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Mar 16, 2025

Road closed: Slate Belt connector blocked for weeks to protect breeding amphibians - lehighvalleylive.com

An amphibian commonly found in coniferous and deciduous forests, this Eastern newt was spotted in August 2022 in northeastern Pennsylvania.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Northampton County

An amphibian commonly found in coniferous and deciduous forests, this Eastern newt was spotted in August 2022 in northeastern Pennsylvania.Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com

Northampton County will close the eastern half of Institute Drive in the Slate Belt for several weeks starting Friday.

Northampton County Parks and Recreation Division officials on Wednesday announced the roughly half-mile closure through Totts Gap Conservation Area. The goal is to allow amphibians to safely get to breeding pools that dot the area.

Closing roads to protect breeding amphibians is a common practice for that part of eastern Pennsylvania in spring. The National Park Service routinely closes River Road in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area for the same reason, but has yet to announce the closure for 2025.

Institute Drive is a connector route linking Totts Gap Road and Blue Mountain Drive, located between Routes 611 and 191, in Upper Mount Bethel Township. The closure is expected to continue through April 25.

Frogs, toads and salamanders are triggered to cross Institute Drive in search of breeding ponds during evening rain with mild temperatures, generally above 40 degrees, according to the county’s announcement. They’re primarily active from dusk to dawn as long as conditions remain favorable.

Nearby to the county’s Totts Gap Conservation Area, The Nature Conservancy maintains the 150-acre Minsi Lake Vernal Pools Preserve between Institute Drive to the north and Minsi Lake to the south.

The woodlands on either side of Institute Drive are home to the largest concentration of natural seasonal pools and associated species of amphibians anywhere in Pennsylvania, according to county parks officials. Some of these species are listed as threatened and endangered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which oversees the state’s fish, reptiles and amphibians.

“Recommendations from the county’s Minsi Lake Corridor Greenway & Stewardship plan highlight the need for protection of critical landscapes,” county Parks & Recreation Superintendent Bryan Cope said in this week’s road-closure announcement. “This temporary closure is a major step in the on-going efforts (to) provide sustainable conservation practices.”

For more information on the natural phenomenon of springtime amphibian migrations and how motorists can help protect them in their travels, visit shaverscreek.org.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at [email protected].

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