2019-2020 Newt Roadkill Survey Team
I'm grateful that you all have signed up to continue the work of monitoring newt roadkill at Lexington Reservoir. (@merav, @sea-kangaroo, @newtpatrol, @anudibranchmom, @joescience1)
Last year I accumulated a ton of information that I'm happy to share with you all. If you send me your email address, I'll send you the materials:
- I have 10 pages of references to articles, papers, YouTube videos, conservationist groups around the country, and local contacts.
- I kept an Excel spreadsheet of the number of deaths for each survey along with the rainfall by day and cumulative amount per month. It's interesting to see that the data disprove the assumption that newts only come out on rainy nights. We saw lots of newt roadkill even after many days without rain. We also saw live newts on the road during the daytime (and rescued them).
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@merav and I kept Journal notes for each survey, including traffic conditions (heavy or light traffic), road conditions (wet or dry), and other info that might help us understand how local conditions affect roadkill numbers. You can read our notes here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-all-lexington-reservoir-area/journal -
I had difficulty at first differentiating recent newt roadkill vs old roadkill (already reported), so I collected data over time to show how the newts decompose. When there are hundreds of dead newts on the road accumulated over weeks, it gets harder to tell them apart. You can look at the pictures in the following project to help you:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-decomp-study-lexington-reservoir-area -
Please also record roadkill from other species. Here's the project:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/other-roadkill-lexington-reservoir-area -
Here's the umbrella project that collects data from all the sub-projects:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-all-lexington-reservoir-area
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be checking in from time to time to see what you find.
Comments
This is amazing, Anne. You did so much research. I am glad I’m able to continue the research, even though I must say I am not sure I understand our goals for the year. What would we achieve by repeating the study? One obvious answer is raising awareness to the problem.
Also a bit lost about the schedule - I think I should be able to go tomorrow (it’s raining right now in San Jose). I’m sick, but I think by tomorrow I should be able to do it. Should I post it on the google calendar? I think no one else is going?
Hi Merav,
Please don't go if you're sick. I'm thinking the newts won't start migrating until a certain amount of rain has accumulated. Last year it was 3.4 inches. Even if some are killed on the road tonight, the bodies will still be there for several days. Last year, we didn't find significant mortality until week 3 of rain. So please take good care of yourself. Your health is much more important than this survey.
The reason I asked for help with the survey this year is because the team of people looking into mitigations requested it. The team includes Dr. Fraser Shilling (UC Davis Road Ecology Dept), CA Fish & Wildlife, USGS, Santa Clara County (SCC) Roads, SCC Water, SCC Parks. They're looking into installing fences, elevated roads, etc. If they're able to get any of this done this season, they'll want to see if it has an impact on the roadkill.
But you're right - more data is good, but will it add anything to our understanding of the situation and is it worth the trouble & heartache? Frankly, I couldn't bear to see hundreds and thousands more newts smashed on the road. It breaks my heart and gives me nightmares. I wouldn't blame you at all if you decided not to do it again.
Also, I wonder about how the data will be used. If there are fewer dead newts, does it mean the roadkill situation has improved or does it mean there are fewer newts left to be killed? How does weather figure in? The rainy season started 2 weeks later this year than last. How will all the variables be factored in? It's a complex issue.
Sorry, I haven't looked at the google calendar. @sea-kangaroo is managing it.
Thanks for the detailed answer. It makes more sense now. I would love to go tomorrow if I can. In a way, I enjoyed my part of the survey last year - the road was beautiful, when I was able to ignore the newts. Is my skin too thick? When I found a live newt, it made me feel so good to have been able to save it. And above all, I felt I was part of something really important, and I love collaborating with you. This project got to so many people, increasing the awareness to this problem, in Lexington Lake, and in general. I will be proud to be part of it again this year.
I need to follow up with some individual messaging of people and get the scheduling/calendar access squared away, but currently there's no one else planning on going out this week so far as I know. If you want to go out tomorrow that's great, and if you're sick and can't then absolutely no worries! I don't have family obligations after Thursday so should be able to go do half the road sometime this weekend, probably Saturday when it's raining.
@sea-kangaroo - I am able to view the calendar, but I cannot post on it - I would like to add my possible survey tomorrow.
Sorry, should be fixed now!
it is, thanks! I will update here and the calendar tomorrow if I am able to make it
Dear Merav, you do so much good in the world! I admire your fortitude. No, your skin is not too thick. I'm very grateful for the work you did on this project last year and for your willingness to do it again this year and for all the bioblitzes you organize to document our natural world. The world is a better place because you're in it.
Thank you - that means so much to me.
I was there this morning, hiked and took photos of bright green lichen and moss. Only saw one dead newt - so I guess it has started, even though very slowly. I will post all the info to the journal and project.
@truthseqr - there's a problem with the new (2020) project - I tried uploading my observation, and it was rejected: Didn't pass rule: must be in taxon Taricha torosa
I think I fixed it. Please let me know.
