Salamander Crossing

" I people are coming out of droves of Vermont to get this help the local salamander populations safely cross the road. During mating season yes there's even talk of building a special title to help the little guys cross safely that's right -- Jimmie Rodgers is perfect colleges and a professor at the University of Vermont. He's been help and salamanders cross the road to get to the other side for about a decade Jim thanks for joining us today. You're welcome. Okay Jim the reason work we called Joe was the story where the town of mountain Vermont. Apparently he's received a 25000. Dollar grant to build a tunnel so the salamander can get to the other side. They could spend as much as perhaps 350000. Dollars for the salamanders. Why is it important for us to make sure that they get across that road without get run over by Chevy van."

" We're going to back you up on that just a little bit I mean your money that that we actually have. He has to investigate. The potential design and cost. So. All this is an investigation right now to figure out. How to design how much it would cost okay if funding becomes available at some point in the future what if salamanders not -- don't neat. -- that you know why should we cares what you say exactly Bob. You know I think there's a lot of reasons for that I think most of the sorts of answers that you would gathered generally. Kind of the answer Oprah centric sort of humans that are sort of answers well we need them because. You know than the bottom of the food chain chair feeding the fish that are out there and that. There are important part of the ecosystems that are working there and a maybe the salamander and larvae that mosquito and black flies out there out there just get on black fly larvae but but you know reality I think. That's not why anybody goes out there to look at sound they're not going out there because their -- and of those kind of abstract idea. Another reason a lot of people think about it it's just kind of the stewardship -- on -- making sure that. It's important for us to be good stewards. Of all living things we don't want to under our watch watch something blinked out long at all yeah I think what it really comes down to who is just. Assigning value you know we could talk about maybe this. Your son comes do you talk to you about the kid down the road why should I care about that get it why should -- care about the lady next door again the thing is. You just don't know that. Person yet you need to step she knows it's usually get to know so if we knew salamanders -- well we also want to help them meet. Well you know I think it's just wildlife. Yeah you know we're wildlife. Lot of people are adrift in a while it didn't get out there we get introduced a wildlife. Then assign value to us Jim we actually somebody like dressing yeah."

" We don't yet absolutely Jim we've got a diagram that shows would one of the proposed tunnels then. And it shows how -- tunnel would go under the street we've got some other diagrams as well my question is why would you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for this tunnel. You know in a particular place or in certain places when the salamanders. And god bless them. God's creatures but they might not be smart enough to take that title and might actually just go across the road on their own because there's miles of road and very few titles. They get squashed anyway."

" Well the first thing you gotta do is get some data on where these concentrated. Crossing areas are where they could have real diversity of species so rare species things that. There there's -- there's amphibian raccoon deer -- getting killed all over the roads right but where they concentrated areas okay secondly. These guys aren't going to an order cross a what you really need to do is you create barriers it's essentially a vertical law a -- about eighteen inches high it's a drop on the side of the."

" Can't tell the -- out there and he'll tell the other salamanders and they'll all find the tunnel come on follow me are ahead Jerry and his order we're to have been right there we thank you very much. For explain it it. Today from Burlington Vermont thank you Jim. -- thank you welcome all right right straight ahead."