Our purpose is to save as many of the newts crossing Chileno Valley Road during their
migration to and from Laguna Lake as we can. California Newts, Rough Skinned
Newts, slender salamanders and frogs of many types, including the federally listed Red-
Legged Frog, migrate during the wet season of the year, from Mid -November to Mid -
March. This is our most active time of the year, however there is a lot of preparation
that comes before we actually go to the road to pick up the newts and carry them to
safety.
The migratory season is from mid -November to mid-March, depending on the weather.
Warm rains bring the first newts out of their underground burrows. The newts continue
to cross the road throughout the season, putting themselves in the position of being run
over by cars and trucks as they make their way to Laguna Lake and back again.
(Laguna Lake is a natural lake and a rare natural asset.) Our volunteers go out onto the
road throughout the migratory season to spot newts crossing the road, and scoop them
up and carry them to safety. This is done every night of the breeding season.
Each newt that is found, dead or alive, is photographed and sent to iNaturalist, where
other data is also entered, including the date, time, temperature, and direction of the
photographed animal. From this collection of 2 to 3 years of data, we hope to support a
more practical intervention. Our plan is to raise grant funding of $1-2M to construct the
proper tunnels or bridges for the migrating amphibians.
We are presently gearing up for our second season for the Fall, Winter and Early Spring
of 2020-2021 by recruiting volunteers, applying for legal status, meeting with the
neighbors, creating an open Facebook page, creating an open website and applying for
funding for a feasibility study.
The feasibility study will tell us which intervention is the most reasonable, given the
limitations of the site. We hope to bring in partners, such as the County of Marin, Marin
Resource Conservation District, Turtle island Network and the U S Fish and Wildlife
Service.
