Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission

Councilman Jim Wendell found a large female as she came out to the road on her way to the pools. His son Matthew found many spring peeper and carfuly removed them from the road.

The rain that started late in the afternoon brought a few salamaders and people to Beekman Road yesterday.  Over the three hours we walked along the road we saw six large spotted salamander females crossing the road and heading into the woods toward the vernal pools. Near the pool the spring peepers and chorus frogs were so loud it was hard to have a conversation.

Many people joined us with falshlights and umbrellas to search for amphibian. Councilman Jim Wendell, his wife Barbara and their two sons told us they were excited to finally see the famous East Brunswick salamanders!  People came East and South Brunswick, and even from Plainsboro and Marlboro. Lisa and Rob saw the Facebook update from the Road and decided to come see for themselves. After walking for a while we found another female for them to see.

We have not seen any egg masses in the pools yet, and we simply can't tell if the migration is over. We do not speak Salamander and cannot ask them...  The road will be closed for one or two more nights.  As always - inforamtion will be posted here and an email will be sent to all Friends members (membership is always Free).

To learn more about New Jersey amphibians and to hear their calls - check out the NJDEP webpage.

Safety Comes First (for us and the amphibians): NEVER venture onto the road if it is not closed! Always park along and cross Church Lane very carefully. It is dark and cars drive fast and don't expect people out there at night. EVERYONE should have their OWN flashlight. Walk carefully and watch for amphibians. A car or foot on one and the results are largely the same.   

Beekman Road is likely to be closed tonight with the warm rain expected for this afternoon and evening. We are monitoring the weather closely. While we suspect that the salamander migration to the pools is complete, it is possible there could be some stragglers, or some non-breeding wanderers (not every individual in the population breeds every year) or even some movement back across the road to the summering habitat. But there may also be frog movement to the pools and in the surrounding woodland habitat as many frog species breed later than the spotted salamanders (our vernal pools have green frogs, bullfrogs, northern gray treefrogs, spring peepers, chorus frogs and pickerel frogs). Rainy spring nights are often fun amphibian nights.

Safety Comes First (for us and the amphibians): NEVER venture onto the road if it is not closed! Always park along and cross Church Lane very carefully. It is dark and cars drive fast and don't expect people out there at night. EVERYONE should have their OWN flashlight. Walk carefully and watch for amphibians. A car or foot on one and the results are largely the same.    

I remember the first time I saw a tadpole in mid-metamorphosis. It still had that small fishy mouth, and swimming tail…and then these strange little legs sticking out. I had studied all that in books, but to see it happening right in front of me was simply mesmerizing. How amazing that a living thing can so completely change its body! We can’t do that!

Since then, I’ve compiled a bucket list of nature experiences that I want to have. I want to see a Peregrine Falcon knock a bird out of the sky. I want to see the Northern Lights. The list goes on. And ever since I first heard about it in college, I’ve wanted to experience an amphibian migration, the kind where thousands of frogs, toads, and salamanders come out at night to travel to their annual meeting at the local breeding pool.

And I wanted to be one of those people who get to carry those amphibians across roads that intersect their path. Well I finally got to check that one off the bucket list thanks to the Amphibian Crossing Project, a program coordinated by the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ.

Video - Click here or on the picture to see what my experience was like.

The crossing site where I was stationed occurs on a heavily trafficked road in Sussex County, New Jersey. And the only way that anyone knows about it is because of the discerning eyes of volunteers - thank Goodness for volunteers! - who noticed a huge number of frogs and salamanders moving en masse across the busy road. It turns out that the area also supports a large population of Jefferson salamanders, a species of special concern in New Jersey. 

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this site will ever be closed to traffic, but the Conserve Wildlife Foundation is studying it as a possible location for an amphibian culvert system. Special tunnels that allow amphibians to migrate under roadways have been used to good effect in other states like Massachusetts. This would be the first site in New Jersey to use them.

To support such a measure, the Conserve Wildlife Foundation and their partners need to find out as much as possible about the site and the amphibians that live there, so our efforts involve much more than simply ferrying critters across! Decked out in our finest rain gear, thermals, and reflective vests, we mark down how many amphibians we cross – including how many we can’t save, unfortunately – what kinds of amphibians we cross, and how many cars pass through.

