The American toad. Photo courtesy www.earthplace.org.
It’s almost breeding season for many animals, and some must cross human territories to make it to their breeding grounds. It can be a dangerous journey, particularly due to the threat of vehicles on roadways. Philadelphia has agreed to temporarily close down certain roads to help rejuvenate the declining population of a not-so-cuddly species: the homely American toad.
I must admit, it’s hard not to laugh at this story. In fact, I have heard people laugh at this issue before – during an editing shift at the local paper one night, we received a letter to the editor asking drivers to keep their cars off the road on rainy evenings to protect migrating wood frogs. It had the newsroom rolling. Who’s going to stop driving just to keep from running over a few frogs? People have places to be, and it can be assumed that most aren’t willing to interrupt their lives for something like this.
Laugh all you want, but I have a special place in my heart for frogs. Last spring, I conducted a study on wood frogs in vernal pools, and I learned quite a bit about their vulnerability. All winter they basically freeze themselves during hibernation, and they basically come back to life when the spring comes. How cool is that?
Wood frogs breed exclusively in vernal pools, so getting there is key to their survival. I doubt that the American toad breeds exclusively in the Roxborough Reservoir, but nonetheless, if it’s a popular breeding ground, the survival of the local population most likely depends on the toads’ safe journey there. Roads are dangerous to cross, and as silly as it may be to close down a street just for a toad, the species’ role in the reservoir’s ecosystem may be an important one – and therefore something worth protecting.
This story brings up some real debate about human impacts on nature and the balance between living our lives as we’re accustomed and protecting vulnerable species. This might make for a great classroom discussion: In what ways can humans reduce their impacts on wildlife? Should they? Why or why not?
The subject brings to mind one of my favorite stories about a past neighbor of mine: Years and years ago, my friend and I were getting a ride home from her parents and her brother, Mike. When we came to our road, it was raining, and there were toads and frogs everywhere. Mike got out of the car, and we followed him at about five miles per hour as we watched him in the headlights, shooing frogs off the road and out of harm’s way, all the way home. It was hilarious, and touching. Perhaps a discussion in our classrooms would get more students thinking like Mike did – that it’s worth getting wet and looking silly to protect something as tiny as a toad.
March 18, 2009 at 1:44 pm
You have to believe that are people out there that care. Just because they aren’t human does not mean they don’t have a right to live. I especially loved your personal story at the end!
April 23, 2009 at 7:39 am
[...] you readers out there must be frog lovers, because a blog post of mine from a month or so ago, Public Protects Lovin’ Toads, has driven the most traffic – people read that thing pretty much every day. So to satisfy demand, [...]
May 24, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I came here Googling a photo of American toad, which are in a vernal pond behind my house. I do a frog and toad survey for the city of Ann Arbor. If you’re interested, you can read about it and hear frog recordings here.