We had been worrying about frogs frogs that went to vernal pools to mate that then got covered with snow.
In late February, when the weather was unseasonably warm, we had gotten a press release from the states Department of Environmental Conservation that usually comes in late March. We look forward to receiving it every year. For us, it epitomizes human beings trying to make amends to the natural world we have tampered with.
After the ground has thawed, wood frogs and spotted salamanders, among other species, come out from their underground winter shelters in the woods to get to pools to breed. In the past, weve covered big-night migrations where the roads seemed to undulate with the massive movement of amphibians.
Volunteers with the DECs Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project not only record the weather conditions and count the amphibians, they help them safely cross the road, cautioning drivers and routing traffic around the well-traveled routes. The project is in its ninth year and so far 300 volunteers have helped more than 8,500 amphibians cross the road.
Earlier this month, after two feet of snow had fallen, we were interviewing Alvin Breisch about his new book, The Snake and the Salamander. For 26 years, until his retirement in 2009, Breisch was New York States amphibian and reptile specialist. He studied, catalogued, and worked to preserve the states herpetofauna its amphibians and reptiles, known as herps.
Who better to ask about our worries? We wondered if the frogs we had seen crossing our road to the pool on the other side that warm February night would be nipped in the bud like the cherry blossoms had been in Washington, D.C. this year.
Breisch told us, no it was the male frogs who had crossed to the pool and they would wait for the females.
Even with the snow? we asked.
Even with the snow, he said.
We spoke with Breisch about a wide variety of projects he has been involved with over the years to save species that otherwise would through human behavior become extinct.
Breisch was with the Endangered Species Unit and decided to use the same thought process for endangered reptiles and amphibians as the department used with game animals, setting bag limits.
For example, there were no regulations for the diamond-backed terrapin on Long Island, the only turtle that lives in brackish water. They were considered good eating; there were no regulations, recalled Breisch. He said that 10,000 to 20,000 were sold each year in New York Citys Fulton Fish Market.
We drafted regulations to limit harvest to have a self-sustaining population, said Breisch. It worked for years.
Currently, Breisch is working with a group of scientists on a Timber Rattlesnake Conservation Action Plan, documenting the current and historic range of the snake from Quebec to Texas and Florida and as far west as Minnesota. The area covers two Canadian provinces and 30-odd states. Breisch is a co-author for the New York State portion and editor for the entire work.
We saw inconsistent ways states were managing the snakes, he said of the reason for undertaking the project. He gave an example that he termed indescribably awful: Texas has rattlesnake roundups, so-called celebrations, where people collect live snakes, and use them for side-show type things, like hand-milking snakes or holding bagging contests.
This involves contestants entering a pit full of snakes and throwing them into bags. Its not good for the snakes and its not good for the people, he said. People get bitten and die. Most of the snakes die.
There are no timber rattlesnakes left in Canada, Breisch said, and Ontario is looking to see if the snakes might be reintroduced.
We asked why anyone would want to re-introduce a venomous snake, and Breisch replied, Its a movement among virtually all naturalists wed like to see a complete suite of different animals...Were looking for high biodiversity.
He went on, The health of the environment is better if you have a significant number of native species. Returning to the timber rattlesnake, as an example, he explained that they eat small rodents. Rodents do crop damage and tree damage; they carry black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease.
Breisch had suffered, as had we, from another tick-borne disease, one that can be fatal, anaplasmosis, so that connection hit home.
During a podcast, Breisch gave us another example of an animal considered harmful being reintroduced into its native habitat: The wolf, absent for decades, was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. The thought was that wolves would help keep the overpopulation of deer, moose, and elk in check.
Follow-up studies showed that had happened as expected, Breisch said, but there was an unexpected impact on vegetation. The banks had been de-vegetated by the elk. With the wolves keeping the elk population under natural control, the streams became healthy again, he said
Humans have great hubris. The wilderness that our pioneer ancestors tamed now has to be re-invented and protected.
Each species is unique, said Breisch. We havent gotten to the point we understand that uniqueness.
He gave a practical example of the Massasauga rattlesnake from which a vaccination was developed in the 1800s, used as a model for vaccinations for other diseases.
But beyond the direct benefit of certain species to humans and our livestock, there are connections in the natural world that we have destroyed or are destroying that we dont understand.
Sure, we were relieved to learn that the male frogs are waiting patiently beneath the snow for their female mates to arrive. But we went on to reflect how odd it was that we should worry about a few frogs we had blithely seen hopping across our road that warm February night but not the enormity of all we as human beings had done to disturb the natural order weve stayed warm these cold spring nights in our home heated with oil. Each day we drive to work in our car fueled with gasoline.
We know these fossil fuels are destroying our planet and may even be causing the erratic weather we are right now experiencing, and yet we go on, taking the path most familiar to us.
In the same way we trusted Al Breisch, as a qualified scientist, to quell our fears about the frogs, we trust the vast majority of scientists who have studied climate change and determined that humans are affecting it.
Were grateful we live in New York State that is moving forward with, even as the federal government is starting to peel back, programs that promote renewable energy.
While we commend the citizens who stand in the rain to help the amphibians cross the road, we urge still greater commitment to reduce the human footprint upon our Earth.
Melissa Hale-Spencer
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The road to recovery means taking care of species besides just humans - The Altamont Enterprise
