New tunnels to protect endangered salamanders
New tunnels built by York Region beneath Stouffville Road will offer safe passage for endangered Jefferson Salamanders as they travel between breeding grounds while also offering uninterrupted travel for residents.
Over the years, York Region temporarily closed Stouffville Road overnight between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street in the City of Richmond Hill to allow the salamanders to cross safely.
The Region applied years of research to tunnel design and installed two permanent tunnels beneath Stouffville Road last summer, offering a long-term solution that protects the species while keeping the road open. The tiny salamanders, which travel between breeding grounds each spring and fall, are guided to the new tunnels by exclusion fencing.
The local population of Jefferson Salamanders is one of the few known populations outside the Niagara Escarpment, says Gerard Sullivan, an environmental specialist with York Region Public Works. The tunnels – or underpasses – will help protect them as they migrate from their winter habitat to their summer breeding grounds, which are located on opposite sides of Stouffville Road.
“Jefferson Salamanders choose this location for its undisturbed natural forest, rocky outcrops, wetlands and ponds,” says Sullivan. “The salamanders are an indicator of a healthy forest and ecosystems in this community.”
The project was made possible through partnership with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority – which collected valuable data on salamander movement patterns, range and genetics – and community support, the Region reports.
Photo courtesy of York Region.
