[vernalpool] cause of spotted salamander mass mortality?

Hello Vernal Pool listservers --

I just received the following email from a knowledgeable vernal pool
enthusiast in my area:

I received some troubling news yesterday. Spoke with a friend who lives on
a dirt road in our town. Her neighbor who lives near a wetlands right on
the road found about 30 dead spotted salamanders by the side of the
wetlands. I haven't spoken to the neighbor yet, but these weren't run over.
Something else killed them, and she hypothesized that it was the calcium
chloride that the town has put down on the road to keep the dust down. Not
something that is usually done this time of year--more likely in the summer.
I will try to get more information and hopefully, she took some pictures,
but it's a sad thing and if the calcium chloride is the culprit, I will talk
with the road agent and see if they can avoid further treatments by wetlands
in town.

Does anyone have any thoughts (or can you point me in the direction of any
papers) on the potential cause of this mortality? Have you heard anything
about the impacts of calcium chloride on adult Ambystomids? I found one
literature review of road impacts on reptiles & amphibians (Jochimsen et al.
2004), which included a brief reference to unpublished data about mortality
of hundreds of blue-spotted salamanders along forest roads in Minnesota;
those salamander deaths were attributed to desiccation from calcium
chloride. Still, I'd be interested to read more, if any of you know about
research related to this, or have alternate theories.

Thanks for any leads!

Best,
Brett

-----

Brett Amy Thelen, M.S.
Program Director, Ashuelot Valley Environmental Observatory
Harris Center for Conservation Education
(603) 358-2065
thelen@harriscenter.org
www.aveo.org

mailing address
83 King's Highway
Hancock, NH 03449

physical address
Carroll House, Room 303
Keene State College
Keene, NH 03435

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