The Big Night – Maine Amphibian Migration Monitoring

In Maine, April showers don’t just bring May flowers – they also cue an eons-old ritual for vernal pool-breeding amphibians in the state. During these warm, rainy spring nights, amphibians simultaneously move from uplands to breeding grounds en-masse, something colloquially referred to as a “big night”. Sadly, these migrations often traverse over challenging new terrains – roads. Amphibian mortality from vehicle strikes can be high, and anecdotal declines have been noted throughout the northeast from road impacts.

That’s where The Big Night – Maine Amphibian Migration Monitoring comes in. This community science project encourages people throughout Maine to enter the field on these big nights to record data on migration location, species identified, and mortality levels. Since beginning in 2018, over 2,000 amphibians have been recorded, and in 2020 a near 50% reduction in mortality was found due to COVID-related shutdowns (see the New York Times article here). CWS members Matthew Chatfield and Cheryl Frederick serve as scientific advisors for the project, which has gained national and international attention for its detection of these shutdown effects.

With a generous gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, this project is excited to be expanding in 2021 to provide more coverage and access to participants through purchasing equipment, detecting new sites, and reaching new audiences. If you are interested in participating, please join the Big Night’s Facebook group, here.