SALAMANDER SEASON PROMPTS KING ROAD CLOSURE

Why did the salamander close the road?

The breeding migration of the endangered Jefferson salamander is underway, meaning that King Road, from North Service Road to Mountain Brow Road in Burlington, is now closed. The annual closure allows the creature to safely cross the road to their breeding ponds.

Local traffic for all properties between North Service Road and the escarpment will be maintained. King Road will reopen for through traffic on April 12, once the salamanders are expected to finish their annual crossing.

Ward 1 councillor Kelvin Galbraith said the annual closure is an important aspect of local conservation.

Since 2012, the City of Burlington has closed the same section of road for the salamanders to cross. They are a nationally and provincially protected endangered species.

The Jefferson salamander is found in southern Ontario in select areas of deciduous forest, mostly along the Niagara Escarpment.

Jefferson salamanders spend most of their lives underground. As the weather warms up and the spring rains begin, the salamanders emerge and migrate to breed in temporary ponds formed by runoff, laying their eggs in clumps attached to underwater vegetation. Adults leave the ponds after breeding.

By late summer, the larvae lose their gills, become air-breathing juveniles and leave the pond to head into the surrounding forests.

Adult salamanders migrate to their breeding ponds during wet rainy nights. They show a strong affinity for the pond in which they hatched and can be very determined to reach it, sometimes causing them to cross busy roads.