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The Blue-Spotted Salamander

Annual Migration

Help Us Protect the Blue-Spotted Salamanders During Their Annual Migration!

Countless generations of blue spotted salamanders have made their annual, nocturnal migrations undisturbed. Quietly emerging in early spring they travel from interior woodlands to vernal pools and wetlands in order to spawn and reproduce. Ironically, recent social media attention has raised awareness about the salamander migration but it has also dramatically increased the number of visitors vying to get a glimpse of these cute spotted amphibians!

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Superior Watershed Preserve Salamander Webcam

Watch the migration unfold live through our salamander webcam!

Common-Sense Guidelines to Reduce Human Impact

Show Respect

Please show respect for the salamanders on their important annual migration! Environmental ethics recommends minimizing human interference to allow natural migration behaviors.

Limit Bright Lights

Please limit flash photography and other bright lights! While flashlights may be needed to avoid stepping on salamanders, please do not shine lights directly on them. SWP monitoring confirms the bright lights cause some salamanders to turn completely around and abandon the migration attempt (click photos to enlarge).

Limit Foot Traffic

Please limit foot traffic! During peak migration, hundreds of salamanders can attempt to cross the roadway in one night! Obviously, limiting the number of people reduces the likelihood of someone inadvertently stepping on a salamander in the dark. Remember; they're small (3-5 inches on average) and difficult to spot... especially when it's drizzly and dark.

No Cars or Bikes!

The road is closed to vehicles daily from 8:00pm until 8:00am.

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The Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) thanks the City of Marquette for their ongoing support in protecting the Presque Isle Park blue-spotted salamander population!