New Home for Spadefoot Toads and Vernal Pool Ecology on Cape Cod May 22, 2011

Dr. Windmiller and Sanctuary Director Ian Ives will discuss the ecology of vernal pools on the lower Cape and their efforts to restore an extirpated population of the rarest frog in Massachusetts, the Eastern Spadefoot Toad. We'll drive to Ahsumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary to explore the site where we will construct two new vernal pool breeding sites for spadefoot toads as well as a vernal pool and rare coastal plain pond on the sanctuary. We will focus on the amphibian and insect species that use these wetland habitats. We will travel to Sandy Neck Barrier Beach in Barnstable to search for spadefoot toad tadpoles and explore the ecology of wetlands in the Sandy Neck dunes and maritime forest. - - Open to anyone age 16 or older. Registration is required. Call 781-259-2200 for details. See http://www.massaudubon.org/catalog/listing.php?program_code=1774-DFP11SP1 for more information.