a major problem all over the world," said Dr. Anthony Russell, professor of zoology at the University of Calgary.
To combat the rising death toll from squashings, the installation of crossings to funnel amphibians underneath roads is becoming more common, said Russell.
The Waterton tunnels might also be used by the tiger salamander, which is found in the park.
Unlike its cousin, the tiger salamander is active both day and night. The long-toed variety is usually seen only at night.
The long-toed salamanders are about the size of a highlighter. They live in forested areas, but as soon as the snow has melted in spring, they migrate en masse during the night to breed in shallow bodies of water.
Salamanders provide a massive food resource for other creatures -- including snakes, birds and fish -- that often have few alternatives for nourishment. Without salamanders, warned Russell, expect to lose species higher up in the food chain, too.
The disappearance of the salamander is a scary sign amid the worldwide decline in amphibians, often considered to be an environmental indicator because of their delicate, permeable skin, said Russell, likening the salamander to the old adage of the canary in the coal mine.
"Whatever is happening to environmental conditions on a large scale around us, amphibians are more likely to be the early warning system for that," said Russell.
"Whatever's happening to them will increase in intensity and wreak havoc on other organisms at a later date."
Scientists say that 32 per cent of all amphibians will be extinct within 100 years. That's over 1,800 types of frogs, lizards and other egg-hatching vertebrates that are found making their homes both on land and in water, according to the Global Amphibian Assessment, compiled by over 500 scientists from more than 60 nations.
Any opportunity, then, to reverse the effects of human-caused extinction is a step in the right direction, experts say.
The nocturnal salamander may not be too noticeable to many park visitors, but knocking out a species almost always has consequences for others that scientists can't predict.
What it comes down to, really, said Russell, is picking up on warning signs and altering human behaviour to preserve an environment that remains habitable to humans.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=634d425f-accb-436d-af7b-ea15b9ae99c0&k=45422
