[Ocees] Amphibian migration - please read carefully

[Popescu, Viorel]

Hi everyone (OU Wildlife Club, please distribute to club members),

Today it's likely to be a great day for amphibian movement. For the herpers out there thinking about taking advantage of this miracle of nature, please consider the following.

Last week, there has been an incident at one of the amphibian migration hotspots in The Plains, which involved OHIO students. The outcome, which also involved law enforcement personnel, left a bitter taste for everyone involved, including landowners, students and the Athens community at large, but most importantly for the dead amphibians squished on the road by the police cars called at the scene.

This is a reminder to respect private property, the privacy of people living near the migration hotspot, and the amphibians. Over years, there has been a steady increase in the number of people (including many Athens community members) driving or walking that road to witness the amphibian migration. The road itself and the bike path are the only public property in the area; the pull-offs and driveways are private property. Recently, many of those pull-offs have been fenced off to deter people wanting to check out the migration.

If you still want to witness the migration and enjoy a rainy-day walk, please DO NOT DRIVE on the road; please carpool, park your cars far back along the train tracks so you are nowhere near people's homes, and walk to and on the bike path. Driving the road will inevitably lead to amphibian mortality and more trouble with the local landowners. Please do not block roads or entrances to private property, and please be respectful of the local people's privacy and quiet hours.

This is a great educational opportunity for everyone, so let's work towards maintaining good relations with the people living in the area.

Best,

Viorel Popescu
Associate Professor and Graduate Chair
Ohio University, Biological Sciences
107 Irvine Hall, Athens OH 45701

www.vioreldpopescu.com<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vioreldpopescu.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cocees%40listserv.ohio.edu%7Cbd8c25c55a1f468ca23e08d9f60b0fb2%7Cf3308007477c4a70888934611817c55a%7C0%7C0%7C637811349638769620%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=XWI9gboxI4JURP5gJRUIpmBS4wL9GqEW%2B%2B%2B2iId9XKo%3D&reserved=0>
Twitter: @vioreldpopescu
Phone: 740 541 0105

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