Cape Cod National Seashore Continues Traffic Detours on Province Lands Road to Protect Spadefoot Toads

Date: April 1, 2011
Contact: Robert Cook, Wildlife Ecologist, 508-487-3262, ext. 0503

The staff of Cape Cod National Seashore announce that they will continue to occasionally detour traffic on Province Lands Road is a popular crossing for many toads, and this spells trouble for them. To lessen vehicle impacts on the toads, the park will occasionally close

Province Lands Road from just past (north of) the entrance to Herring Cove Beach to the intersection with Race Point Road. These closures will only occur at night, during or after heavy rain, and will be infrequent. Because the water table in the Province Lands is moderately high this year, staff expect there will be spadefoot toad activity this spring. Herring Cove Beach will remain accessible from Route 6 and Race Point Road will be unaffected, allowing continued access to Province Lands Visitor Center, Race Point Beach, Provincetown Airport, Race Point Ranger Station, and the oversand corridor. Said Superintendent George Price, "The spadefoot toad migration is one of the many increasingly rare natural phenomena still to be found in the National Seashore. We're pleased that we've found a way to allow spadefoot toads to survive the trip to and from their breeding ponds, while still maintaining visitor access to Herring Cove and the Race Point area." The detours will be managed by signs and traffic control devices. Please drive slowly, to protect your own safety as well as park wildlife.

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