My first night as an amphibian crossing guard was a bit unusual. The weather forecast was changing constantly, and when I arrived, there was no rain – or amphibians – to be seen! Still, our small team took up position along the road’s edge, ready for any frogs and salamanders that might step out from the shadowy forest. And they did…in fits and starts, just like the rain. In the end, the team recorded information on more than 1300 frogs, toads, and salamanders that made an appearance that year.

It was admittedly a roller coaster of an experience for me, from my anguish over those I couldn’t reach in time, to my satisfaction from releasing a wriggling salamander safely on the other side of the road. At the end of the long night, I had the distinct pleasure of feeling like I had made a tangible difference. Wow, what must my bucket list have in store for me next? I can’t wait!

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Kelly’s experiences as an amphibian crossing guard are captured in “Amphibian Crossing,” a special episode of Nature in a New York Minute. Watch the episode at www.NatureMinute.com.Kelly Rypkema is a biologist and host of the video series Nature in a New York Minute. From communicating with ants to interpreting the secret life of squirrels, Kelly showcases ways to be actively involved with nature – even in the concrete jungle. For nature news and events, follow Kelly on Facebook (Nature Minute)  or Twitter (@KellyRypkema), or subscribe to her blog.

It's hard to find a better word for last night than, WOW! Everything came together perfectly, weather, salamanders, frogs and people for a spectacular night on Beekman Road. During the day, above normal temperatures combined with heavy rain setting the stage for what we hoped would be a big night. And for anyone that came out, it would have been very hard to be disappointed. We were a little concerned around 5pm when the rain tapered off and the skies began to clear, but when the first spotted salamander appeared around 7pm, there was hope. Loud choruses of spring peepers carried to the road from the vernal pools but it took another half hour or so for the second spotted salamander to appear. As more and more people began to filter onto the road, so did the spotted salamanders and spring peepers and from there on it was a steady movement of both. Gauging by the vast number of smiles, crouched circles of people and numerous camera flashes, it seems like everyone had a chance to see at least a few spotted salamanders and spring peepers crossing Beekman Road. Most people I spoke with said they saw lots of salamanders and two posted reports from last night both noted seeing 20+. It is hard to estimate how many salamanders may have made their way to the vernal pools last night but it must be in the hundreds, maybe much more when the entire landscape around the pools is figured in. We also tried to estimate the number of people that came out to see the migration and that was easily over 100 too. So all in all, an absolutely amazing and spectacular night. It tooks a few false starts and some patience, but it was worth it!

Huge kudos are due the salamanders and frogs that made the night perfect for everyone, all the people that came out to walk the road, and the Township Administration, Public Works and Police Department for insuring that our last remaining population of spotted salamanders can safely cross Beekman Road year after year.

So, what's next? Since this is only the first night we had significant movement, and spotted salamander migrations often happen in pulses with one big night and then some smaller ones, we will likely close the road a few more times this spring. We are also going to try and merge one of the road closings with a hike to the vernal pools. If you have only been to the road, but have never ventured through the woods and been up close to the spring peeper choruses, you will be in for quite a treat. It's hard to believe how those tiny frogs can make so much noise!

Stay tuned, there is much more to come...at the vernal pools, Moth Nights, Farmers Markets, Nature Author talk, Butterfly Park....

We expect that Beekman Road will be closed tomorrow night. Forecasts have coalesced around an area of heavy rain and above normal temperatures beginning in the early morning hours Tuesday (around 4am right now) and continuing all day until dark. This is exactly the kind of weather we look for to trigger the migration. We can't guarantee anything, but the warm temperatures over the weekend and again today coupled with significant rain tomorrow sure look good. Since weather forecasts are simply predictions based on models, we will post another update tomorrow. 

If we close the road and you come out a few very important reminders: 

Use extreme caution crossing Church Lane.    

Dress for wet, raw weather.

Each person should have a flashlight with a good strong light.

Walk carefully and be on the lookout for tiny spring peepers and of course salamanders.

Let others know what you find so they can share in the fun.   

