We are carefully watching a developing storm system that looks to bring heavy rainfall and warmish temperatures over East Brunswick on Thursday. As each forecast run has been posted over the past few days, the rainfall has been increased and the temperatures have trended a few degrees warmer. The forecast temperatures for tomorrow have ticked up a bit too. Assuming the forecast holds and the rain really materializes, the conditions should be spot-on to trigger salamander and frog movement to the vernal pools. Of course, we've been wrong before but after the long dry spell that was preceded by heavy late season snow cover, we suspect the amphibians are just waiting for the right combination of precipitation and temperature to move. I visited the pools yesterday and with the cold temperatures they were quiet. But they are ice free and despite the dry conditions are nicely filled. Soon they will be a cacophony of frog songs and we can put winter behind us. We will post another update Thursday morning. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the very important safety measures for you and the amphibians.   

​A few VERY IMPORTANT Safety Rules!

Human Safety - 

• Beekman Road and Church Lane are always dark. Cars driving on them are moving fast and don't expect anyone there. It is simply DANGEROUS and extreme caution is the rule!
• NEVER walk Beekman Road when it is not closed.
• NEVER let children cross Church Lane without holding their hand.
• Wear bright colored clothing so you are highly visible. 

Parking -

• Parking is best at the small county lot on Beekman Road (accessed from White Pine on the South Brunswick side) just before the closure and on Crispin Lane off of Church.
• Do NOT park in front of the barriers.
• Use exceptional caution when parking as it is often dark and rainy and visibility of visitors and other cars maybe limited. 

Amphibian Safety - 

• EVERYONE must have a flashlight. Phone flashlights are useless. Without a good strong bright flashlight there is a real risk of stepping on an amphibian, which completely defeats the point of our protection plan.

 

• PLEASE DO NOT handle the amphibians. They are slippery and easy to drop and our hands can transfer oils that are harmful to them. They know where they are going, so just enjoy them as they cross and take lots of photographs!    

             

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​The weather has been conspiring against the migration but it can't be too long now (hopefully). The cold dry conditions are not what salamanders and frogs like. In the simplest terms, the primary triggers for their migration to the vernal pools to breed are rainy days followed by at least early evening rain and temperatures in the mid-40's or higher. But many other factors likely play a part including soil temperatures, air temperatures on proceeding days, humidity, and open water at the pools. They've spent the entire winter protected underground or under a log just waiting for their biological sensors to tell them the time is right to rise to the surface and move to the pools. A trip to the pools yesterday made us happy and hopeful we won't have to wait too much longer. The snow has finally melted for the most part and the ice on the pools is very thin. A narrow edge of open water has even opened up in spots. And the forecast indicates that change is on the horizon, at least with respect to the temperatures. The rain seems to be out of the forecast for this week and the next seven days look to be dry. But the upcoming week has quite a few days in the 60's and Thursday may even reach nearly 70. The lack of snow cover coupled with the warm temperatures will certainly warm up the soils where our salamanders and frogs are hibernating. Then it should just be a good soaking rain to trigger their movement! The long range forecast shows cooler temperatures (but not cold) for early next week with some rain. This might be just what is needed. Stay tuned...

​A few VERY IMPORTANT rules!

Human Safety - 

• Beekman Road and Church Lane are always dark. Cars driving on them are moving fast and don't expect anyone there. It is simply DANGEROUS and extreme caution is the rule!
• NEVER walk Beekman Road when it is not closed.
• NEVER let children cross Church Lane without holding their hand.
• Wear bright colored clothing so you are highly visible. 

Parking -

• Parking is best at the small county lot on Beekman Road (accessed from White Pine on the South Brunswick side) just before the closure and on Crispin Lane off of Church.
• Do NOT park in front of the barriers.
• Use exceptional caution when parking as it is often dark and rainy and visibility of visitors and other cars maybe limited. 

Amphibian Safety - 

• EVERYONE must have a flashlight. Phone flashlights are useless. Without a good strong bright flashlight there is a real risk of stepping on an amphibian, which completely defeats the point of our protection plan.

