Diario del proyecto Pacific Newt Roadkill (Main Project)- Lexington Reservoir

Updated April 1, 2023

Below is a chart that shows newt roadkill at Lexington Reservoir from Nov 2017 to the present. Why is the death toll so much higher this season? It's stunning and heartbreaking.

Carrie Seltzer recently heard about this other project documenting newts in British Columbia:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/roughskin-newt-observations-belcarra-regional-park-metro-vancouver-bc

Cars are annihilating the tiny amphibians.
By Shoshi Parks

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pacific-newt-massacre.amp

On Wednesday evening 100 people submitted public comments for the Midpeninsula Open Space District board meeting! You can find more info on our blog here - https://www.bioblitz.club/post/100-public-comments-speaking-for-the-imperiled-newts-of-santa-clara-county-s-lexington-reservoir
Thanks everyone who helped with this effort. If you'd like to be notified of future advocacy needs, sign up here - https://www.bioblitz.club/newts
Merav

A few updates for the 2021-2022 newt migration season:
The season has begun this week after the weekend storm, with 114 dead newts documented on Alma Bridge Rd., You can view them on the new project - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newt-roadkill-2021-2022-lexington-reservoir
You can find the report on the 2017-2021 data here - https://www.bioblitz.club/post/2017-2021-newt-patrol-survey-report
Please help us find other locations with high newt roadkill mortality. If you've seen dead newts on other roads, please add them to this project - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newt-roadkill-other-sf-bay-area-locations
If you'd like to help our team with field surveys, online assistance (ID observation), or advocacy, please PM me.
Thanks,
Merav

Apparently, Mt. Um has a newt roadkill problem as well. A friend counted 203 dead newts over 300yds, from the Junction of Hicks and Mt Umunhum Rds heading toward Almaden Res. He reported them here on H.E.R.P. - http://www.naherp.com/viewrecord.php?r_id=132760

Here are the roadkill stats for the 2020-2021 Pacific Newt migration season at Lexington Reservoir:

Jonathan Kolby contacted me regarding a new salamander disease that is quickly spreading around the world and he's using iNat data to figure out where it's going. If you find a sick salamander in the wild, please take pictures and upload them to his project:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/saving-salamanders-with-citizen-science

The emerging infectious disease he is specifically worried about is caused by a species of chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or "Bsal") and the faster they can detect its spread into a new region, the greater hope there is to protect salamanders from disease, decline, and extinction.

Here's his video:
https://youtu.be/X6Pr8hzkiEE

I've given him links to our projects to peruse.

Update 2022-01-27:
https://baynature.org/2022/01/20/deadly-fungus-found-in-california-salamanders/?utm_source=Bay+Nature&utm_campaign=12278942c7-BN_NEWSLETTER_2022_01_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_092a5caaa2-12278942c7-199049067&mc_cid=12278942c7&mc_eid=6e8354d659

This National Geographic article mentions our friend, Dr. Fraser Shilling of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center.

"As Americans stayed home in March and April, vehicle deaths declined up to 58 percent among large species like mountain lions, a new report says."

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/06/decline-road-kill-pandemic-lockdown-traffic/