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Lisa
03-19-03, 09:27 PM
------------------- Road Closed For Sex --------------------

PENNSYLVANIA - It's not uncommon to find a road closed due to
construction, flooding or if a bridge is out. However, five
miles of road will be closed in Pennsylvania for quite a
different reason: procreation. The paved path that passes
through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will
be blocked off so salamanders, frogs and other amphibians can
get it on without being run over. The park service says it will
periodically close River Road when it rains at night so the
creatures can slither their way across the road to wetlands
where they mate. So if the sign is a-blockin', don't come a-
knockin'.
Zoe
03-19-03, 09:29 PM
Aww that's sweet :] I'm glad to hear they went through the trouble to protect the little guys!
reptilez
03-19-03, 09:32 PM
LOL.....Does that seriously happen?
gfisher2002
03-19-03, 09:49 PM
They gave me a ticket for doin that on the road. (Joking) LOL
eyespy
03-20-03, 09:47 AM
Yes, reptilez, it really does!
J_Riley
03-20-03, 01:10 PM
Yes, it does and it needs to happen more often in more places.

Road mortality is increasingly becoming the #1 killer of many species of herps in the wild (more roads = habitat fragmentation, which is the underlying killer), espically amphibians, who will often migrate to the same vernal ponds year after year. In fact, there is a population of turtles in Maryland, I believe, that is being threatened with extinction b/c the road mortality in this 3-5 mile stretch is killing them by the dozens. Turtles are even more suceptable to this, b/c they only start reproducing after many years (roughly a decade) of being hatched. That road is blocked in the spring as well.
Snakegurl42
03-20-03, 08:33 PM
cool that is sweet that they save space for these creatures to have a place to mate and dupilcate! Lol that is cool!
ThEmAdHaTtEr
03-20-03, 08:39 PM
Lol sweet, wish I was a salamander..lol jk guys. Thx for the info Lisa.
Lisa
03-21-03, 02:13 AM
There's also been tunnels or viaducts built under some roads so the animals can go under instead of across. Unfortunetly animals don't see the risk in crossing roads.