Types of signage: foldable, flap, etc.
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Applying for signage
If you want to apply for signage, you would have to approach your local council’s Highways Department (often this is handled by Traffic Management Officers) and you will need a copy of the site’s registration letter as evidence of registration as a toad crossing. Local council Highways Departments will have differing procedures as to how to apply for signs, so check this first! To further complicate matters, traffic authorities are only permitted to display these signs between February and March (the toad migration period) and signs must be removed or covered at other times of the year. Consideration will be needed as to how this might be operated and managed. Please be aware that Froglife do not currently have the resources to directly engage with applications for signs or to take on any responsibility for the signs being put up or taken down.Click to read more…
What the law says on homemade signs
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Planning objections help
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Roadworks: diversions through your patrol etc.
1) The process of construction work should be managed to consider the risk of sediment or liquid runoff, fuel or waste material from the process and from any site that could impact the migration of animals during the night (or the breeding pond itself), ensuring no material enters the pond or any ditches or drains feeding the pond. 2) The movement of toads migrating to the pond should not be impeded overnight and any bunds, stored material or equipment should avoid the risk of ‘capturing’ migrating animals and exposing them to dehydration or predation during daylight. Ideally any long-term works compound, equipment or parked up vehicles should be surrounded by a ‘drift fence’ or amphibian fencing that will move migrating toads around the vehicles or poor quality habitat. 3) If works are going on during the day every effort should be made to avoid moving or driving machinery over the verges adjacent to the road where toads or newts may be resting prior to the night-time migration and ideally at the start of work, someone on the works team could walk the route to collect and move toads. 4) The removal of tarmac leading to raised kerbs that toads can’t move over could increase the risk of death from early morning traffic, dehydration during the day or from animals dropping down drains. Ideally, the road should have an early morning patrol to collect up any trapped amphibians and see if the works team will agree to covering the drains with mesh at night to avoid toads falling into them. 5) The spreading of grit over the road at the end of the process is not ideal but patrollers present through the early part of the night will be able to move animals. The challenge will be when animals are moving on their own after the patrol finishes and the presence of grit could delay them, lengthening crossing times, or deterring crossing. This could be covered by an early morning patrol if it can be arranged.Click to read more…
Toad tunnels: what are they and how to apply for one
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Road closures process
You can read more about personal experiences of trying to get road closures here. Click to read more…
Wildlife kerb stones: what are they and how to apply for some
A wildlife kerb incorporates a recessed channel at road level to allow amphibians to naturally navigate safely around such hazards. A recent study by Perth and Kinross Council Countryside Ranger Service conducted over 2 years has shown that between 60-70% of drain gully pots checked contained dead wildlife, the majority being amphibians. To apply to have wildlife kerb stones funded and installed, your local Council’s Highways Department would need to be contacted. Click to read more…
What to do with amphibians trapped in drains
Wildlife Gully Ladders help amphibians, reptiles and other small creatures to escape from drainage gullies. The ladders help to support wildlife conservation efforts, crucially in areas where migratory species roam. During migration periods, amphibians and small creatures often fall into road gullies. Although easy to enter, these species will find it impossible to climb out. Constructed from a mesh material, The Wildlife Gully Ladder provides stable footing for animals. This is a less expensive solution if your local council doesn’t have funding for kerb stones. Always contact your local council before thinking about installing these. If it’s possible to have these installed, it will be an excellent asset. You can read more about the effectiveness of wildlife gully ladders here. Click to read more…
Drift fencing/ amphibian fencing
The use of temporary ‘drift‘ fencing for amphibians is something that some toad patrols may choose to use. Bear in mind there is a cost, both financial and in time, linked to installation and that a patrol would have to get an agreement from the council or any other landowner for installation on paths alongside a highway. If the site has great crested newts present, you should apply for a licence to install your fence as you would be affecting the movement of a protected species. If you do set up a drift fence, your patrol will need to check both sides all night and, if you sink buckets along the fence, ensure that they are covered safely during any period when no patrollers are present. You could use above ground refugia as an alternative to buckets. If you leave drift fences erected on land where the public have access, don’t expect them to be complete or upright the next day! The cost of polythene sheeting can be prohibitive; one option is to use ‘scaffold sheeting’ which is cheaper but not so robust. Click to read more…