BUSHKILL, PA: Motorists can expect River Road within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to be closed on several evenings over the next few weeks to protect breeding amphibians. The closures are contingent on the weather and may come earlier than usual this season, as the region has experienced a relatively mild winter. Lack of snow cover on the ground and few snaps of consistently warm temperatures mean that the ground is no longer frozen, a trigger to wildlife that spring is near.
Each year the National Park Service take steps to protect migrating amphibians by closing River Road in Middle Smithfield Township between park headquarters and Hialeah Picnic Area on several mild, rainy nights from March to mid-April. This closure allows vulnerable amphibians to crawl or hop from distances of a few hundred feet to sometimes more than a quarter mile, to moist breeding pools without the risk of being crushed by vehicle tires.
The trigger for the road closures will be forecasts calling for evening rain with mild temperatures- usually in the 50’s. Since the amphibians are active principally at night and have completed their treks by dawn, the road will be closed at approximately 4:00 p.m. and will remain closed until approximately 6:30 a.m.
For more information on Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area or updates on road closures call park headquarters at (570) 426-2452, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm; visit our website at www.nps.gov/dewa; or follow us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