 

• PLEASE DO NOT handle the amphibians. They are slippery and easy to drop and our hands can transfer oils that are harmful to them. They know where they are going, so just enjoy them as they cross and take lots of photographs!     

     

We do not expect to close Beekman Road tonight.

So much to report today. Hard to believe it's been a year already and what a year it's been. We hope everyone has navigated the covid chaos safely and things will begin to turn to some kind of new found normalcy. For me, it was a time to explore new natural areas and hiking trails around Middlesex County. There are some really wonderful places I never knew existed and I'm looking forward to revisiting them this spring. So, how about the first Salamander Update of 2021 to make everyone excited (me too!). 

What a month February has been with all the snow! A full month of snow on the ground had me feeling very caged in. But things are changing and salamanders and frogs can't be far off now. The very earliest signs of spring are showing, maple buds are swollen, our honeybees are leaving their hives for short periods on warm days, the snowdrops in the front of our house are just poking up, the birds are starting to chatter a bit, Bald Eagles around the state have laid eggs, and I've even seen a few insects on warm sunny surfaces. As Bob Dylan sang "the times they are a changin".

So, what's going on with the spotted salamander and wood frog migration to the vernal pools? We've been keeping a close eye on conditions this week and the East Brunswick Police Department brought the barriers to Beekman so we are ready (they have been nothing short of wonderful with their help to protect our precious amphibians). Yesterday we visited the pools to assess conditions and feel confident it's just a little too early yet. The woods are still covered with snow and the larger vernal pool doesn’t have any ice free areas and the ice was thick enough to support me walking a little way out. The smaller pool has a discontinuous narrow open edge but is also otherwise covered by thick ice. Without the snow, I’d say tonight would be a shot for some early movement. The forecasted rainfall amounts and timing also looks good but the temps today and after dark are very stable and don’t rise beyond 42. That’s a few degrees below what I’d like to see. So, the combo of snow, ice covering the larger pool and the temps, will likely lead to us to not close the road tonight. I’ll check the area mid to late afternoon just to confirm conditions and confirm our thinking. If something changes we can close the road then, but I doubt it. It looks like a  dry period after the weekend, and the next forecast for good conditions is a long way off in the ten day forecast. Time will tell…Dave
 
This year we also have a Boy Scout working with the New Jersey Endangered and Non-Game Species Program and Conserve Wildlife to collect data on the migration. He will be leading a research team of other scouts and they will be stationed at various places along the road. Please help them out by being as non-intrusive as possible in their study zones because the data they are collecting is based on the natural movements of the salamanders and frogs crossing the road. 

The county also has installed a wonderful interpretative sign at the larger pool, so check it out if you wander down that way to hear the Spring Peepers calling on a warm day. 

And one final, incredibly critical note on safety. I know everyone is excited about the migration but there are some rules that are mandatory:

SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY
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A few VERY IMPORTANT AND MANDATORY Rules!

Human Safety - 

• Beekman Road and Church Lane are always dark. Cars driving on them are moving fast and don't expect anyone to be there. It is simply DANGEROUS and extreme caution is the rule!
• NEVER walk Beekman Road when it is not closed. Never means Never!  
• NEVER let children cross Church Lane without holding their hand.
• Wear bright colored clothing so you are highly visible. 

Parking -

• Parking is best at the small county lot on Beekman Road (accessed from White Pine on the South Brunswick side) just before the closure and on Crispin Lane off of Church.
• Do NOT park in front of the barriers.
• Use exceptional caution when parking as it is often dark and rainy and visibility of visitors and other cars maybe limited. 

Amphibian Safety - 

• EVERYONE must have a flashlight. Phone flashlights are useless. Without a good strong bright flashlight there is a real risk of stepping on an amphibian, which completely defeats the point of our protection plan.

 

• PLEASE DO NOT handle the amphibians. They are slippery and easy to drop and our hands can transfer oils that are harmful to them. They know where they are going, so just enjoy them as they cross and take lots of photographs!

​