Mud Season Speaker Series - Salamander Crossing Brigade and Training

Presented by Patti Smith
In partnership and taking place at the Brooks Memorial Library
Free Event

BEEC and the Brooks Memorial Library invite you to a series of programs based on the Vermont Reads 2025-26 selection, The Light Pirate. The themes of the book and our program series are climate resilience through community and the unstoppable power of the natural world.

As our planet heats up and nature is lost to development, amphibians are among the most vulnerable lifeforms. A group of important amphibians in our region depends upon temporary ponds—vernal pools—for egg-laying. These waterbodies can dry up much too fast in drought years, resulting in reproductive failure for these species. These salamanders and frogs are also vulnerable when they must cross roads to reach their breeding habitat. You can help! Join a Salamander Crossing Brigade. Getting adult amphibians safely across roads is a big way we can make their populations more resilient.

The Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center has been organizing crossing brigades at known crossing sites for decades. Come to the library to learn more about the amazing amphibians that head for vernal pools in the spring and what you can do to help them.

BEEC naturalist Patti Smith has been helping frogs and salamanders get across roads for 25 years. She has also helped organize volunteers to document species for the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project. Her favorite amphibian is the gray treefrog.