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What can I
do to help? Who should I contact?
Each spring common
toads Bufo bufo and
other amphibians follow traditional migration routes to their spawning
ponds. Many of their routes cross roads, and this inevitably leads
to road casualties. If you would like to help reduce these road
casualties, and "help
a toad across the road",
please follow the guidelines in this leaflet.
Spread throughout Britain there are over 400 known places where
toads cross roads in large numbers. You can join one of the groups
that help toads by joining a 'toad patrol' on rainy evenings
when activity is at a peak. You may also find new places where amphibians
cross roads and in turn seek others to help you organise a patrol.
Information on amphibian crossings are held in three places; a central
registration point at the national offices of Froglife, county highway
authorities and county co-ordinating groups [see Local
Networks paragraph
further in this article]. Lists are maintained and updated for
the Department of Transport which approves the list of sites each
year. Registered sites have formal approval for Highway Authorities
to place warning signs at migration sites.
Organising
a patrol
Toad patrols are
organised groups that move toads from one side of a busy road to
the other. This is done by collecting toads as they approach the
road, and moving them manually, to the other side of the road, in
the direction they were heading. This sounds simple, but it is quite
a job to get enough people in the right place at the right time
to maximise efficiency. Organisers can use the form provided with
this leaflet to 'book in' help throughout the month or so
when amphibians tend to move in largest
numbers.
Usually migrations
are active on and off for a few days at a time; whether or not
volunteers will be needed cannot easily be predicted until a day's
weather pattern (particularly rainfall and temperature) are known.
This requires one person to monitor each site carefully and to
alert others when help is needed. Toads tend to move during or
after rainy weather when temperatures exceed 50C. Getting
these factors sorted out is the key to good organisation and your
volunteers will need to be as flexible as possible. Rescues can
extend from dusk (about 5 pm) to midnight. Vehicle activity varies
but tends to peak early on and again after pubs close (!). Patrol
organising can be both challenging and gruelling, yet as a once
a year effort, it is a very rewarding pursuit.
Site registration
& signing
Froglife act for
the Department of Transport to collect information about toad
crossings, and to help assess the suitability of sites for toad
road signs and tunnels. You can write to Froglife asking for a
form which you will be required to complete and return. If your
site is suitable for toad signs it will be registered with the
DTP and your Highway Authority will be informed. Once a toad crossing
has been registered, you should contact your local Highway Authority.
They will arrange to visit your site with you to agree on the
most appropriate positions to erect signs. Your local knowledge
of amphibian populations in the area is very useful in making
these decisions. County Highway Authorities should be able to
supply amphibian crossing warning signs. Signs used must conform
to the authorised DTP sign (No. WBM(R) 551.1). Highway Authorities
are usually prepared to put up signs, and take them down at the
end of the toad migration, or in rare instances they may expect
you to do this yourself. You should discuss this with them, and
make sure you know who is doing what. Signs should be put up as
soon as toad migrations start; this may be as early as January
in the south of England, but is more usually around
the beginning of March.
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