Park Wants Amphibians to Mate Safely
Posted on: Monday, 17 March 2003, 06:00 CST
DELAWARE WATER GAP, Pa. (AP) -- It's mating season, and the National Park Service believes that spotted salamanders, wood frogs and other amphibians should be able to let nature take its course - without being run over.
That's why they're closing five miles of a road that passes through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The park service said it will periodically close River Road when it rains at night so the creatures can safely crawl, hop and slither their way across the road to wetlands to mate.
"There can be significant mortality caused by traffic; salamanders are pretty slow," said Robin Jung, Northeast coordinator of the U.S. Geological Survey's Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative.
Jung cited a 1990 report that said if traffic density exceeds 26 cars an hour, between 50 and 100 percent of migrating amphibians may be killed when crossing.
Naturalist John Serrao and his wife, Felicia, came upon 650 flattened frogs and 30 dead spotted salamanders last year on River Road.
"We were in shock," said John Serrao. "We tried to rescue as many as we could."
Since amphibians are most active at night, River Road will be closed between 4 p.m. and 5 a.m. The closures, which could last through mid-April, are contingent on the weather.
---
On the Net:
More science, space, and technology from RedNova
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Related Articles
- Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. and Metavante Technologies, Inc., Receive Department of Justice Clearance to Proceed with Planned Merger
- National Weather Service Sets Flood Safety Awareness Week Press Briefing
- NOAA's National Weather Service Funds Flood Warning Upgrades
- National Weather Service Issues Winter Weather Advisory
- Golden Gate Capital Completes Investment in Interstate National Dealer Services
- Direct Energy to Sell Electricity in National Grid's Service Area
- UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Approves PVP Procedure at National Health Service Hospitals
- National Weather Service to Keep Hurricane 'Line'
- BellSouth Recognizes Customer Service Excellence During National Customer Service Week
- IDX Teams with British Telecom in Bid for UK National Health Service - London Region
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds