Chilliwack motorists are being asked to watch for toads crossing in the Ryder Lake area.
The annual migration of the Western toad has begun, said members of the Fraser Valley Conservancy.
Periodic road closures on Ryder Lake Road and Elk View Road can be expected as the toads cross the roads in the hillside community between now and mid-August.
It's the fourth year the blue-listed toads have received a helping hand in this cooperative and conservation-minded way.
Council adopted the conservancy group's request for road closures in June, and has helped coordinate the event and minimize residents' inconvenience during the closures.
Now that summer is underway many juvenile toadlets will be killed by vehicles as they are impossible to see from behind the wheel by motorists. Other populations affected by vehicle traffic include red-legged frogs, Pacific tree frog, rough skinned newts, and Northwestern salamanders.
The timing of the migratory event is determined by climactic and biological factors.
Fraser Valley Conservancy has received support for this project from the Government of Canada's Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, Fraser Salmon and Watershed Program, TD Friends of the Environment, Kids for Ryder Lake, Ryder Lake Farmers' Institute and the City of Chilliwack.
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
twitter.com/CHWKjourno