Chileno Valley Newt Brigade Training

Be part of the first ever effort in California to carry newts to safety!

The Chileno Valley Newt Brigade was formed in August 2019 to assist newts crossing Chileno Valley Road on their way from their hillside home to Laguna Lake, where they breed.  Laguna Lake, a large natural lake in the agricultural section of West Marin, is bordered by Chileno Valley Road, which cuts the newts off from the leaf littered, shady hillside where they live during the summer.  When the weather turns humid and drizzly in the fall, the newts venture onto the road, putting themselves in the path of cars and trucks.  Newts crawl slowly and freeze in incoming traffic, placing themselves in mortal danger.

A simple, low-cost solution to the newt’s plight is having people pick up the newts and carry them across the road. This is the simple goal of the Chileno Valley Newt brigade. However, many more volunteers are needed for this task.

On Oct. 10 at 5:30PM, a training seminar will be held at Chileno Valley Ranch to get everyone on the same page. By using I Naturalist, we will collect information to make it easier to help them in the future.  When we photograph the newts before picking them up with a gloved hand, we will log the time, date, direction and weather of the moment.

Please join us by contacting Sally Gale at sallylgale@gmail.com to sign up.