Dummerston Vernal Pool Monitoring Project

Over the past year more than 130 vernal pools have been identified and mapped in Dummerston. Each spring these pools teem with life, and as the young amphibians move to the forest they become an important part of the larger food chain. This year we will select a group of Dummerston vernal pools for ongoing monitoring. We will use the information gathered to answer two important questions over time: Is climate change affecting our vernal pools’ “hydroperiod”—the length of time and period of the year the pools hold water? and Are populations of vernal pool amphibians growing, declining, or fluctuating?

This project involves visiting a pool once a week during amphibian breeding season (April – early May) and counting the egg masses of the frogs and salamanders. To learn more, go to www.dummerstonconservation.com.