By Yousef Wahba
It’s that time of year again.
Just last week, a section of King Road from North Service Road to Mountain Brow Road was closed due to the annual Jefferson salamander breeding migration. It is to reopen on April 12. Local traffic in the closed-off section will be maintained (local properties and businesses can still be accessed).
Due to the Jefferson salamander’s annual breeding migration, every year since 2012, a section of King Road in Burlington experiences this closure, to allow these endangered salamanders to cross safely. The closure happens at roughly the same time every year — sometime in March, so for some nowadays, it’s considered a sure sign of spring.
The Jefferson salamander is a species that only exists in southern Ontario and the northeastern U.S., and is at risk of becoming extinct. They live underground for most of their lives, but when the weather gets warmer and it starts raining in the spring, they come out of the ground and move to small ponds formed by the rain. There, they lay their eggs on underwater plants. After they have finished breeding, the adult salamanders leave the ponds. Later in the summer, the baby salamanders, called larvae, lose their gills and gain the ability to breathe air. They then leave the pond and move into the nearby forests to continue their lives.
Salamanders show a strong affinity to breed in the pond in which they hatched and can be very determined to reach it, sometimes causing them to cross busy roads. King Road is one such road.The City of Burlington has thus chosen to preserve the safety of the species by closing off the section of King Road that the salamanders use to migrate.
In a city press release, Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith thanked residents for their patience with the annual road closure: “Thank you to residents of Ward 1 and the entire community who do their part every year to help protect Jefferson salamander populations in our city. The road closure is an invaluable tool that plays an important role in conserving this beloved amphibian.”
Despite the minor inconvenience to humans with this closure, residents seem happy to help the effort coordinated by the city and Conservation Halton to protect this provincially-protected species.
Sources:
Government of Ontario. Jefferson salamander. Scientific name: Ambystoma jeffersonianum. Url: https://www.ontario.ca/page/jefferson-salamander (accessed March 23, 2023).
Virginia Herpetological Society. Jefferson salamander: Ambystoma jeffersonianum. Url: https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/salamanders/jefferson-salamander/jefferson_salamander.php (accessed March 22, 2023).
