Vernal Pools Studied At Audubon Center

SOUTHBURY — Researchers at Bent of the River Audubon Center recently completed a six-month vernal pool study on Audubon’s recently acquired Sachem’s Ridge property. Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that provide critical breeding habitat for wildlife, especially amphibians. Several species of frogs and salamanders, which breed only in vernal pools, have been steeply declining in Connecticut and throughout North America in recent years. Among the earliest harbingers of spring, wood frogs and spring peepers are two species that need this habitat.

Early last spring, Audubon hired Todd Tupper and Brad Timm to study the vernal pools and their surrounding uplands on Sachem’s Ridge. Mr Turner just finished his master’s degree in biology at Southern Connecticut State University and Mr Timm is currently studying herpetology at the University of Rhode Island. The two men began work in April and completed the study last week.

John Longstreth, the Audubon Center’s manager, stated, “We knew we had some vernal pools on the new Sachem’s Ridge property but we didn’t know what lived there. We also wanted to make sure that any new trail building in the area would not hurt the amphibians living in the uplands.

“While the state’s inland wetlands laws protect vernal pools, the surrounding uplands, where amphibians spend most of the year, are at risk,” explained Mr Longstreth. As new roads and housing developments increasingly fragment forests, cars, pets, and lawnmowers kill these animals. We wanted to be sure that human use in the sanctuary was not harmful.”

“As population declines and local extirpation become more and more apparent locally and globally, nature preserves, national wildlife refuges, and natural areas become increasingly important to amphibians and reptiles that cannot tolerate human modified habitats,” explained Mr Tupper.

Mr Tupper and Mr Timm found 12 species of frog and salamanders in the pools and surrounding uplands of Sachem’s Ridge.

“All of the species we found are secure in the region and at the Bent of the River. We do not believe that use of the trailway system will result in declines of any amphibian species that we located. The greatest threat to the amphibians inhabiting the preserve would most likely be residential housing developments on adjacent property,” Mr Tupper said.

“We had some particular concerns with the Southbury Affiliates land. It borders our Sachem’s Ridge lands that contain some of the most productive vernal pools,” Mr Longstreth added. “Now, with the acquisition of these forests by the town and state, the amphibians’ large upland territories are protected.”

The Audubon Center grounds are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. Access is from East Flat Hill Road, and trail maps are available in the barn – a short walk up the gravel driveway. Public programs are offered on Wednesday mornings and weekends. Call 203-264-5098 for program schedules or other information about the center.