Mind Your Step: An Effort to Protect Western Toads from Trail Mortalities

Nestled within the northern city of Prince George, British Columbia, sits Shane Lake. Accessible through a trail system located behind the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Shane Lake is a popular recreation site for both students and community members. On any given day, you can find people walking their dogs, hiking, or cycling on the trail that perimeters this body of water. Many species call Shane Lake home, including Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Osprey (Pandion cristatus), Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), Beavers (Castor canadensis), and an abundance of native amphibians. Spring brings new life, and with it comes Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), Columbia Spotted Frogs (Rana luteiventris), and Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas), in addition to Long-toed Salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum).

In the summer, after some time for larval development and metamorphosis, the young amphibians begin to move out of the water and explore their terrestrial backyard. For the Western Toad, this time of year is perfect for migration from their summer habitat near the lake, to their winter habitat in the woods. With the popularity of Shane Lake’s trails, toadlets of the Western Toad struggle to cross them without human interaction, and many meet their untimely demise.

Enter Ashley Sutherland. Ashley is a forester at a research forest local to Prince George. She first noticed this abundance of toadlet mortalities on the Shane Lake trails while walking her dogs a few years ago. Although she may not be a wildlife scientist by trade, she is a wildlife lover and figured that something had to be done. Through her own passion to make positive change and the desire to protect this helpless species, Ashley developed the Shane Lake Amphibian Migration program, or SLAM for short. I first met Ashley in the winter of 2025. She was seeking support for her passion project at UNBC where I study wildlife and fisheries. I found her dedication very inspirational and wanted to do everything I could to get involved. I helped to spread the word on social media and along with the help of many others equally dedicated to the movement, we created educational signs to post around the lake. Ashley gained the support of local conservation groups, colleges, and research forests throughout this time as well. Although I wasn’t involved in this aspect of the project, I’m told that getting permission by the city to post signs can be a very lengthy process.

Although awareness is an amazing first step, the goal of this project was more than education. The SLAM program was initially designed to collect data addressing where toadlet crossings were most prevalent around the lake. To collect these data, an iNaturalist project was created that allowed community scientists to upload their amphibian observations within the boundaries of Shane Lake. In addition, Ashley secured funding for dedicated monitoring and was able to hire Jane Markin who became the project coordinator for the SLAM program. Despite the general public’s indifference for the species, Ashley and Jane shared a love for toads and hit it off immediately. Jane refers to herself as the “boots on the ground” person for this project. During the months of toadlet migration, she surveys the loop of Shane Lake collecting data on amphibian location, age, species, and additional data on weather and temperature. Jane surveyed 3 times per week between June 27th and September 10th, 2025. She recorded a total of 427 Western Toad sightings throughout this timeframe, with peak sighting days occurring at the beginning of August. On August 6th, a total of 90 individuals were recorded, the most in a single day, and all were young of the year toadlets. Overall, 312 young of the year, 79 juveniles, and 11 adults were recorded during the 2025 surveying season.

Using Jane’s data, as well as the data collected by community scientists, Ashley aims to pinpoint hotspots of dense toadlet migration on the trail. With this information, she hopes that improvements can be made, such as seasonal trail closures, or eco-passages which have been known to successfully protect toad populations in other areas of BC. This year (2025) was the first year for the Shane Lake Amphibian Migration program, with many years of data collection still to come. Ashley’s passion and dedication to a cause she deeply cares about moved me in a way I wouldn’t have expected. The way I see it, the SLAM program is a perfect example of making the change you want to see in the world.

Learn more about the SLAM program in this short video and interview:

VIDEO: Mind Your Step (SLAM Program)

VIDEO: Making Change and Western Toad Conservation with Ashley Sutherland | Ep 02