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Burlington, Ont., will soon start its annual road closure to protect endangered Jefferson salamanders.
Starting on March 11, a stretch of King Road will be closed to all but some local traffic between North Service Road and Granite Ridge Trail until April 9.
The return of the frisky little amphibians is a “meaningful” sign of spring, Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said in a news release Wednesday.
“Closing King Road during their migration is a small but important step we take to protect an endangered species that calls Aldershot home,” she said. “Protecting biodiversity starts at the local level.”
Local traffic for all properties between North Service Road and the escarpment will be permitted, the city said, noting it has closed this route for the breeding migration since 2012.
Jefferson salamanders are protected in Ontario and across Canada. They live in woodland habitats and swamps, overwintering underground in the forest. In southern Ontario, they mostly live along the Niagara Escarpment.
According to conservation charity Ontario Nature, agricultural development and urbanization have “severely reduced” the salamanders’ habitat. The amphibians, which can live for 30 years, are also killed on roads.
Ontario Nature describes the nocturnal critters as “black or grey-brown with bluish white spots,” and notes they can grow up to 20-centimetres long.
Jefferson Salamanders breed in swamps, ponds and ditches. They breed in late March, when females can lay up to 300 eggs in masses attached to underwater plants. Their larvae transform into adult salamanders in late summer.
WATCH | CBC News covered the start of the salamander road closures in 2012: