ON Press: Long-toed salamanders get “tunnel to love”

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DAILY COMMERCIAL NEWS (Markham, Ontario) 30 May 08 Long-toed salamanders get “tunnel to love” at Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Park, Alta. (CP): The long-toed salamanders of Waterton Lakes National Park will soon have their very own tunnels of love.
But far from providing a romantic atmosphere, the tunnels will serve a much more practical purpose — saving the salamanders from certain doom at the hands of passing motorists.
Construction on the four tunnels started this week, under the road adjacent to Linnet Lake.
The lake, which sits just below the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, serves as a breeding ground for the amphibious creatures.
But there’s only one problem — when hit by Cupid’s arrow every spring, they must cross a busy road to get from their winter home near the visitor information centre to the lake, and many don’t survive the perilous passing.
“It’s certainly one area that we’ve known there was a problem, so from the standpoint of maintaining ecological integrity, this is very important,” said Cyndi Smith, ecosystem scientist with the park.
After laying eggs at the lake, the salamanders venture back across the road to their hill, making the area doubly dangerous.
Long-toed salamanders are considered a sensitive species in Alberta. They can be found in other parts of the park but making crossings safer should help build their population.
Park staff are working on determining a population estimate for the creatures and plan to complete another estimate next year to see what effect the tunnels have early on.
Similar tunnels have been successfully used for amphibians in Europe. They consist of pre-fabricated concrete tunnels that can be trenched in across the roadway.
The $284,000 project is expected to be completed within seven to 10 days, depending on the weather.
Smith said the park plans to set up time-lapse cameras in the tunnels to see how well-used they are.
http://dcnonl.com/article/id27861

 

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AB Press: Life at the end of the tunnel

THE BOUNDARY (Pincher Creek, Alberta) 06 June 08 Life at the end of the tunnel
Photo at URL below: Critter crossing! Work has begun on underground tunnels for Waterton’s long-toed salamanders. (Colleen Bains)
Specially designed underground tunnels will mean safe and easy access to summer breeding grounds for Waterton’s long toed salamander population.
For years the slippery salamanders have fallen victim to traffic in the park as they head down from their overwintering grounds to breed in Linnet Lake, which sits just below the Prince of Wales Hotel.
That could soon be a thing of the past. Last Monday construction crews started work on four special tunnels under the road adjacent to Linnet Lake, which is the park’s only breeding ground for the critters.
After laying their eggs in the lake, the salamanders head back out of the water across the same stretch of road to make their way back to their homes on higher ground.
Cyndi Smith, an ecosystem scientist with the park, said the salamander’s mortality rate could be as high as 45 per cent.
“Salamanders may be small, but they are not insignificant,” she says. “They are a top predator in their small ecosystem. All plants, animals and natural processes are interconnected and important to the ecological health of the park.”
As a result, the park decided to go ahead with the $284,000 construction project to build the special salamander underground walkways.
By the time you read this, work on the tunnels should be complete. Parks staff are hoping to monitor the use of the tunnels with time-lapse cameras to see how well they are used and if other park amphibians and reptiles decide to take advantage of the protected crossing.
http://www.watertonboundary.com/News/405304.html