When someone hears the phrase ‘Big Night,’ they might think of a lively evening out on the town. But for the members of the Pine Plains Conservation Advisory Council — and for the amphibians of Pine Plains — it means something entirely different.
Big Night is the annual migration of frogs and salamanders from their winter hideouts in the forest to vernal pools, where they breed. These pools, temporary wetlands that appear in spring, are vital to their survival. When the conditions are just right—thawing ground, a nighttime temperature above 40 degrees, and a good soaking rain—they make their move.
This year, the perfect storm of conditions arrived on Wednesday, March 5, and we were ready.
Bundled in rain gear and armed with flashlights, Gail Mellow, Hannah Smith Schiller, and I, along with volunteers Kevin and Vivian Walsh, Dante Denardis, Rachel Greenfield, Novalee Denardis, and Zuri Frueh, gathered at the base of Stissing Mountain, where Lake Road between Antler Club Road and Thompson Pond becomes a migration highway. With reflective vests and cameras in hand, we carefully walked the road, scanning the pavement for salamanders and frogs on the move.
Unfortunately, these ancient migration paths don’t account for modern roadways. Each year, thousands of amphibians are crushed by passing cars before they reach their breeding pools. That’s where we came in. Over two hours, we helped nearly 130 salamanders and frogs safely cross, scooping them up and placing them in the direction they were heading.
Drivers were incredibly cooperative — when asked, they gladly turned around to take an alternate route through town instead of passing through the lake area. The next morning, Town Board member Kevin Walsh who volunteered with us, walked the road again, and, to our delight, found zero casualties. For a Big Night, that’s a big win.
It really was a big, wonderful night. As Gail Mellow, who chairs the CAC put it, “It was great to have CAC members and Pine Plains residents of all ages come together to identify and support the amphibian migration. The drenching rain made us feel intrepid. Holding salamanders in our hands made the connection to our natural resources wonderfully tangible. The larger data collection process links us to a broader network of conservation scientists. It was fun and important — a home run!”
This effort is part of a larger initiative. Some of us recently attended a seminar hosted by the Gallatin CAC on The Amphibian Migrations & Road Crossings Project, which is run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The data we collected — numbers, locations, species — will be submitted to the DEC’s ongoing research, helping scientists better understand and protect vernal pools throughout the Hudson Valley.
But conservation isn’t just for rainy nights in March. There are things all of us can do to help wildlife thrive. On wet spring nights, slow down and keep an eye out for small creatures crawling or hopping across the road. If you see an amphibian, carefully pick it up and move it in the direction it was headed — never turn it around.
If you know of a vernal pool in the area that should be on the map, or if you’d like to be part of next year’s Big Night efforts, we’d love to hear from you. To get involved with the CAC, email hsmithschiller@gmail.com.
Chronicles is The New Pine Plains Herald’s memoir series, chronicling life in and around Pine Plains, Ancram, Gallatin, Milan and Stanford. The Herald welcomes stories from readers that highlight memories and lived experiences from all people of all backgrounds. Send your submissions to editor@newpineplainsherald.org.