Legislation to Designate the Spring Peeper as our State Amphibian and Wood Turtle as State Reptile have Hearings in Augusta
On February 3, Maine Audubon Policy Advocate Ania Wright will testify in support of a pair of bills aiming to shine a spotlight on some of Maine’s lesser-known wildlife. The Maine State Legislature’s Committee on State and Local Government is holding a public hearing on LD 72, An Act to Designate the Spring Peeper as the Official State Amphibian and LD 73, An Act to Designate the Wood Turtle as the Official State Reptile.
Facing threats including changing climates, habitat loss, the pet trade, and other issues, reptiles and amphibians are at risk around the globe. Maine is home to at least 34 species of reptiles and amphibians, including snakes, salamanders, turtles, frogs, and more. In order to promote awareness and develop a better understanding of population dynamics, Maine Audubon supports several programs to monitor reptiles and amphibians and protect their habitat, including our Stream Explorers and Stream Smart Road Crossing projects.
About the Spring Peeper: The Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is Maine’s smallest frog, but its reputation is larger than life. The peeper’s calls are beloved across Maine as a welcome sign of spring. In winter, these inch-long creatures hibernate under logs, in the soft mud near ponds and vernal pools, and below leaf litter and tree barks. As temperatures begin to warm in early April, males begin their high-pitched breeding calls, which can be heard from up to half a mile away.
Spring Peepers are considered “indicator species” for wetland habitats. They thrive in healthy forest, pond, and vernal pool environments, but some of those habitats are being rapidly lost to development, degraded by pollutants, or altered by extreme precipitation and drought events associated with a warming climate. Spring Peepers and other amphibians are particularly sensitive to pollutants as they can easily absorb chemicals and toxins through their skin.
“It is our hope that by the time these mighty amphibians awake in the spring, they will be honored with the designation of state amphibian,” said Ania Wright, Maine Audubon Policy Advocate.
About the Wood Turtle: The Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is widespread across the state of Maine, unlike in our neighboring states, and is found in aquatic, open field, and forest habitats. They use upland and forested areas in the late spring and into summer, can be found in slow moving rivers and lakes in warmer months, and during the winter hibernate underwater in slow-moving areas such as ponds, sheltered areas of rivers, or under logs and debris.
The Wood Turtle is a species of special concern in Maine and an International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Endangered Species. A species of special concern is any species of fish or wildlife that does not meet the criteria of an endangered or threatened species but is particularly vulnerable, and could easily become an endangered, threatened, or extirpated species in Maine due to restricted distribution, low or declining numbers, specialized habitat needs or limits, or other factors.
“As Maine is the most forested state in the nation, the Wood Turtle is a fitting reptilian ambassador for the Pine Tree State,” said Wright.
