(Image courtesy of James Barker at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
by Robert Barossi
At this time of year, toads, frogs, salamanders and many other species are on the move. They are leaving their winter homes and heading to nearby spots to spend the spring and summer. In Roxborough, a suburb of Philadelphia, volunteers are working as a sort of crossing guard, watching over a “toad detour” during this important migratory period. Volunteers work during the evening hours, watching for the toads and making sure they make it safely across a heavily traveled road. According to the nearby Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, the detour has significantly minimized the population decreases caused by street-crossing toads being hit by cars. This work, and the volunteers who are in large part making the work possible, is going a long way to protect and preserve the toads and their essential role in the local ecosystem.
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