Salvation sheds light on the issue of amphibian road mortality and generates discussion around the effects that our roads and infrastructure have on wildlife, both through direct roadkill and habitat fragmentation. Globally, millions of animals are killed on roads every day. Roads cut through essential habitat and divide ecosystems, creating a deadly obstacle that can be a barrier between animals and water sources, prey, reproductive partners, and disrupt migratory patterns.

As a student in Earth Systems at Stanford University and a conservation technician with the Stanford Conservation Program, I spent a lot of time monitoring amphibian populations in our creeks, small ponds, and Lagunita- a large ephemeral wetland. After years of drought, tens of thousands of toadlets emerged in the area surrounding Lagunita, which was full for the first time in decades. One day, as I walked along the paved path around the lake, I noticed–to my horror–that the innumerable black smudges scattered about the southern half of the trail were juvenile frogs and toads that had been squashed underfoot. 

The specimens pictured here are of the species Pseudacris sierra (the Sierran Chorus Frog) and Anaxyrus boreas (the Western Toad) at various life stages. Salvation shares with the viewer the frogs’ charisma by taking them on a narrative journey through their life cycle, as well as their movement between the ponds of the neighboring foothills and Lagunita. 

There are so many animals like these little frogs that go under peoples’ radars, but they deserve our attention, affection, and consideration. To live in harmony with our adorable neighbors, we must invest in green, animal-friendly infrastructure and stop fragmenting and imposing upon their critical habitat.