Amphibian Adventure
Saturday, March 21
3 PM – 4 PM / Neale Pavilion
First Rainy Evening / 7 PM On-call: Salamander Bucket Brigade / Dewey Mills tract
Free and open to the public, all ages.

Register here.
Registration suggested, but not required. If you are coming to the Nature Center only for this event, admission is free. If you are planning to spend time at the Nature Center before the event, General Admission is required.

Why did the salamander cross the road?

To get to the vernal pool! 

Join us for Amphibian Adventure on March 21st to learn how you can help our amphibian neighbors safely travel to their spring homes. A VINS educator will teach you about this fascinating migration and give you the know-how to safely be an amphibian crossing guard.

On the first rainy nights of spring, when the temperature is above 40°F amphibians like the Spotted Salamander, Jefferson Salamander, Wood Frog, and Spring Peeper awaken from their winter slumber and leave their underground winter burrows and embark on a journey back to their birthplace. Hundreds of thousands of these creatures leave their forested wintering grounds to travel to vernal pools, temporary bodies of water,  to mate and lay their eggs. This mass migration marks the annual event known as the “big night”. But this journey is not without peril, this migration can become dangerous when paths cross roads, but you can help! You can avoid driving on big nights, or you can join our team of salamander crossing guards to help shuttle amphibians across the road. To see when the next big night is going to happen check out this handy forecast.

For more information, contact us at 802.359.5000 or info@vinsweb.org.