The recent road closing attracted lots of attention from the news media.  Although the salamanders did not move on the nights the road was closed, the story of the East Brunswick Amphibian Protection Project was featured in news articles and videos. To see some of the articles and videos aobut the project since it started in 2005 - Click here.

To get email with informatoin on road closing and other Friends projects - join the Friends, it's easy, free and your information will never be shared.  Click here!

We've had a few false starts over the past two weeks with the weather not panning out as forecast, but our eyes are on Tuesday night right now. If the forecast holds and I was a betting man (I'm not), I'd double down on Tuesday night for the salamander migration to occur. Of course, the odds are always in favor of the House and even sure hands sometimes lose, but the forecast between now and then really looks good to trigger movement. Yesterday was beautiful and warm. All the snow melted and saturated the ground. Today and tomorrow are forecast to be above-normal and nightime lows for Monday night are expected to remain above freezing. Sometime very late Monday night after midnight, rain is forecast to begin and continue through late afternoon on Tuesday. The rain may be heavy at times with totals now predicted between 1/2" and 3/4". That would be a good soaking rain. Temperatures on Tuesday are forecast to be in the low to mid-50's. All of these factors are what we want to see to trigger the salamanders to migrate. Of course as we've seen, forecasts can fizzle and leave us walking an empty road, but from the vantage point of Sunday morning, I'm thinking this would be a good bet to place. Stay tuned...      

I think the Magic 8 Ball says it all for today. If I could find my Ouija Board that might help too. As we have said many times, predicting salamander migrations is difficult. Migration requires a combination of weather and ecological mechanisms. Yesterday I read an excellent paper on spotted salamander migration triggers: The effects of temperature and precipitation on the breeding migration of the spotted salamander (AMBYSTOMA MACULATUM). Sexton, O. J., C. Phillips, and J. E. Bramble. 1990. Copeia 1990:781-787. In this paper, the authors outline the following conditions that were important in their study:

3 day mean temperature of 41.9° F / 5.5° C

Soil temperature @ 30 cm greater than 39.2° F / 2.13° C

At least 0.16 inches / 0.4 cm of rainfall

A reversal of the soil temperature profile (surface is warmer than sub-surface)

I suspect we have not quite reached these thresholds yet along Beekman Road but we must be close. The scientists also found secondary factors that were less important but still influential related to lower air and soil temperatures. We have almost certainly reached those which is probably why we have seen some early movement of a few males. Today's weather forecast is as problematic as we've seen over the past week or so. There will be rain, but the temperatures are forecast to be right around 40 and they will likely be dropping at some point in the late afternoon or early evening when the precipitation is expected to turn to heavy wet snow. I don't expect that there will be a large movement tonight given what I'm seeing with the weather, but I also suspect we probably have to make a late call on this one as we see what develops. And the same may be true of tomorrow as well. We don’t want to close the road and inconvenience drivers for no reason but of course we also don’t want to not close the road and have movement.

I think the latest NOAA forecast from 3:57am gives a good sense of where things are:

NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING...

AFTER DAYS OF ANTICIPATION, THE STORM THAT HAS BEEN WELL DISCUSSED,

BUT NOT NECESSARILY WELL MODELED IS BEGINNING TO IMPACT THE AREA.

LATEST RADAR IMAGERY SHOWED PRECIPITATION, MAINLY IN THE FORM OF RAIN

AFFECTING THE MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE AND SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL DELAWARE.

NORMALLY, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE EVENT, CONFIDENCE INCREASES.

HOWEVER, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ANOMALOUS EVENTS, WHERE THAT IS NOT

NECESSARILY THE CASE. WHILE OVERALL, THE MODELS HAVE A DECENT HANDLE

ON THE TRACK OF THE LOW, THERE ARE ENOUGH DIFFERENCES IN THE

INDIVIDUAL DETAILS TO CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED UNCERTAINTY.

THE GENERAL FORECAST RATIONALE REMAINS THE SAME. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAINLY

RAIN SOUTH OF I-95 TODAY AND GENERALLY SNOW NORTH OF THERE. ITS MARCH, AND WITH

THE HIGHER SUN ANGLE, IT WILL BE TOUGH FOR IT TO ACCUMULATE MUCH

DURING THE DAY ON TREATED SURFACES UNLESS IT COMES DOWN HEAVY.