Apologies if this has been asked before, but I think I need more coaching:
1) Could someone please clearly define (directions, map or GPS) what stretch of which roads we are surveying?
2) If we only intend to do half the road, how do we indicate on the calendar which half (to avoid duplication)?
Thanks!
Hi Robin (@anudibranchmom)
*The study area starts at the Lexington boat launch parking lot across from St. Joseph Hill OSP. I rarely, if ever saw dead newts on the road between Hwy 17/Alma Bridge Rd. and the boat launch parking lot, so no need to check that section.
The study area ends in the south where Alma Bridge Rd. meets Aldercraft Heights Rd.
If you only have time to survey a portion of the road, please focus on the following hot spots: Limekiln Canyon between the Quarry Rd. and the Los Gatos Boating Club entrance. Or Soda Springs Canyon, Water Co. Gate, intersection of Soda Springs Rd & Alma Bridge Rd. and south on Alma Bridge Rd. as far as you can. The farther south you go, the fewer roadkill you'll see, but it's still worth checking at least once per week.
There seem to be collections of roadkill anywhere a waterway comes out of the mountains and meets the road, so that's a good place to look.
*You'll also find dead newts at the intersection of roads & at pullouts.
When you sign up for a partial survey, you can note landmarks in the log. For example: Limekiln trailhead to Priest Rock Trailhead (0.6 mi).
If anyone isn't sure about the details, I'd be happy to walk together and "walk you through it"... We could actually make it pretty efficient, and park one car at each end of the path, and we will survey both sides of the road at the same time. Let me know if you're interested!
@truthseqr - could you please post here your source for the weather/ precipitation data? I would like to add that to my journal entry, and I think we should all use the same resource for consistency
Here's the site I've been using. The weather station is located in Santa Cruz. I like this one because the format allows comparison by day, week & month, plus it calculates the cumulative precipitation. It also has temperatures. The snow in the Diablo range yesterday reminded me that the roadkill on Alma Bridge Rd. drops precipitously with drop in temp (below 42 degrees F).
http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php?year=2019
i'm sorry i don't see the calendar link... i can go next sunday.
Here's the public link: https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=Z25xMWdtam1tZnFkMXFnbGduZjV0Mzc4czRAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ
If you have a Google account and message me your email address I can make it so you can edit the calendar, or otherwise just message me when you can go and I'll add it to the calendar on your behalf. Thanks!
Hi All,
Dr. Fraser Shilling, Director of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, has asked for the team to use his California Roadkill Observation System (CROS) to record the newt roadkill data. Here's his request:
"Please consider using the CROS app here for reporting: https://wildlifecrossing.net/california. The user can take a pic with their phone with location turned on and then click the green button to upload it. That's all they have to do. They can id the species too if they want, but its not required since we can do it after the fact."
Alternatively, I can create an export file for him to upload to CROS, which I think is the better solution. I don't want you all to have to do double the work (i.e., upload data to two databases). The new user interface is much better than before, but still I think iNaturalist is the better repository for this data. Please share your thoughts/opinions.
Hi Anne,
I agree with you: one upload only please! And since you know we all love iNat already, lets go with it and let him export the data at the end if he still insists.
;-)
I agree!
i agree too.
Ok. It's settled. I'll export the data periodically and send it to Fraser. I like to do what I can to help him because he's one of the best advocates for these newts with the know-how and contacts to actually get some of the proposed mitigations implemented.
Newt survey team:
As you start to cover sections of the road that have already been surveyed, you'll be faced with the daunting question: has this newt been photographed & submitted before? I really struggled with this issue, especially when hundreds of dead newts started to accumulate on the road.
I was told by POST not to remove the dead carcasses from the road, since there may be laws governing such action.
One thing I found helpful to look at is the yellow/orange coloring of the underbelly. It completely fades away within about 3 days.
Also, I collected some data in the following project where I observed carcasses over time to see how they decomposed: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-decomp-study-lexington-reservoir-area
hi team,
i added an observation time to the calendar for sunday, dec 22nd. does that show up for everyone?
thank you,
joe
I can't see it, @joescience1
I'll be away from 12/21 till 1/6. I will do at least one survey next week before I leave, and will join you when I'm back. This is a great team effort!
I can't see it either, joe. Maybe you added it to your personal calendar instead of the group one? I do that all the time.
Thanks for being proactive with scheduling! Looks like I'll be in town through Christmas, and my local relatives celebrate on random days, so I'll go out on the morning of the 25th which should be nice and quiet!
i will go out the afternoon of the 22nd or the morning of the 23rd. i have family coming in and i think my nephew wants to go with us.
@sea-kangaroo, please tell me how to tell the difference between a newt and an ensatina. I noticed that the other newt patrol project has found a bunch of ensatinas, and now I'm wondering if I've misidentified some of ours. It seems the bulging eyes of ensatinas are similar to the bulging eyes of T. torosa.
in later stages of decomposition it may not be possible to tell, but otherwise the skin of the Taricha is much thicker, wartier and not as slick.
i suppose the juveniles could be confused much easier.
Thanks, Joe!
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