PML Public Events & Offerings

Big Night!: Roads, Rain, and a Couple Thousand Amphibians

Offered in partnership with Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust (CCLT).

Every spring, conditions come together to form one of the most eruptive wildlife migrations in the world – right in our backyards. The warm, rainy nights of spring bring frogs and salamanders out in droves, creating what is referred to as “big nights”. However, many of these migrants face trouble as they meet one of the newest habitats on the landscape – roads. This talk will introduce the community science project Maine Big Night, a project that anyone can participate in to collect data and help migrating amphibians in roadways. Amphibian natural history, results from previous years, and compelling stories will also be included.

Greg LeClair is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Maine where he studies ecology and environmental science. He started the Maine Big Night: Amphibian Migration Monitoring project in 2018.