THE FORECAST BECOMES MORE PROBLEMATIC THIS EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD

TRANSITION TO SNOW AND THEN ITS JUST A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION IS

LEFT. SO IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION IS LEFT AND OF COURSE, WHAT THE

TEMPS ARE.

The weekend and next week feature a decidely warmer trend, so stay tuned....

It's Salamander Migration Quiz time - This should be very easy to answer for anyone that was on Beekman Road last week and that has been following along with these posts. Okay, so here is the quiz question: "What do the following all have in common? Pepto Bismol, Rolaids, Tums, Pepcid, Mylanta, Nexium..." If you answered, "they are all needed by anyone trying to predict the salamander migration this year", you are correct!

Once again, the weather forecast is very complex and complicates predicting what might happen. I suspect everyone knows that a very strong coastal low will be off the New Jersey coast Wednesday into early Thursday. It is expected to have loads of moisture with it. But there are many uncertainties about the storm and therefore, if it will trigger any salamander movement tomorrow evening. There are questions about the actual track of the storm, when the precipitation will start, whether central New Jersey will get mostly rain or snow, when rain might change to snow, temperatures aloft versus near the ground and a whole host of other meterological factors that just can't be pinned down at this point. From culling through numerous weather outlets, It seems like East Brunswick is likely to see a cold heavy rain at some point tomorrow that will then eventually change to a heavy wet accumulating snow. Temperatures are forecast for tomorrow afternoon somewhere around 40 and then dropping into the mid 30's during the night. My gut still tells me that air and ground temperatures will be too cold tomorrow, especially given how cold it has been this week. Nonetheless, we are carefully monitoring the situation and will likely decide what to do about closing the road tomorrow afternoon when we see what is happening. Stay tuned...in the meantime, here is the latest NOAA forcast discussion (these are always a good read):

EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, AN INTENSIFYING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE

FOUND OVER EASTERN VIRGINIA. WHILE THERE IS FAIRLY GOOD MODEL

AGREEMENT IN THE CENTER OF LOW PRESSURE TAKING MOST OF WEDNESDAY

INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO SLOWLY TRACK OFFSHORE, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES

IN THE INTENSITY OF THE LOW PRESSURE AND ALSO THE THERMAL FIELDS

OVER OUR FORECAST AREA WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY DETERMINE THE TIMING OF

THE CHANGEOVER FROM RAIN TO SNOW FOR OUR AREA. THE NAM GIVES A

COLDER SOLUTION AS COMPARED TO THE GFS, AND NAM BUFKIT SOUNDINGS

ALSO SHOW GOOD DENDRITIC GROWTH FROM WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT,

ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF OUR CWA. HOWEVER, BOUNDARY

LAYER TEMPERATURES WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE IN DETERMINING THE

CHANGEOVER FROM RAIN TO SNOW AND HOW LONG AN ACCUMULATING WET SNOW

WILL LAST. AS THE PRECIPITATION SHIELD OVERSPREADS OUR SOUTHWEST

ZONES EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, PORTIONS OF OUR SOUTHERN DELMARVA

WILL LIKELY SEE A RAIN/SNOW MIX AT THE ONSET, WITH MORE IN THE WAY

OF JUST SNOW SEEN FARTHER NORTH ALONG THE MARYLAND/DELAWARE/SE

PENNSYLVANIA BORDER. A FEW INCHES OF WET SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE IN THIS

VICINITY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF WEDNESDAY. ELSEWHERE THROUGH

PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN DE AND SOUTHERN NJ, MODERATE TO AT TIMES HEAVY

RAIN IS EXPECTED DURING MUCH OF THE DAYTIME WEDNESDAY. BY LATE

WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT, A CHANGEOVER TO RAIN/SNOW AND

EVENTUALLY JUST WET SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR THESE AREAS. THE GFS

CONTINUES TO SHOW A BANDING FEATURE OVER OUR SOUTHERN CWA INTO

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WHICH WOULD LEAD TO HEAVIER PRECIP RATES, AND THE

NAM ALSO SHOWS SIGNIFICANT WRAP-AROUND PRECIP ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE

OF THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER.

