Newt Brigade stands by as winter approaches

When word got out that Chileno Valley Newt Brigade needed more volunteers, Phil Tacata was all in. Phil is a passionate Biology, Marine Science, and Wildlife Museum Management teacher at Petaluma High School who believes in the power of experiential learning for students.

This year, for the first time, he’s adding volunteering with the Newt Brigade as one of the activities his students can participate in.

Kitted out with flashlights and reflective vests, a volunteer team takes turns going out every night during the migration season to carry migrating newts across the road to safety. On peak migration nights, up to 80 volunteers count hundreds of newts.

“The Newt Brigade is trying to collect 5-year's worth of data while saving as many newts as possible. You need data to impact policy. Without that, you can’t get anything done,” Phil says. As a teacher, he wants to inspire the next generation of conservationists through environmental education and practical conservation. He also wants students to learn the importance of data collection. He sees the Newt Brigade’s activities as an exciting learning opportunity for his students.

The Chileno Valley Newt Brigade’s story began on a rainy winter night when Sally and Mike Gale were driving back to their ranch on Chileno Valley Road. Sally looked out the car window, then told her husband to stop the car.

“Dead newts were everywhere for almost a mile along the road,” she described. Her next thought was, “I have to do something about this.”

Eventually, Sally assembled a group of people with the help of her friend, Gail Yamamoto-Seymour, a retired Environmental Scientist. Together, they organized volunteers to carry the newts safely across the road. California newts (Taricha torosa) are considered a Species of Special Concern in the southern part of the state, but otherwise, they are not protected.

“Cars are killing millions of amphibians every year everywhere,” Gail said.

Newts spend part of the year on the land and the other in the water. Long before cars, roads and ranches existed, California newts in Chileno Valley evolved to survive seasonal changes. During the summer, they stay cool under rocks or logs in a state of estivation, an amphibian version of hibernation. The first winter rain drops wake them from their torpor. They emerge from their burrows to embark on a several-week-long trek to return to the waters where they were born — in this case Laguna Lake — to find a mate and breed.

Newts can live over 20 years, so they do this many times.

During their migration, which could be up to three miles, the newt bodies transform to prepare for their aquatic life. Their rough skin becomes shiny and slick, and their tails flatten like fins. Male newts become more muscular, which helps to attract and grasp female newts.

When they finally reach the lake, the newt party begins. A male newt grasps a female newt (or two), its chin on the back of the female’s head. When she’s ready, the male unclasps her and swims to the bottom of the pond to deposit a sac of sperm, which the female picks up and stores in her reproductive “pocket” called the cloaca. Then the female lays the fertilized eggs on vegetation in shallow water. Once the breeding season ends, the newts return to the land. The juveniles spend their first months in the water but eventually, their tail fin and gills recede, and they move to dry land.

The brigade-style rescue helps to save newts from being run over as they make their way to and from the lake. Similar amphibian rescues are being organized across the country and abroad. Some places are experimenting with closing roads during migration seasons. Other sites have culverts or tunnels under the road so that amphibians don’t have to cross a street.

“We need a long-term solution to save the newts,” says Sally.

A recent study warned that about 2,000 amphibian species, representing nearly half of all amphibian species, which include frogs, newts, salamanders and toads, are at grave risk of extinction. Habitat loss due to human activity is the main culprit. Development has destroyed many breeding pools. Sedimentation caused by wildfires and draining of water for agricultural use has also destroyed their natal water. Climate change adds to the already stressed population, potentially exposing eggs to dry out when a shallow pool evaporates.

“It’s a matter of time before many more newts and other native amphibians become Species of Concern,” Gail fears.

Fortunately, the newts in Chileno Valley have a strong champion. During the 2020-2021 season, Chileno Valley Newt Brigade volunteers saved 4,408 newts, although another 980 didn’t make it.

“We need more people to volunteer this year. We have a volunteer training at 10 am on Saturday, November 12, at Chileno Valley Ranch, 5105 Chileno Valley Road,” Sally says.

The volunteers are making an impact.

“Teachers are incorporating newts into their curricula, and students are excited. People are engaged. Now the county is evaluating building a road crossing,” Gail remarks.

Phil Tacata hopes his students will gain valuable lessons from becoming Newt Brigade volunteers.

“I don’t expect everyone to become a conservation biologist, but I hope their experience will show them that the world is awesome, there’s magic in it and that they can make a difference,” he reflects.

He hopes students can make decisions that will make the world a better place, in this case, one newt at a time.

People can sign up to become volunteers at www.chilenovalleynewtbrigade.org.