Left: Families walk carefully on Beekman Road on March 25, using flashlights to search for salamanders and wood frogs crossing the road. Above: In early spring, the road is closed to protect amphibians, like this tiny frog, that cross the road to breed in the vernal pools in the forest. Rick and Danielle Patufka have lived near Beekman Road for nearly 30 years, but only recently did they discover the road’s greatest secret.
Around early spring each year, the Spotswood residents would drive past Beekman Road and see that it was closed off to motorists. One day, they decided to find out why.
“They said it was a salamander crossing,” Rick Patufka said.
On March 25, the Patufkas came out to see for themselves how — when the weather is just right — members of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission close off Beekman Road to allow spotted salamanders, wood frogs and other amphibians to make the trip across the street to breed in the vernal pools in the forest.
JEREMY GROSSMAN/STAFF “We hope we see at least one salamander,” Danielle Patufka said.
“Tonight’s supposed to be the night,” Rick Patufka said.
In March, when the weather is rainy, humid and warm, Environmental Commission members know to close off the road and invite members of the community to watch — with flashlights and raincoats in tow — as the amphibians make their journey across Beekman Road.
“A good portion of the [amphibian] population has to wind up crossing the street, and that puts them in conflict with cars,” said David Moskowitz, president of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission.
“So that’s why we close the road, because a salamander-andcar interaction always goes to the car. A salamander never wins that interaction.”
Predicting when to close the roads can be challenging, Moskowitz said.
“We’re just predicting the weather, and we’re doing the best we can,” Moskowitz said. “We just try to think like a salamander — which is never all that easy. So we’re just guessing. We’ve had plenty of nights where we don’t have anything on the road.”
But March 25 was not one of those nights.
Children and parents alike screamed with excitement as they saw frogs and salamanders crossing the street.
East Brunswick resident George Radoczy expressed just as much joy as his young son Jared at seeing a salamander poke its head out of a bush.
“I love stuff like this,” George said. “First off, I like that we’re teaching the kids that there’s something important going on here, and for me, that’s really important. I grew up in New York, and we didn’t have stuff like this. I grew up on 73rd Street, and we had one tree on the block, so for me, this is just so cool.
“I like that we get to see all the different creatures.”
For Moskowitz, the simple act of getting children excited about science and the environment is what makes it all worth it — even on the nights when the amphibians don’t come out to play.
“The salamanders — we’re protecting them, and we’re doing a great job of that,” Moskowitz said. “But look at all these kids that are being exposed to environmental protection and conservation that would never have a chance to do that.
“You’ve got families out here, you’ve got kids out here, it’s a school night, and they’re all taking time to come out and look for frogs and salamanders.”
Even some of the “bigger kids” came out to partake in the fun, such as Melissa Gallo of Edison, and Roy Feliciano of Palisades Park — both recent graduate biology students at William Paterson University.
“We’ve handled so many animals between us,” Feliciano said as he held a wood frog on his hand. “She used to work at a zoo; I’ve caught birds for field studies. I’ve held so many frogs, salamanders, birds, snakes, lizards.
“This is a lot of fun. It’s the hunt to find something under your flashlight, under your foot, leaf, litter — things moving, crawling, jumping, singing.”
Gallo agreed.
“I think it’s great because it really opens people’s eyes up to the nature that’s in our backyards,” Gallo said. “A lot of people are like, ‘Yeah, lions and tigers,’ and I think it’s cool that people can get excited about salamanders. And they’re right here — you can see them right here with your own eyes.”
To learn more about events sponsored by the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, and to stay informed about which nights Beekman Road will be closed off, visit friendsebec.com.