Well we finally made it to March and despite the very cold temperatures last night, spring is really close. Snowdrops are blooming in my yard, a few male red-winged blackbirds are on territory, silver maple buds are swollen and daffodils and hyacinths are poking up through the ground. The only thing we could use now are some migrating spotted salamanders and nice loud choruses of spring peepers! So when will we see the salamanders and hear the peepers? Someone asked me today if I thought it would be this week and the only way I can answer is..."soon".

Once again the weather as it relates to a potential migration trigger is complex. There is almost certainly going to be a significant coastal storm in our area from Wednesday into early Thursday. But the models related to its track and temperature profiles are not in good agreement and according to the NOAA Forecast discussion much is up in the air despite the storm being only 72 hours away.

The current forecast seems to suggest that the storm will stay far enough off shore and to our south that central NJ will not get the brunt of it, and after Sandy, that's certainly good news. But that may not be good news for a salamander migration. At the moment, depending on the weather outlet, the percent chance of precipitation ranges from 30-50% during the day with light rain or showers to 50-70% at night with heavier amounts. On the face of it, this sounds pretty good. However, the migration is triggered by a combination of factors including precipitation and temperature. We typically want to see temperatures during the day in the mid-40's (or higher) and not dropping too quickly after dark. Just a few degrees too cold can stifle movement. Again, there is a bit of variability between the various weather outlets but all are trending a little bit colder than we'd like to see with ranges for the day between about 41 and 43 and then dropping back at night into the 30's. There is even a chance that we will see some snow!

So, what does this mean? Migration or no migration this week? From 72 hours out my gut tells me this won't be the one. But, the models will be revised countless times between now and then as the forecast is honed and we will be following it closely. I guess about the best we can say is stay tuned and it will be..."soon".

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Although we can't wait to finally see spotted salamanders and spring peepers and chorus frogs and green frogs (well, you get the picture) cross Beekman Road and migrate to their vernal breeding pools, this cold dry spell is exactly the weather respite we needed after trying to make the difficult predictions last week. It gives us time to regroup, get some sleep and to stop checking NOAA and Weather.com and WeatheUunderground every 5 minutes.  

As anyone knows that came out to the road on Tuesday or Wednesday nights, we had the road to our human-selves. It just wasn't amphibian weather yet. That doesn't mean it wasn't a good time out there and an opportunity to revel in the unpredictability of nature. But with a little patience and a little perseverance, we will all hopefully be treated to an awesome amphibian-filled evening some time soon. So when will that be?

The next few days and early next week will be dry and cold, so no migrations and no road closings are anticipated. We are carefully watching the forecasts for the middle of next week when a possible significant storm in the mid-Atlantic\Northeast is forecast. This storm is still in the Pacific Northwest so there is still a great deal of uncertainty what will happen. It could be even be snow. As we get closer, we will update what we think may happen. The emphasis here is "think" and "might" because unlike Crinkleroot, our salamander mascot that the award winning nature writer Jim Arnosky has graciously allowed us to use, we simply can't speak salamander.   

The only thing missing last night was Bill Murray as anyone on the road for the second night in a row understood what the movie Groundhog Day was all about. Once again the weather didn't pan out and the spotted salamanders didn't move. But they will, it is just a matter of time and the right weather conditions. In fairness to the salamanders, we really hadn't intended to close the road last night, but for largely human safety reasons we closed it anyway. Anybody that came out last night was treated to a little bit of excitment as CBS News 2 and the Home News Tribune were there interviewing people and helping to spread the word about the importance of closing the road and saving East Brunswick's salamanders. Our amphibian protection project made the big time with long TV spots on CBS 2 on their 5 and 11 News broadcasts and on CBS 880 radio all day and apparently again this morning.

Here is a link to one of the news broadcasts spotlighting our salamanders: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/02/27/road-in-east-brunswick-n-j-to-close-for-salamander-crossing/

So, while we may not have had any spotted salamanders to see yet, at least we are helping to spread the word about amphibians and roads and the devasting effects as they cross to their vernal pond breeding habitats. However, Beekman Road is not unique, in fact far from it. This is a problem across the entire northeast and Mid-Atlantic states where roads bisect migration habitats.

