They’re quiet, elusive, and often overlooked – but salamanders play a crucial role in the forest ecosystem. A new statewide volunteer-based monitoring program is shining a light on these secretive amphibians.
A tiger salamander on a bed of rocks. Photo courtesy of USFWS Midwest Region
What is a salamander?
Salamanders are amphibians classified in the Order Caudata (having a tail) and can live up to 20 years in the wild. Like all amphibians, they are cold-blooded and hang out in cool, damp places so their thin skin doesn’t dry out. They are nocturnal, spending most of their days hiding under logs, leaf litter or underground to stay moist. Your best chance to spot one is during the spring and late summer when they migrate to and from ephemeral ponds where they breed. These ponds are temporary wetlands that fill up from melting snow and rain in the spring.
Ephemeral ponds are a biodiversity hotspot and amphibians serve as a really important prey item for a lot of species.
Wisconsin is home to seven species of salamanders:
- Blue-spotted salamander
- Spotted salamander
- Eastern tiger salamander
- Eastern newt
- Four-toed salamander (special concern species)
- Eastern red-backed salamander
- Common mudpuppy – learn more about these slimy but sweet salamanders here!
You really don’t realize how much of the forest is just full of salamanders!
The secret lives of salamanders…
Even though you don’t see them that often, salamanders are an important part of the food chain as both predator and prey.
Their secretive lives underground have made it quite challenging to monitor salamander populations. Volunteers and researchers often listen for the calls of other amphibian species, like frogs, when conducting population surveys. But salamanders keep quiet and require a more specialized survey method: counting egg masses – sacks filled with eggs that they lay in ponds.
Professor John Peterson from UW-Platteville standing in an ephemeral pond holding a stick with masses of salamander eggs on it. Photo by Richard Staffen
Species monitoring gives us key insights into population size, where they live, and how common they are – information that helps shape effective conservation strategies. By gathering baseline information about salamander populations now, we can better track long-term changes as the climate warms and severe weather events become more frequent.
Threats to salamanders
Why did the salamander cross the road? To get to their ephemeral pond!
But, they shouldn’t have to. In fact, road crossings are a major cause of death for salamanders when they journey from upland landscapes down to their breeding ponds. Another threat to salamanders is climate change. As average temperatures rise or droughts become more frequent, ponds may dry out sooner than normal. A long enough hydroperiod, or period of time when wetlands contain water, is essential for breeding to be successful. Once salamanders lay their eggs in the pond, the eggs need at least six weeks to develop into larvae. Then, it’s not until late summer that the larvae metamorphose into adult salamanders and are ready to leave the pond. If the pond dries up too soon, the larvae may not have enough time to metamorphose and that year’s generation may be lost.
A tiger salamander crossing a road. Photo by Caitlin Smith/USFWS
NRF’s support for the Wisconsin Salamander Survey
Since 1984, the Wisconsin DNR has conducted an annual Frog and Toad Survey to determine population numbers across the state. It’s the longest-running amphibian monitoring program in the country, but it’s missing a very important type of amphibian…the salamander!
Thanks to support from NRF’s Wisconsin Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Fund (WARCF), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources deployed the first of its kind Wisconsin Salamander Survey (WSS) in 2024. Led by DNR conservation biologists Madison Wikston, Richard Staffen, and Rori Paloski with assistance from Professor John Peterson at UW-Platteville and volunteers, this community-based science project will help us better understand populations of salamanders in the future.
Volunteer survey crew at Woodland Dunes Nature Center looking for salamanders in an ephemeral pond. Photo by Nancy Nabek
Funding for this project helped establish training resources, including a Salamander Monitoring Manual, a field data collection sheet, and the WSS Guide to Species ID at Ephemeral Ponds. The team also established volunteer training presentations on field surveys and how to use the data sheet. Additionally, the fund supported virtual and in the field training for nature centers and students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to help them plan and conduct their own surveys.
After the establishment of the Wisconsin Salamander Survey through the grant from NRF, the program was well situated to join a NASA grant to establish the Great Lakes Vernal Pool Collaborative alongside Michigan, New York and other neighboring states. This collaborative will introduce data collection standards for consistency across the region, a website for partners to submit and store their data and offer shared training resources to recruit and retain volunteers.
A four-toed salamander in leaf litter. Photo courtesy of the USFWS Midwest Region
The power of volunteers
In 2025, the Wisconsin Salamander Survey hosted 85 volunteers, including students at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, nature center staff and volunteers, and volunteers at the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit. With the help from these volunteers, the team monitored 31 verified ephemeral ponds across Wisconsin.
There’s no way we’d be able to get all of these surveys done without the help from our volunteers.
A spotted salamander in the mud. Photo by Richard Staffen
At the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit, volunteers performed something called “ground truthing” – visiting 86 potential ephemeral ponds mapped out by the Great Lakes Vernal Pool Collaborative in order to test new technologies for remote ephemeral pond detection. While only 20% of the sites were confirmed as ephemeral ponds in 2025, the data collected will be used to improve the mapping technology and increase the rate of accurate detections in 2026.
Timing these surveys properly is crucial. The short period of time that ponds hold water can be challenging, but it’s also a great time of year to be out in the field! The bugs aren’t back yet, but the birds are and there’s lots of amphibian activity at the ponds. Then, the survey season wraps up once the eggs develop and hatch into larval salamanders.
A spotted salamander egg mass. Photo by Madison Wikston
Do you live near the Kettle Moraine State Forest or the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest? Are you interested in volunteering? Contact Madison Wikston at Madison.Wikston@Wisconsin.Gov and check out these virtual trainings:
The future of the Wisconsin Salamander Survey
As a fairly new program, the Wisconsin Salamander Survey has already laid significant groundwork to monitor salamander populations over time. The team is currently working on new ways to grow the program, including an app-based survey form, a website for volunteers and researchers to report their findings, and other resources through the Great Lakes Collaborative.
An NRF Field Trip participant holding a salamander found on a Field Trip. Photo by Caitlin Williamson
The Foundation is proud to have partnered with the DNR to establish this first of its kind program. A special thank you to our supporters for donating to the Wisconsin Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Fund to help ensure these species and their habitat are protected now and for future generations.
Interested in supporting salamanders and other ecologically important wildlife communities? Consider donating at the link below.
Written by Emma Schatz, digital communications coordinator