Amphibian Walk – East Fork State Park

Nocturnal Amphibian Walk

Location: East Fork State Park, (north side of lake)

Date: Friday, March 15th, 2024

Meet: 8:30 P.M. at the East Fork State Park Campground Parking Lot (see the directions below).

Leader: Bill Stanley, (513) 324-2796, tyrannus58@gmail.com

*Note that this is an evening (after dark) field trip.

The focus of this “special” field trip is intended to specifically find salamanders, frogs and toads (amphibians).

In our region of the country, on damp rainy nights during early March, salamanders and various frog species migrate to vernal pools to breed. These amphibian species are compelled to migrate by temperature and moisture. For the mole salamanders it is the only time of year that you will find them because they spend the rest of the year underground

It is difficult to schedule salamander field trips because they only “migrate” on rainy nights and it is obviously impossible to predict rain months, or even weeks, in advance. Hence the short notice for this trip.

Rain is predicted for Friday night, so it should be ideal to observe some of these creatures on the move. If it doesn’t rain, we can visit the vernal pools and look for eggs, salamanders and frogs in the pools.

Some expected species we may find include spotted, Jefferson’s, southern two-lined and stream-side salamanders, green frog, northern spring peeper, western chorus frog, wood frog and American toad.  Other things could show up as well.

Our leader for this trip is Bill Stanley. Bill is the Conservation Chair for the Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society, so we are in good hands for this trip. Bill is also on the board of our Audubon Society. Many of you will be familiar with Bill, an exceptional birder and naturalist, who has led many field trips over the years.

Be forewarned that this is a robust trip which will entail quite a bit of walking. If the gate is closed on the park road expect a 3 mile round trip walk. It will also be dark, rainy and probably cold. While much of the walking will be along paved roads, there will also be considerable walking along muddy trails. So dress accordingly and wear appropriate footwear. Also bring flashlights so you can were you’re going and to better see the amphibians we come across. This will be about a 2 hour trip and will break up around 10:30 PM. If you have any questions feel free to contact Bill.

Meeting Location:

Use the following Google link to see the exact meeting location in East Fork State Park.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/GVHmwXokoA6VScRU9

Directions:

To get to the north entrance of East Fork State Park from I-275 take the SR 32 exit #63 (Newtown/Batavia/Eastgate Mall) and go east on SR 32 for about 10.8 miles to Half Acre Road. Turn right onto Half Acre Road and follow it for .8 miles to the T intersection with Old SR 32. Turn left onto Old SR 32 and go .2 mile to the East Fork State Park entrance. Turn right into East Fork SP (Park Road No. 4) and follow Park Road No. 4 for .4 mile to the Campground Road (watch for signs). Turn left onto the Campground Road and go .4 mile to our meeting spot in the Campgrounds Parking Lot.

(Contributed by Jay Stenger)