The Berkshire Eagle article by Clarence Fanto / photos by Ben Garver & Clarence Fanto
LENOX — If you’re driving on several of the town’s byways, you’ll soon see new signs — not for speed limits or dangerous intersections.
The new illustrated signs made by Lenox Memorial High School students — “Amphibian Crossing” and “Slow for Salamanders!” — are being posted at several salamander crossings by town Department of Public Works Superintendent Bill Gop.
The annual migration season begins in late March on rainy nights and into April and early May when temperatures are above 45.
“Awareness is the main thing,” Gop pointed out, citing West Mountain Road as a particularly busy route for the salamanders on the move from vernal pools and other wetlands for destinations to mate and lay eggs.
The temporary class-made signs — eventually to be replaced by permanent seasonal installations — result from an in-depth study of threats to annual migrations by the lizard-like traveling salamanders and other amphibians by students in Brooke Kamienski’s Advanced Placement environmental science class.
Six of her 20 students accompanied their teacher for a show-and-tell presentation at Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, televised by CTSB-TV and available on Channel 1303.
“We thought our signs could raise awareness and let people know on these rainy nights coming up that there could be some amphibians crossing,” Kamienski said.
The students who presented their study’s findings included seniors Olivia Armstrong and Etta Schnackenberg, and 10th graders Sophia Carraro, Charlotte Culver, Emery Lipton and Cruz Swinson.
Vernal pools in woodlands and meadows fill up seasonally with snowmelt and spring rains, providing “a crucial habitat for wildlife species such as amphibians and invertebrates,” Sophia pointed out. Examples include the Jefferson Salamander, the blue-spotted salamander, wood and green frogs, the fingernail clam, box turtles, wood ducks, ringneck snakes and toads.
In Lenox, “vernal pools are vulnerable to many threats,” Cruz said. “Protecting them will strengthen local ecosystems and lead to healthy and thriving communities, both human and amphibian.”
He demonstrated verified vernal pools on MassMapper, an informative online tool provided by the Massachusetts Bureau of Geographic Information.
Locations for signage to prevent cars from running over amphibians during vernal pool crossings include:
• West Mountain Road at West Dugway
• Undermountain Road by the intersection of West Street and Reservoir Road
• East end of Blantyre Road
• End of Roaring Brook Road
The students emphasized the importance of public awareness through signs placed near environmentally sensitive areas to help protect migrating species from traffic.
They credited Gop, the DPW superintendent, for bringing the project into their classrooms, as well as Mass Audubon staffers Lydia Warters and Dale Abrams for information.
Select Board members heartily welcomed the signage project and thanked the students for their efforts.
“We endorse this and support it,” said Chairman Neal Maxymillian. “To be involved is really appreciated. Well done!”
“It’s really great to see you guys involved in something that will actually help people in the real world,” Select Board member Marybeth Mitts told the students. “It fosters a sense of cooperation and engagement, and that’s the best things we can see from our younger citizens.”
Town Manager Jay Green pointed out that the goal is awareness to try to change driving patterns and should be easily accomplished without any need for enforcement.
“This is how your local government is supposed to work,” he told the students. “Bring ideas to the governing body and then the staff collectively makes it happen. So don’t ever think that you can’t make a difference, because you most certainly can.”
Why vernal pools matter . . .
• They are crucial breeding grounds for amphibians and provide a specialized habitat for the species because they are temporary and cannot support fish that might consume amphibian eggs.
• They also support the ecosystem and biodiversity with a wide array of species and attract birds, mammals and reptiles.
• Amphibians help control mosquito populations by eating them.
• After mating and laying eggs, the salamanders and other species leave the vernal pools and migrate up to a half-mile into woods by mid- to late-summer.
• Vernal pools face threats such as contamination caused by runoff pollution from road salts, pesticides and herbicides, as well as acid rain, deforestation and development, climate change and traffic on road crossings.
• Certified vernal pools are protected by the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act through the Massachusetts Heritage Foundation, which can pursue certification.
Source: Lenox Memorial High School 10th and 12th grade students in the Advanced Placement environmental science class taught by Brooke Kamienski.