Maine Big Night
with Kennebec Land Trust and Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed
Gott Pasture Preserve, Wayne
March – April, Date and time - weather dependent 

Kennebec Land Trust and Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed will be participating in the state-wide community science project Maine Big Night. With help from volunteers, we will be collecting data on migrating frogs and salamanders as they cross roadways during the spring.  

Interested in learning more about the project? Join Maine Big Night Leader Greg LeClair on Monday, April 1st at 6:00 PM at the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed Headquarters located at 2518 US Route 202 in East Winthrop Maine for a presentation on how this project went from one salamander to a state-wide project and spawned a new nonprofit. 

What is a “Big Night”? 

Every year when temperatures and weather are right (thawed ground, 40-degree temperatures, and wet roads at night) amphibians embark on a mass migration from their winter habitat to their breeding grounds in vernal pools or other wetlands. Roadways pose significant challenges for amphibians and lead to high mortality rates. Monitoring big nights provides data on amphibian migrations and helps to implement conservation strategies for safer passage. 

How to volunteer? 

KLT and Friends of the Cobbossee have adopted two 1000-foot-long roadway sites to monitor near KLT’s Gott Pasture Preserve in Wayne. Anyone who can operate safely on a roadway is invited to join. Volunteers will collect data on amphibians present and help them safely cross the road. Safety vests and headlamps are required to participate. KLT and Friends will have them available, but please bring your own if you have them. Families are encouraged to participate, but kids must be old enough to be aware of road safety. Contact Marie or Cami to sign up and then when the conditions are right between March 15th and May 15th, (wet roads and 40 degrees at night) we’ll contact you that day. 

All volunteers are required to sign this waiver: https://forms.gle/W37a8WpZeBsw2i1N8

Sign up to volunteer here https://forms.gle/PfCdGDTuB2erTiE5A

For more information about Maine Big Night, please visit https://mainebignight.org/

If you have any questions or would like more information about this event, please contact

Marie Ring, Kennebec Land Trust, 207-377-2848 or mring@tklt.org or 

Cami Wilbert, Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed, 207-395-5239 cami@watershedfriends.com

Photo: Spotted Salamander, Greg LeClair