UPPER MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa. — Springtime temperatures have triggered the closure of a township road in an annual effort to protect breeding amphibians.
Starting last week, and through April 25, a section of Institute Drive is closed in the Totts Gap Conservation Area.
A natural heritage area on the ridgeline of Blue Mountain, straddling the border between Monroe and Northampton counties, officials aim to protect breeding frogs, toads and salamanders from being crushed by vehicle tires.
“This temporary closure is a major step in the on-going efforts of provid[ing] sustainable conservation practices.”Northampton County Parks and Recreation Superintendent Bryan Cope, in a news release
“Recommendations from the county’s Minsi Lake Corridor Greenway & Stewardship plan highlight the need for protection of critical landscapes,” Northampton County Parks and Recreation Superintendent Bryan Cope said in a news release.
“This temporary closure is a major step in the on-going efforts of provid[ing] sustainable conservation practices.”
The woodlands alongside Institute Drive hold vernal pools — small, seasonal bodies of water where amphibians go to breed.
Also called seasonal or ephemeral pools, vernal pools are wetlands that fill annually from precipitation, surface runoff and rising groundwater.
In addition to amphibians, reptiles, dragonflies, damselflies, moths and butterflies make use of wetlands for all or at least a part of their lifecycles.
‘Critically important’
The area is home to the largest concentration of natural seasonal pools and associated species of amphibians anywhere in the commonwealth, officials said.
During an interview with LehighValleyNews.com last year about the closure, Renata Platenberg, secretary of the Herpetologists’ League, said vernal pools are “critically important.”
“Vernal pools are also important for migratory birds, and lots of invertebrates use them."Renata Platenberg, secretary of the Herpetologists’ League
“Vernal pools are also important for migratory birds, and lots of invertebrates use them,” Platenberg said.
“The concern is, and the reality is, that a lot of these pools are being filled in to make way for parking lots or an agricultural system, stuff like that.”
The part of Institute Drive each year is closed when the forecast begins to call for evening rains with mild temperatures, generally above 40 degrees, officials said.
“Since amphibians [frogs, toads and salamanders] are primarily active at night, you can observe their migration from dusk until dawn as long as conditions remain favorable,” according to the release.
