Henry Street salamander tunnels

Western end of the southern Henry Street tunnel

The Henry Street salamander tunnels are two amphibian tunnels in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, built in 1987[1] to assist salamander migration between their overwintering grounds and their breeding grounds, an annual courtship event known as the Big Night.[2][3] Previously, spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) were often crushed by vehicles as they crossed Henry Street. They winter on its east side and cross westward in the spring to breed in what is known as a salamander congress in the vernal pools that form there.

In the early 1980s, volunteers carried salamanders across Henry Street in buckets to protect them from traffic. In 1987, a German drainage company built tunnels under the street to assist the salamander migration. The town continues to use volunteers to help any salamanders who miss the tunnel; they also temporarily close the street when the migration is underway. There are two tunnels spaced 200 ft (60 m) apart, and they are the first amphibian tunnels in the United States.

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