So, what about tonight and moving forward? Today's weather once again looks an awful lot like yesterday. Moderately mild, dreary and damp through mid-day and then clearing in the afternoon along with dropping temperatures. Assuming this happens, it is unlikely we will close the road. The next few days look cold and dry so stay tuned! When they are ready and the weather is appropriate they will migrate as they have done since long before Beekman Road was even there.    

Beekman Road will be closed again tonight. Although it is warm and stayed showery much longer than the weather forecasters predicted, the drying trend makes us think that it will not be a big night tonight. The road is being closed largely for administrative and scheduling reasons as opposed to biological ones. Who knows, maybe it wil be the biggest night ever. But we are not counting on that happening. There will also be a story about our salamander migration protection efforts on CBS 2 NY sometime between 5 and 5:30.

However, if you choose to visit the road tonight to see what if anything is happening (or for no other reason than to take a walk down a quiet street through the woods, BE CAREFUL and CROSS CHURCH LANE FROM THE PARKING AREAS WITH EXTREME CAUTION!        

George Carlin said it best "Weather forecast for tonight: Dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning."

Salamander migrations are highly dependent on a combination of weather factors including the timing and amount of rainfall, air and ground temperature and humidity. The perfect combination to trigger a migration is rainfall before dark, temperatures at least in the mid-40's and high humidity. We try to garner information about these factors from numerous weather service outlets along with just looking out the window in what was proved yesterday as a sometimes feeble and humbling attempt at predicting nature. If only it was as simple as the wonderful quote by George Carlin.

Yesterday was also a perfect lesson about how complex weather forecasting is. All day, all of the major weather outlets were predicting rainfall in central New Jersey by late afternoon and temperatures in the mid-40's at dark. For anyone that visited the road last night before 9, it was quite evident that the forecast did not pan out. Other than a few sprinkles, the road was dry and it was noticeably colder than predicted with temperatures hovering right around 39 or 40. It's interesting that the radar images all showed rainfall over central NJ, but it wasn't reaching the ground. There is a cool meteorological term for this phenomenon called "virga". Rainfall did begin in earnest later at night and there was a report from the road at about 9:45 of a single male crossing. So last night does not seem to have been a big migration to the vernal pools.

It does not look like the weather tonight will be appropriate either with drying occuring by mid-day and only a slim chance of a shower. We are keeping an eye on it, but suspect at this point that we will not be closing the road. There may be a better chance tomorrow if showers develop in the afternoon but even that is only a chance at this time. So keep checking in to the Patch and the Friends website for updates. It's only a matter of time...

Beekman Road will definitely be closed tonight. Rain has already reached Baltimore and Pittsburgh and is pushing northeast from the southwest. The Police have moved the barriers to the road and we will be closing the road by 6:30. Please do not come before that, if salamanders begin to move it is typically an hour or so after dark. It will be very dark, rainy and raw tonight so if you come out dress appropriately. An umbrella can be very helpful. Everyone should have their own flashlight too. Walking the road and not being able to see anything is no fun. We can't promise there will be any salamanders but you never know.

First a safety warning: NEVER, and we mean NEVER, venture out onto Beekman Road when it is not closed. It is simply not safe. The road is very dark and drivers often go very fast and are not expecting anyone out there. And be extremely careful crossing Church Lane to get to Beekman Road, cars drive fast and there are no shoulders.

This is the time of the year when we worry constantly about predicting the salamander migration and check every weather outlet every 10 minutes. With the spotted salamanders we found on the road Saturday night and the impending rain this evening we are expecting to close Beekman Road tonight for the first time this year. We typically close the road anywhere from 4 to 10 nights depending on what the season seems to be doing.

Predicting salamander migrations is a tricky enterprise balancing rainfall amounts, rainfall timing, air temperature, humidity and time of year. Other factors like cloud cover, ground temperature and barometric pressure are important factors too. But for us, after 10 years it still boils down largely to an educated guess! Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we close the road and have nothing but a dark, wet, empty stretch of pavement.

