It’s that time of year again, when the roads and trails and sidewalks are covered with young western toads and other amphibians, hopping and crawling their way through the Kitimat streets and into their new lives.
“People that live in Kitimat should be very proud of the amphibians they have down there,” Terrace-based amphibian expert Norma Kerby said. “You have a real variety of amphibians and it’s well worthwhile looking after them. It’s just they’re very susceptible to development because they have very specific habitat requirements.”
The western toad, Kitimat’s most common amphibian, was considered threatened at one time, but thankfully no longer. However, many of the amphibian species in Kitimat are losing habitat due to industrial growth and development.
Residents and visitors to Kitimat can help protect these amphibians by leaving out bowls of water for them to hop into as they travel along the roads, and by keeping patches of woody debris and green area moist and rough in the woods and in sections of backyards and parks, to give the travelling amphibians places to rest and hide throughout their journey, before they go into hibernation for the winter.
To learn more about Kitimat’s amphibian population, read the Sept. 10 edition of the Kitimat Northern Sentinel.
READ MORE: They’re back!
clare.rayment@northernsentinel.com
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