(Left: Yellow Spotted Salamander)

Vernal pools were officially recognized as critical habitat in 1987 when the Massachusetts General Court amended the Wetlands Protection Act to include their protection. These small temporary ponds are crucial breeding grounds for woodland amphibians, such as Eastern spadefoot toads, salamanders, and fairy shrimp. To date only one vernal pool has been certified in Dennis. These small isolated wetlands can be found throughout the town owing to its steep hill-and-kettle topography, particularly on the Northside where the soil is denser and perched water wetlands are more likely to be found.

Vernal pools are unique wildlife habitats best known for the amphibians and invertebrate animals that depend on them to breed. Also known as ephemeral pools, vernal pools typically fill with water in the autumn or winter due to rising ground water as well as rainfall. Water remains through the spring into early summer but often dries completely by the middle or end of summer each year, or at least every few years. Occasional drying prevents fish from establishing permanent populations, which is critical for several amphibian and invertebrate species whose eggs would otherwise be eaten by fish.

Other than breeding on a rainy spring night and occasional nocturnal feeding, spotted salamanders typically spend the rest of the year burrowed in the surrounding upland, sometimes as far as a half-mile from a vernal pool. Though the timing of spotted salamander migration is challenging to predict, the first rainy spring night above forty degrees typically encourages egg-laying in vernal pools.

 The Natural Heritage Program's "Guidelines for the Certification of Vernal Pool Habitat (2009)" describe the requirements for the documentation of biota using a vernal pool, and also has information on the maps that are required in order to obtain certification for a vernal pool.

If you know the location of a vernal pool or have related documentation, please contact James McCarthy at 508-362-3422 ext. 3 or e-mail james@thecompact.net

To learn more about Vernal Pools visit:
The Vernal Pool

EPHEMERAL LIFE IN THE PIONEER VALLEY

MASS Audubon

University of Massachusetts Amherst