By: Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
With the vernal equinox occurring Friday ushering in spring, the Crawford Park District held a night hike at Heckert Nature Preserve to explore the vernal pools in the search of wildlife.
Hosted by Josh Dyer, the night hike at Heckert Nature Preserve gave attendees a chance to get down and dirty in the wetlands of Crawford County to discover amphibian nurseries which produce frogs and salamanders.
Dyer explained what makes vernal pools important.
“These places are really important to their reproductive cycles, because at the end of the summer these vernal pools draw down and they dry up,” Dyer said. “Well the amphibians have completed their life cycle and it allows predators to not be able to live there. Fish would love to eat these things.”
Prior to taking the attendees on the hike Dyer explained to the crowd that the entrance to the park had been littered with trash. Dyer explained to the crowd that when going on a hike like this it is important to practice nature etiquette.
“If you carry it in, carry it out. This would be items such as trash,” Dyer explained. “Always be careful where you are walking, and if you move over a log, try to return it back to its place carefully.”
After giving a briefing on nature etiquette Dyer handed out flashlights, to those who didn’t bring one, nets, and an amphibian guide to detect the creatures lurking in the vernal pools of Heckert Nature Preserve.
Prior to the hike Dyer showed examples of some of the salamanders that inhabit the wetlands and wooded areas of the county.
“After the hike Dyer explained what was found in the vernal pools during the night hike.
“Tonight we were able to find salamander egg masses from small mouth salamander. Even though we haven’t quite had the proper weather conditions the animals don’t care, they know what they are doing. So we did have a few that came out earlier than expected we had a few small mouth salamander egg masses in the vernal pool tonight, we had a small mouth salamander female so we know she was getting ready to reproduce as well, we also has a small western Cornish frog, and he was pretty slow, the water is still kind of cool, but he is waiting for warmer weather so he can find a mate.”
Dyer explained that the samples of the salamander egg masses will be taken to The Ohio State University for genetic analysis research.
“They are rearing the little eggs, and studying their regrowth, and different phosphorus intakes to see if that changes their growth patterns,” Dyer said.
A day hike will be held at Heckert Nature Preserve at 1 pm Saturday, March 28 with the hopes of discovering more amphibious life that inhabit the vernal pools of Heckert Nature Preserve.