EcoWatch: Vernal pools under threat?

TRR photo by Ed Wesely
The small puddle in the background is normally a large pool of water that, in April and May, inundates the grassy swale in the foreground of the picture. Because it fills with snow melt and spring rain, resident fish or snapping turtles are absent, creating a safe haven for frogs and salamanders to breed. This year, a water shortage has led to a big drop in populations of breeding amphibians at our place and in nearby woodlands. If similar conditions continue several years in a row, some of these species, already stressed by loss of permanent habitat, may experience a steep population decline.

TRR photo by Ed Wesely
These two spotted salamanders discovered the artificial pool we maintain while migrating from a nearby woodland. A dozen years ago, we scooped out a five-by-10-foot hole and lined it with thick plastic purchased from a fish hatchery. Drained in autumn and refilled in early spring, it’s become a retreat for aquatic insects, and a spring breeding ground for stray wood frogs and salamanders that don’t find our large natural pool. This year, with our natural pond nearly dry, the artificial one is getting more action than usual.

Ed Wesely

Milanville, NY