JEFFERSON SALAMANDER
HABITAT REHABILITATION
ABOUT JEFFERSON SALAMANDERS
Jefferson Salamanders are an endangered species native to Southern Ontario. Jefferson Salamanders are generally charcoal-grey coloured and can have faint blue-grey flecks on the lower sides of their bodies and tails. They can live up to 30 years. Due to deciduous forest removals and road development, Jefferson Salamander have lost habitat and safe migration passages. Within the last three generations, the population has declined by an estimated 90%.
Threats:
- Loss of suitable forest habitats and remaining habitat is degraded and fragmented
- Increased development of roads through migration routes which fragment breeding and terrestrial habitats
- Climate change - decreased precipitation in the summer months cause vernal breeding ponds to prematurely dry out before juveniles reach maturity
- Stocking predacious fish in breeding ponds that feed on salamander eggs and juveniles
Check out our Jefferson Salamander activity sheets!
We published a blog post with Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network about the sensitive Jefferson Salamanders and how we are helping!
HABITAT RESTORATION
Ontario Streams is taking action to rehabilitate and protect Jefferson Salamander habitats and migration routes. In the fall, Ontario Streams rehabilitates salamander habitats to create optimal breeding sites. Meanwhile, during the spring Ontario Streams monitors ecopassages to evaluate their success in facilitating safe migrations under roads to breeding ponds.
Habitat enhancement and rehabilitation activities include:
- Deepening breeding pools to create drought resistant refuge habitat
- Adding small twig bundles to breeding ponds to create places for salamanders to attach their eggs
- Planting red-osier dogwoods around the pond perimeter for additional egg attachment opportunities
- Monitoring the health of forests, wetlands, and migration routes
- Building and adapting ecopassages to ensure safe migration of salamanders and other amphibians
As a biodiversity indicator of healthy deciduous forests, Jefferson Salamanders are an incredibly important species that need to be protected. They play a unique role in the ecosystem as they can move nutrients from aquatic to forested ecosystems during their migrations. With our continued efforts to restore habitats, we hope to rehabilitate and support Jefferson Salamander conservation for generations to come.
Our project partners include York Region, Peel Region, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Town of Caledon, Credit Valley Conservation, Halton Conservation, and the University of Guelph.
These projects are funded by the Government of Ontario's Species at Risk Stewardship Program.
