A few Northeast Ohio parks have seen an uptick in visitors coming to view the annual salamander migrations. Unfortunately, that fascination may be spelling trouble for the species. Now, parks are taking measures to protect this annual ritual.
Naturalist Pam Taylor recently showed off a yellow-spotted salamander to kids and their parents at the Cleveland Metroparks' Brecksville Nature Center. Everyone seemed fascinated by the slippery, cute amphibian, which, true to its name, has yellow spots running down its black body.
Zach and McKenzie Gordon, a couple from Parma, were among the crowd.
“I didn't know we had big salamanders in Ohio!" Zach Gordon said.
"We always like to support the parks," McKenzie Gordon added. "And we'll probably be back for the little salamander crossing exhibition.”
Laying eggs in the pools
Each spring throughout the region, various species of salamanders, including spotted and Jeffersons, emerge from their hiding places underground. They mate and lay their eggs in temporary ponds in the woods, called vernal pools.
The migration and subsequent mating only happen once per year, from mid-March to the first few weeks of April. The yellow-spotted salamanders have become the most popular, maybe because they’re the largest and most colorful.
“There are days when there are hundreds, if not thousands," said Kelly McGinnis, a naturalist at the nature center. "Those days are very few and far between, and hard to predict ahead of time.”
We were out at one of the vernal pools looking for signs that the salamanders have laid their eggs.
One particular pool featured a glob of gelatinous spheres — kind of like small, see-through eyeballs.
"There's one… there's a cluster of eggs," McGinnis noted.
A victim of their own success
It’s good that we saw the eggs. Salamander migrations saw a spike in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely because it was a socially-distanced outdoor activity. Word of mouth on social media has only grown since then, putting the various salamander species in a precarious position.
"A couple of Saturdays ago, we had a good migration night, lots of amphibian moving. But over 440 people came to see this," said McGinnis. "The downside of that, of course, is the risk of things getting stepped on."
The Brecksville Reservation – long known as one of the best local places to view the migration — has taken steps to protect the migration route, including installing warning signs and closing roads on expected migration days, when the temperature is above 45 degrees and rainy.
McGinnis welcomes the interest, but wants visitors to be careful and mindful of their actions.
"We do encourage people that come up to witness our event that they stay on the pavement, not to go off into the woods or near the ponds," McGinnis said. "Because of the possible transmission of diseases, but also because you cannot see amphibians moving through the leaf litter."
More drastic measures
Further south in Akron, the Summit Metro Parks have taken more drastic measures to protect the species, including permanently closing a section of road at the Sand Run Metro Park.
"We closed this down a few years ago," said Jason Whittle, a biologist with the Summit Metroparks. "The restoration process took about a year, so we are almost a full year into this being restored and sort of naturalized."
The section of park between Portage Path and Merriman Roads is now just a nature trail surrounded by wooded hills and ponds, no cars allowed. Whittle described the scene before the road closure.
"You could go out after the event or one of the events in the spring and definitely see squished animals," Whittle said. "Now they have a chance to access a breeding pool without having to play Frogger."
Back in Brecksville, McGinnis said salamander populations are currently healthy and she hopes to keep it that way — for humans and salamanders alike.
"We want to make sure we balance that conservation, as well as education, to help protect this species for the future," she said.
