AES 3rd Grade Salamander Project

This November AES Third Graders worked with the Harris Center and The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests to create a Salamander Population and Adaptation Research Collaboration Network (SPARCnet) Site at McCabe Forest. The SPARCnet site consists of two plots, each containing 50 wooden boards laid out in a 5×10 array. Each spring and fall students will visit the two plots three times to lift the wooden boards and collect data on the red-backed salamander populations. The data will be sent to scientists at Penn State University where they are tracking the impact of climate change and property use on the salamander populations. The red-backed salamander is the most abundant creature in our woodlands, and there for the population changes are a great indicator for scientists.