Spotted salamander migrations to the vernal pools typically occur in waves with a number of small movements and often one big movement. Males generally head to the pools ahead of females, sometimes many days earlier, waiting in the vernal pools for the females to arrive on some subsequent rainy night. We think tonight could have some movement given what we saw on Saturday night and the likelyhood that rain will begin falling around dark and then continue heavy throughout the night. One factor of concern is that temperatures will be falling at the same time. We generally want to see temperatures in the mid 40's coincident with rain and they may be a bit lower than that tonight. But we always try to err on the side of the salamanders just in case we are wrong.

Here are two links to the local weather that we regularly follow - NOAA (http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.42770&lon=-74.4165&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=graphical) and The Weather Channel (http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/East+Brunswick+NJ+08816:4:US?pagenum=2&nextbeginIndex=6)

Here is the NOAA on-staff meterologist's Forecast Discussion from 4:49 am:

NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...

HIGH PRESSURE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE AWAY

TODAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY WHILE A

SECOND LOW STARTS TO DEEPEN OVER THE CAROLINAS. THESE FEATURES WILL

BRING INCREASING CLOUDS THIS MORNING AND PRECIPITATION LATE THIS

AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL SUPPORT MOSTLY RAIN WITH SOME SLEET

(WELL WEST/NORTH) LATE TODAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD REACH THE MID OR

UPPER 40S SOUTH AND LOW TO MID 40S NORTH. THE SRN POCONOS WILL

MOSTLY REMAIN IN THE 35 TO 40 DEGREE RANGE FOR HIGHS TODAY.

SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM WEDNESDAY/...

PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD THE AREA TONIGHT AND THEN

END FROM S/W TO N/E TOWARD DAWN WED. PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE RAIN

OVER MOST OF THE AREA...

And a HUGE WORD OF CAUTION! NEVER, and we mean NEVER, venture out onto Beekman Road when it is not closed. It is simply not safe. The road is very dark and drivers often go very fast and are not expecting anyone out there. Visit the road when we close it and with some luck you will get to see a big fat Spotted salamander crossing the road. We guarantee when you do, you will never forget it!

It may have been Paul Revere that first uttered these familiar words alerting naturalists around the Boston area that the annual spotted salamander migration to their breeding pools was happening, but then again maybe not...regardless, there is no doubt that the cry of "The Salamanders are Coming, The Salamanders are Coming!" is accurate. Although we are still in the midst of winter and more cold, lousy and probably even snowy weather is certain to come, the signs of spring are all around. I've already seen the first snowdrop in full bloom, daffodils and hyacinths are pushing their green tips up everywhere, huge flocks of blackbirds are all around and there was a red-winged blackbird on territory the other day. But none of that signals the end of winter and the chaotic nature-filled fun of spring to me more then the migration of spotted salamanders to the breeding pools along Beekman Road.

Last night with the rain, on a whim I took a drive over to Beekman Road. I was certain it was too early in the season and has been too cold to find anything. But I was wrong! After about 10 minutes I saw a large intrepid male Spotted salamander crossing the road.

It's funny how fast a year can pass since the last time I saw one out there. I stayed for a while and saw two more and moved them safely off the road too. So, it is safe to say, that at least for me, Mother Nature can throw everything she wants at East Brunswick, but winter is officially over and spring has sprung. I don't need a date on a calendar to know when spring starts, I use the Spotted salamanders as my date.

Visit the Friends website for lots of information on this incredible natural phenomenon and the history of our road closures. Each year in late winter or early spring depending on the weather, the last remaining population of Spotted salamanders in East Brunswick cross Beekman Road as they have done for millenia to get to their breeding pools in the woods along the road. Unfortunately crossing the road in large numbers puts them at great risk. It is guaranteed that car-salamander interactions always go to the car. Ten years ago, we noticed that this was happening and along with the township and Police Department decided that closing the road on migration nights in February and March (and occasionally in April) was the right thing to do, especially since this is the last place in town that Spotted salamanders survive.

So, for the past 10 years we have been trying to predict the migration and close the road to protect and save our Spotted salamanders. We continue to be the only town in New Jersey and one of the few in the country to do this. East Brunswick has been a leader on this focusing attention on the Spotted salamander migration and how perilous it can be. The Town, the Environmental Commission and the Friends have received numerous awards and accolades for our efforts. When we close the road we invite everyone out to see what is happening and hopefully to spot a Spotted salamander. When you see that first one, no matter how many years you do this, we are certain it will be the highlight of spring.

