You’ve probably come across them on your spring hikes through the woods, small, shallow pools of water scattered through the landscape. They are called vernal pools, formed by spring rains and snow melt and sustain the lifecycles of several amphibian and invertebrate species including wood frogs, salamanders and snapping turtles.
Because vernal pools are not visible all year round – they usually dry up during the summer – they are difficult to find and protect.
Dori Wollen, the town’s conservation commission chairman, is interested in identifying Easton’s vernal pools to protect these unique habitats. Her interest was piqued when she learned that Fairfield had begun mapping its vernal pools. She called Fairfield’s Conservation Director Tim Bishop for leads on how to find and map vernal pools in Easton’s woodlands. She will also reach out to Robert Turnbull with Aquarion to see if the water company has mapped vernal pools in its wetlands.
“We talked about this issue at our last meeting without any decision,” said Wollen.
Under Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act, vernal pools are considered watercourses and regulated by local inland wetlands commissions. Wollen said vernal pools are part of the conservation commission’s regulation process and are subject to a 100 foot setback each permit application or applicant must follow. But mapping them would give them another layer of protection.
Without a mapping system there is no way to know where vernal pools are located and protect them from development, said Bishop.
“Should towns choose not to inventory and map vernal pool locations, there is an increased risk of damage or permanent loss of the pools as a result of development or other activities having potential adverse impacts,” said Bishop. “Knowing their locations, also assists in project planning and best-management practices with respect to habitat fragmentation.”
There is not one specific way to locate and map out vernal pools. Bishop located Fairfield’s vernal pools through 20-year old hand written notes of potential pool locations. One can also take a technological approach to distinguishing where these pools might be located.
“Aerial photos and GIS layers can be extremely helpful tools to locate vernal pools, but nothing beats knowing the landscape and boots on the ground to find and document the pool locations,” said Bishop. “Once located, I retained an environmental consulting firm specializing in wetlands and vernal pools to field-verify the wetland met the criteria to be classified as a vernal pool.”
So the next time you spot a vernal pool know that spring peepers those tiny frogs that herald the spring with their ear-piercing chorus breeds in them to avoid predators like fish.
“Vernal pools are exceptional in the sense that they provide not only the preferred, but the critical habitat for a handful of species that would not be able to reproduce without these pools,” said Bishop.
