Please join us for the Animaterra Women’s Chorus spring concert this Saturday, May 10, 7:30 pm at the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church (69 Washington Street, Keene). This lovely annual event will contribute proceeds to AVEO! Tickets will be available at the door, and cost $10 for Adults, $8 for seniors & students. For more information, click here to visit the Animaterra website.

The numbers are still trickling in, but by all counts we had a stellar year on the salamander beat! Well over 100 Salamander Crossing Guards crossed nearly 4000 amphibians at nine sites throughout Cheshire County and the Ashuelot watershed over the course of two Big Nights: in total, over 1100 spring peepers, 1100 wood frogs, and nearly 1300 spotted salamanders, as well as handfuls of two-lined salamanders, four-toed salamanders, two-lined salamanders, red-backed salamanders, red-spotted newts, green frogs, American toads, and rare Jefferson salamanders, were spared the crush of the tire by our dedicated crew of Salamander Crossing Guards. It was great fun, too. Check out the video footage, still photographs, and stories from Big Night, below!

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I did crossing guard last night in Winchester-it was AWESOME! This is the most fun I have had in a long time! I have never been so wet since I was kid and splashed in puddles! — Yvonne Whipple, Winchester, NH

I had an absolute blast last night out on River Road. I rounded up a posse consisting of two other Antiochians and a FDNY firefigher visiting from Brooklyn. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to be out saving salamanders. Anyway, thank you so much for letting me a part of all of this………..it is a truly humbling experience. We were all pretty cold and soaked to the bone last night and we went home, put water on for tea, changed into dry clothing and talked about the evening. We will always have fond memories of the migration… –Tamarra Martz, Keene, NH

Tuesday, April 29. We had another Big, Big Night last night (we crossed nearly a thousand spotted salamanders and over 600 spring peepers!) but it looks like today’s rains will end by early evening and turn into sunshine for the rest of the week, so salamander season may be coming to an end. Vernal pool season, however, has only just begun.

Monday, April 28. It’s raining and we are calling the Salamander Crossing Brigades to action for our second Big Night of the season!!! Bundle up in your reflective vest and raingear, and head to your crossing sites at sundown for what we hope will be a stellar salamander evening!

Friday, April 25. I visited our neighborhood vernal pool complex in Robinhood Park (Keene) yesterday — lots of wood frog egg clusters, a handful of Jefferson salamander egg masses, but no spotted salamander egg masses to be found! I think the spotties are waiting for the next rainy night, which could happen this weekend or early next week….if we get a good nighttime soaking, we’ll be sending out the Salamander Crossing Guards again, so keep checking back for the latest updates!

Wednesday, April 16. The tallies are nearly all in from last Friday’s migration: collectively, our Salamander Crossing Guards helped over 1800 amphibians on their way that night, including almost 1000 wood frogs, nearly 500 spring peepers, and 360 spotted salamanders!!! (…. keep your eyes on the sky; if we get a drenching nighttime rain in the next week or two, we may have another Big Night in store!)

Saturday, April 12. We had a pretty good night last night (276 wood frogs on River Road in Westmoreland! and 148 spotties on Glebe Road! 475 wood frogs and 382 peepers on North Lincoln Street in Keene!), but the rain was much lighter than predicted, and it’s likely that many salamanders have yet to make their move. The skies are clearing, so we’re not calling out the Crossing Brigades tonight after all, but we’ll be keeping a sharp eye on the weather, with fingers crossed for a good nighttime soaking in the near future. As always, we’ll keep you posted!

Friday, April 11. The first warm rains of spring are FINALLY here, and they are predicted to continue well into the night, so we are calling the Salamander Crossing Brigades to action for our first Big Night of the season! There’s a good chance that we’ll be calling out the Crossing Guards tomorrow night too, so keep checking back for updates!

Tuesday, April 8. Sun is shining; weather is sweet! These warm temperatures are sure to melt much of the remaining snowpack, and the rainy weekend forecast is promising indeed. Get your salamander gear ready, because we may be calling out the Crossing Brigades on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or some combination of the three!

Friday, April 4. Today’s rain is COLD, and temperatures are expected to remain in the 30s throughout the evening. It’s possible that a few wood frogs (such hardy souls!) will make a break for it tonight, but we think it’s just too cold for a major migration. *sigh*

Wednesday, April 2. Last night’s thunderstorms led to a Big Night of epic proportion just south of us in Massachusetts! David and I spied a handful of woodfrogs and spotties out and about in Westmoreland and Winchester last night, but most of our sites are still socked in by ice and snow. It’s possible that the migration could be staggered in southwest New Hampshire this year; that is, some sites (with south-facing slopes, for instance) might “go” before other sites (in higher elevations, or with north-facing slopes), and we’re contemplating doing a site-by-site Salamander Crossing Guard mobilization rather than the “all hands on deck” scenario of seasons’ past. The forecast for today (4/2) and tomorrow (4/3) calls for sunshine and warmish temperatures, but Saturday evening might have some 40-degree rain, which, at some sites, could yield a wood frog migration. We’ll keep you posted!

Monday, March 31. What was that about March going out like a lamb? Even though tomorrow’s forecast calls for temperatures in the high 50s (finally!) and a good soaking rain, most of the ground here in the Ashuelot watershed is still frozen and blanketed in snow, so the salamanders are likely still slumbering in their burrows. Big Night is yet to come.

In the meantime, check out some footage from last year’s migration in Swanzey, shot by Salamander Crossing Guard Larry Reynolds! (Turn up the volume to hear the chorus of spring peepers in all their glory!)

Don’t let the snow fool you! The spring amphibian migration is just around the corner, and AVEO is training Salamander Crossing Guards to safely usher salamanders, frogs, and toads across busy roads on the Big Night(s)! Click here for Salamander Crossing Brigade training dates and details.

The long-awaited Bug Nights (and Bug Afternoons too!) are here!

What can bugs tell us about water quality in the Ashuelot River? Get an up-close look at the amazing creatures that live beneath the riffles — while helping AVEO monitor local water quality — at indoor Bug Nights in February and March! Click here for dates and details.