DAILY COMMERCIAL NEWS (Markham, Ontario) 30 May 08 Long-toed salamanders get “tunnel to love” at Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Park, Alta. (CP): The long-toed salamanders of Waterton Lakes National Park will soon have their very own tunnels of love.
But far from providing a romantic atmosphere, the tunnels will serve a much more practical purpose — saving the salamanders from certain doom at the hands of passing motorists.
Construction on the four tunnels started this week, under the road adjacent to Linnet Lake.
The lake, which sits just below the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, serves as a breeding ground for the amphibious creatures.
But there’s only one problem — when hit by Cupid’s arrow every spring, they must cross a busy road to get from their winter home near the visitor information centre to the lake, and many don’t survive the perilous passing.
“It’s certainly one area that we’ve known there was a problem, so from the standpoint of maintaining ecological integrity, this is very important,” said Cyndi Smith, ecosystem scientist with the park.
After laying eggs at the lake, the salamanders venture back across the road to their hill, making the area doubly dangerous.
Long-toed salamanders are considered a sensitive species in Alberta. They can be found in other parts of the park but making crossings safer should help build their population.
Park staff are working on determining a population estimate for the creatures and plan to complete another estimate next year to see what effect the tunnels have early on.
Similar tunnels have been successfully used for amphibians in Europe. They consist of pre-fabricated concrete tunnels that can be trenched in across the roadway.
The $284,000 project is expected to be completed within seven to 10 days, depending on the weather.
Smith said the park plans to set up time-lapse cameras in the tunnels to see how well-used they are.
Long-toed salamanders get “tunnel to love”