There are people in this world who talk about problems and then there
are those special individuals willing to step beyond words and take
action. These people commit their time and energy to making a difference
because they are motivated to serve as a catalyst for change.
I met up with Nadine Bergeron
and several other volunteers on a mild, rainy night in late May to
learn about efforts to save migrating frogs and salamanders crossing
a busy roadway in northern Chester County.
I talked with Nadine and learned that her journey began when she inadvertently
discovered a pickerel frog migration on her street one night while
driving home. Nadine and her daughter noticed hundreds of frogs on
the road, so they got out of the car to try to move them to safer
ground. They stood by helplessly, unable to stop traffic while passing
motorists ran over hundreds of frogs. Profoundly affected by this
experience, Nadine vowed to do something to minimize this problem
the following spring.
A year later, she'd organized volunteers to assist her effort when
the wood frogs and spotted salamanders began crossing St Peters Road
to reach the vernal pool near Wells Road. On this night, I met dedicated
volunteers and newcomers who reached out to do their part to save
these creatures.
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Sharon and Heather Barkhymer live adjacent to the site and said their
motivation to volunteer comes from their love of animals and the natural
world. Eight year old Heather, clad in a raincoat and ready for action,
eagerly shared her enthusiasm for picking up the slippery frogs and
how she asked her parents if they could help when she read a flier
about the number of frogs killed each year. Fortunately, Sharon shared
her daughter’s desire to take action so together they committed
to donning their raincoats on damp evenings to safely cross hundreds
of frogs and salamanders. |
