City of Burlington blocks street for weeks so tiny salamanders can cross​on March 14, 2025 at 7:56 pm

Traffic on a busy roadway in Canada has halted for several weeks – not due to construction or road repairs, but to protect a tiny, slithery creature: the Jefferson salamander.

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The city of Burlington, about 37 miles southwest of Toronto, has closed off a portion of King Road for the past 13 years to make way for the annual migration of the Jefferson salamander, which is endangered in Ontario. The road was closed on March 12 and will remain blocked until April 9.

Jefferson salamanders are about four to eight inches long, and they are gray or brown in color, often with blue flecks. The species is native to the northeastern and midwestern United States, where it is not endangered, but in southern Canada, it is facing “imminent extinction.”

“The Jefferson salamander has very specific habitat requirements. There are more areas that are suitable in the U.S. than in Canada,” said Gabby Zagorski, an ecology monitoring lead at Conservation Halton, the local conservation authority in Burlington.

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Jefferson salamanders spend most of their time underground in forest areas, but in the spring, they emerge and relocate to their breeding ponds, known as vernal pools, which fill up with water in the spring and dry up by the summer. To get to these pools, Jefferson salamanders must travel across roads and trails. The blocked-off portion of King Road is a popular passage point, as it runs through a forest region where they are commonly found.

“Salamanders don’t follow road regulations. … That’s how they end up getting hit,” Zagorski said, adding that once they arrive at the vernal pools, they start mating and laying eggs – often hundreds at a time. When they’re done breeding, they leave the pools and go back underground. They can live for 30 years.

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“These populations aren’t very large, so even one salamander being hit would have an impact,” Zagorski said.

The number of Jefferson salamanders in Ontario is not known, but in 2010, it was estimated to be less than 2,500.

The salamanders typically cross the road on warm, rainy nights, though some of them cross during the daytime, which is why the road is always closed off to cars during the month-long blockage.

Although the road is not considered a major street, it can get busy, particularly for people who live in the area.

“There are other roadways you can take, it just adds a couple minutes to your commute,” Zagorski said.

Residents don’t seem to mind, though – in fact, they’ve grown to appreciate the annual tradition as a harbinger of warmer weather.

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“Every year, it’s a welcome sign of spring to close King Road,” said Marianne Meed Ward, the mayor of Burlington. “It is incumbent upon us to serve as stewards of the environment which we share.”

Plus, it raises awareness about the plight of Jefferson salamanders.

“It provides a great opportunity to educate people and have them understand why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Zagorski said.

Jefferson salamanders are facing a combination of threats, including urbanization – which can destroy their natural habitats – and climate change. If temperatures continue to climb each year, Zagorski said, the vernal pools could dry out before all the salamanders have time to breed.

“We want people to enjoy nature and enjoy the salamanders, and we want the salamanders to persevere,” Zagorski said, adding that salamanders are also an important food source for a variety of other species, including frogs, birds, squirrels and raccoons. “They’re a very good indicator species; when you have these salamanders present, you know you have high-quality habitats.”

The annual road closure is one of many measures – including habitat protection and management – in place to prevent Jefferson salamanders from going extinct in the area.

“I would absolutely say it has been a success,” Zagorski said.

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