We post regular updates on the Friends website and on the Patch about when we think the migration might occur and why. Consider joining the Friends for the most up to date information, it's free.

And a HUGE WORD OF CAUTION! NEVER, and we mean NEVER, venture out onto Beekman Road when it is not closed. It is simply not safe. The road is very dark and drivers often go very fast and are not expecting anyone out there. Visit the road when we close it and with some luck you will get to see a big fat Spotted salamander crossing the road. We guarantee when you do, you will never forget it!

Beekman Road will be closed tonight starting at  7pm. 

So, if you come out, please dont come before then. 

NOAA and Weather.com both have rain the forecast for tonight. 

If anything moves tonight, we expect it would be with the rain, after dark. But its just a guess. Spotted salamanders migration may be over for this year.  We found salamander egg masess in the large vernal pool a few days ago, and we do not know if there are more indibiduals who did not make to the pool yet.  We expect to see spring peepers and other frogs. If you see anythign tonight, please let us know - write to us to friends.ebec@gmail.com.

Salamander egg masses, Beekman Road veranl pool, March 18, 2012

If you come out tonight, please be aware that Church Lane is very dark and cars move at fast speeds. Use extreme caution when parking or crossing the road and especially be watchful of your children.  If you come to the road, EVERYONE should have a flashlight. It will help see things in the dark, make the night much more fun and prevent accidentally stepping on a salamander or spring peeper.

NEVER WALK ALONG BEEKMAN ROAD IF IT IS NOT CLOSED,  IT SIMPLY IS NOT SAFE!  

Wow...it happened again! Dry air made its way into our area about mid-day and pushed out any chance of late day showers. The clouds that hung around all day, coupled with an east wind off the ocean, also depressed temperatures and we never got the showers or drizzle that was forecast. So, once again, conditions that favor a salamander migration just didn't pan out. As Yogi Berra once said "It's Deja Vu all over again". This weekend we are going to see if there are egg masses in the vernal pools and whether the salamanders might have snuck in on the rains that came late at night. Stay tuned, we will let everybody know what we find and what it might mean for the rest of the migration season ... 

Yesterday we wrestled with the decision about whether to close the road or not and finally decided not to. It stayed dry (ish) until about 7:30 when a light mist overtook East Brunswick. This developed into a heavier mist with an occassional drop or two throughout the night. We checked the road at 7:45 and again at 9 and although the spring peepers were in huge loud choruses, there were no salamanders out on the road. We also checked the road this morning and there were no road kills.

One very encouraging note is that for the first time in the past 8 years, we now have spring peepers calling from the small pool at the intersection of Church and Beekman. Hopefully that is the result of our road closing efforts allowing the frog population to rebound and colonize other wetlands in the area. 

So, what is on tap for today? We are carefully watching the weather and will decide alter today whether we should close the road or not. The forecasts are all over the place. The on-duty NOAA meterologist summed up the complexities really well in his discussion from 4:30AM this morning...here is a snipet from that:

NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING.

IF THE WESTERLIES WERE DISPLACED JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE

NORTH, THEN THE PATTERN ALOFT WOULD LOOK RATHER MORE LIKE EARLY

SUMMER THAN VERY LATE WINTER TODAY. THAT`S JUST A SNARKY WAY OF

SAYING THAT THE DYNAMICS ON TAP FOR TODAY ARE NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE.

DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE SUN ANGLE STILL IS FAIRLY LOW; THE DAYS

STILL AREN`T ALL THAT LONG, AND THE TRAPPED COOL AIR IN PLACE LIKELY

IS GOING TO TAKE ITS TIME MAKING WHAT MAY ONLY BE A PARTIAL EXIT. WE

THEREFORE HAVE NOT MUCH EXCEEDED THE CHANCE POPS THAT STAT GUIDANCE

GIVES US; WE ONLY MENTION ISOLATED THUNDER FROM MID MORNING ONWARD;

WE KEEP THE CLOUDS AROUND WELL INTO THE DAY, AND WE FAVOR THE COLDER

GUIDANCE (THE MET) EVERYWHERE EXCEPT FAR WEST.-- End Changed Discussion --