Project Update: Quakertown Swamp Amphibian Crossing

Most amphibians require both land and water to survive and reproduce. Amphibians are born in water as larval forms and eventually undergo metamorphosis, changing into an adult form. Many species leave the water to live out their adult lives on land, but they must return to water to breed and lay eggs.

In the Quakertown Swamp, one of Heritage Conservancy's Lasting Landscapes®, frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians indigenous to the swamp must cross a busy road in order to get to the vernal pools on the other side to breed. The journey for these creatures to the breeding grounds can dangerous. Passersby usually don't notice them on the road, and therefore, few cars slow down to allow them to cross safely. For this reason, Heritage Conservancy and a group of volunteers established Quakertown Swamp Amphibian Crossings in 2011, a project that helped provide safe passage for amphibians during breeding season. You may remember reading about this project earlier this year in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

With warmer temperatures occurring in mid-February, the Quakertown Swamp Amphibian Crossing committee, comprised of volunteers and members of Heritage Conservancy, was put on alert to watch for signs of the mass crossing to begin. Committee members Devich Farbotnik and Kathy Leber started scouting the crossing areas at all hours of the night. As soon as heavy rains came through and temperatures remained above 38 degrees, volunteers would be out on the roads looking for the first salamanders to come out of hibernation.

Devich Farbotnik. Photo credit: Harry Branson.

"My dad was a naturalist, so I grew up with an appreciation of nature. If I see something in trouble, I try to help when I can," said Devich Farbotnik, Heritage Conservancy volunteer and founder of the Quakertown Swamp Amphibian Crossing project. "The salamanders were here long before humans, and they have a right to be here. They are indicators of a healthy ecosystem and should be protected."

The crossings happened sporadically over a couple of weeks, and were completely dependent upon weather conditions. The first official mass crossing occurred around 8:30 PM sometime in late February, and lasted well into the next morning. The most populous crossings occurred very late in the evening and into the early hours of the morning, around 3:00 AM.    

With the help of dedicated volunteers, Richland Township and their local police department, East Rockhill Township and their road crew, and residents of Quakertown Swamp, Heritage Conservancy was successful in assisting nearly 1,000 salamanders and frogs cross to the vernal pools!