Gallery: 2024 Spring Salamander Survey

We welcomed two dozen volunteers out to Emily Min Hunt Preserve April 27 to explore the protected property and assist in Huron Pines’ annual Spring Salamander Survey.

This opportunity in community science is one way our organization assesses and monitors the health of the preserve’s ecosystems, particularly the sensitive forest wetlands where amphibians like salamanders and wood frogs congregate during the spring breeding season. Emily Min Hunt Preserve is located in southeastern Presque Isle County.

A mature spotted salamander is held in a person’s hands.

Weeks ahead of time, our team placed a series of cover boards—small squares of untreated plywood and thin slabs of natural logs—in a grid pattern on the forest floor. These objects are an ideal spot for salamanders to hide or hunt for insects and a safe place for volunteers to collect these reclusive creatures in a methodical way.

When one is found, volunteers swiftly and carefully contain individual salamanders in sandwich bags to minimize handling while measurements are taken. Working in teams, volunteers note the length and species of each individual and where it was located within the grid, providing useful data on the age and density of the salamander population in this corner of the preserve.

Lucas Behring (l) and Kasey Behring measure an eastern red-backed salamander.

Just as importantly, the survey is a way for people to make deeper connections to nature and become better stewards of the unique wildlife and landscapes which define Northern Michigan. For some, it’s their first time seeing a salamander, and other discoveries—like a ring-necked snake coiled under a cover board—are always possible.

June Baer, age 8, giggled with delight while holding a spotted salamander for her first time, describing the experience as “scary but really cool actually.”

“I saw this (event) on the news and knew she’d enjoy it,” said June’s dad, Sam. “She loves animals and learning and is so curious about everything."

June Baer, 8, holds a spotted salamander.

We found 16 salamanders that morning—14 eastern red-backed salamanders, a common variety, and two spotted salamanders which marked the first appearance by this species in our surveys. The abundance and diversity of these creatures are a sign this protected ecosystem is in good health.

Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us for this year’s survey, and to the Consumers Energy Foundation for supporting the event. We've gathered some photos from the survey which you can find in the gallery below.

Volunteers use calipers to carefully measure a salamander contained in a plastic baggie. This method keeps them skill and safe from overhandling while measurements are taken.

Melissa Mirza (l) and Jane Stieber measure a salamander.

Covering boards—one made of plywood, one a natural log slab—are carefully flipped over to reveal salamanders hiding underneath.

Volunteers lift up a plywood cover board to see if there are any salamanders underneath.

Huron Pines Land Protection Coordinator and salamander enthusiast Julia Butch holds a tiny red-backed salamander.

Lucas Behring (l) and Kasey Behring measure a salamander.

Lucas Behring holds a juvenile spotted salamander.

An eastern red-backed salamander crawls across the hand of a young volunteer.

Sam Hainstock positions a salamander in a baggie to prepare it for measuring.

June Baer, 8, and her dad, Sam, check out a large spotted salamander.

A mature spotted salamander held in a person’s hands. Photo courtesy Samuel Baer

Land Protection Coordinator Julia Butch records data gathered by volunteers on the locations of salamanders found during the survey.

Huron Pines AmeriCorps members Taylor Shay (l) and Emily Kemp led an introduction to vernal pools, a type of seasonal forest wetland where wood frogs and other creatures congregate in spring.

Sam Baer with his daughter, June.

Aleecia Adams gently handles a ring-neck snake found under one of the cover boards.

A volunteer reads up on different species of salamanders native to Michigan.

Volunteers explore a vernal pool, a seasonal wooded wetland where salamanders, frogs and other creatures can be found in springtime.

2024 Survey Results

Sixteen salamanders representing two species were found during the 2024 survey. The graphic below illustrates the grid layout of salamander cover boards and natural wood slabs near a forested wetland at Emily Min Hunt Preserve. Here’s how to interpret the illustration:

• This is a view looking down onto the grid covering an area of approximately 6,750 square feet.

• Letter/number combinations (example “E2”) denote sites with a board and a natural wood slab. Each site has a board and a wood slab adjacent to one another.

• Colored squares indicate sites where salamanders were found.

• A blue square (“E1”) indicates a site where at least one salamander was found under the board.

• A pink square (“B5”) indicates a site where at least one salamander was found under the wood slab.

• A purple square (“A5”) indicates a site where salamanders were found under both the board and the wood slab.

• Salamanders appear to favor the plywood boards, which may trap and hold more moisture against the ground.

2023 Survey Results

The graphic below illustrates the grid layout of only plywood cover boards at the preserve for the 2023 survey. Natural wood slabs were added for the 2024 survey to better understand the preferences of salamanders. Seven salamanders were found during the 2023 survey and their locations are indicated by the pink squares.