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Channel 59 - New England Cable News Coverage...
Examining the problem at hand...
Working hard for the frogs in the Wildlife Area... |
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Anyone who has traveled along
US Route 2 through the
Sandbar Wildlife Management Area in Milton during mid-summer is familiar
with the staggering number of leopard frogs that get killed by vehicles
along this 1-mile stretch of roadway. At times the pavement has been
reported to glisten with dead frogs. In an effort to halt this unnecessary
massacre of amphibians, a group of activists, Vermont Agency of
Transportation Staff, and Biologists from Vermont Department of Fish and
Wildlife have banded together to see if there is a way to keep the frogs
from hopping to their deaths on the blacktop.
The
potential solution, devised by Mark Ferguson, a Zoologist with the
Department of Fish and Wildlife, is elegant in its simplicity. One
thousand feet of silt fencing, traditionally used to keep erosion in
check on construction sites, has been installed on both sides of the
road that intersects this exceptional wetland. The frog fence will be up
for about three months while the frogs stretch their newly-sprouted legs
in search of food. The fence will not block the frogs from any essential
habitat.
Everything the frogs could possibly need is already
at their disposal on the side of the road where
they hatched. This is
an experimental approach to a problem that has been
occurring since the
internal combustion engine has replaced the horse. It has the potential
to benefit many other species of reptiles, amphibians, and mammals as
well. And it is cost effective, the entire stretch of re-usable fencing
cost less that $500. If it works as planned the fencing will be
installed again next year. |
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