Volunteers Save 100K Frogs, Win Wildlife Tunnels

On a single rainy March night in Keene, New Hampshire, volunteers counted 1,100 frogs crossing into a city park. These fingertip-sized spring peepers were making their annual migration to breeding grounds, and many wouldn't survive the journey across Jordan Road.

For 20 years, the Harris Center for Conservation Education's Salamander Crossing Brigade has been helping. Volunteers brave rainy spring nights to spot amphibians before they reach roads, carefully catch them, and carry them across when traffic clears.

Their dedication just paid off in a big way. New Hampshire announced that Jordan Road will get the state's first wildlife underpass specifically designed for amphibians, part of a $2.6 million federal grant.

"This is the first time our community science data is being used to inform a project like this," said Brett Amy Thelen, the Harris Center's science director. She's watched volunteers show up rainy night after rainy night for two decades.

The brigade has helped nearly 100,000 amphibians cross safely since they started. But they've also counted thousands as roadkill, documenting the urgent need for a permanent solution.

Similar tunnels in Monkton, Vermont reduced amphibian roadkill by 80% overall. For species that could be guided to the tunnels with small walls, the reduction jumped to 94%.

The timing matters because these migrations happen during "explosive breeding events" when hundreds of amphibians cross roads in a single night. Even a few passing cars can devastate populations of at-risk species like the endangered Jefferson salamander.

The Ripple Effect

The tunnels will help more than just frogs. Turtles and other small wildlife will also use the passages, which is crucial since turtles mature late and struggle to recover from population losses.

Amphibians play vital roles in ecosystems as both predators of insects and prey for birds and mammals. They even help sequester carbon, Thelen explained.

Two more wildlife crossings are coming to Newmarket and Nottingham through the same grant. The Fish and Game Department is partnering with the Harris Center on the design and planning.

While construction won't start this spring, the crossing brigade continues its work. Anyone can help by wearing reflective gear and following safety tips on the center's website, or by making one simple change: avoiding unnecessary drives on rainy spring nights in wooded areas.

Twenty years of volunteers carrying tiny frogs across wet roads is about to become a permanent conservation win.