Why did the Yosemite toad cross the road?

To find a mate and help continue its species — all while avoiding traffic, something Southern California Edison is helping make sure of.

“These toads are really tiny. Sometimes the young ones look like pebbles,” said Stephanie Fincher, an SCE senior advisor in Hydro Licensing and Water Management. “Unfortunately, that’s why a lot of them are at risk of getting struck by vehicles.”

The federally threatened amphibians — found only in California — are vulnerable to traffic when they emerge from hibernation each spring and make their way to high-elevation wetlands like Kaiser Meadow, one of the species’ most important breeding grounds in the Sierra Nevada. After laying eggs, the toads disperse back into the surrounding forest. The round trip often requires crossing Kaiser Pass Road.

“Kaiser Pass Road is an important connection through the Sierra backcountry,” said Fincher. “We use it to access the structures and equipment that make up SCE’s Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, and the public uses the road seasonally to reach campgrounds, hiking trails and reservoirs.”

SCE teams in the Sierra move extra carefully during the toads’ breeding season and dispersal period. Annual training teaches them how to identify Yosemite toads and what to do if they encounter one on a roadway. While many of these practices are required as part of environmental commitments associated with SCE’s hydropower operations, the crews embrace them as an opportunity to help protect a species that calls the Sierra home.

“After years of training, our crews get excited when they see Yosemite toads. They want to protect them,” said Fincher. “A lot of us live here on this mountain, in this forest. It's our backyard and we care about it.”

During certain projects, trained wildlife monitors accompany SCE crews traveling through the “toad zone” near Kaiser Meadow. Before vehicles enter the area, a monitor walks ahead, scanning the roadway for toads and safely moving any out of harm’s way.

“It’s definitely a unique, meticulous practice,” said Caroline Hamilton, a biologist from SCE’s contracted monitoring service provider. “We're doing our best to keep the population stable by mitigating one of the factors that we can actually have some control of.”

If a toad does find itself on the pavement, it can also use one of the specially made “toad escape ramps” that crews carve out of the roadside snow embankments. SCE coordinates the work with the U.S. Forest Service, which oversees the habitat and helps guide conservation strategies.

“When we spot Yosemite toads, we document and share our observations with the Forest Service, so biologists can better understand where crossings happen and make any needed adjustments to safeguard the toads,” said Fincher.

Coordinated efforts to protect the Yosemite toad go beyond preserving a single species — the toads’ presence is a sign of healthy mountain meadows and wetlands that support a wide variety of plants and wildlife.

“We want to make sure we produce clean energy from our hydroelectric systems while honoring our responsibility to act as stewards of the environment,” said Fincher.

For more information, visit sce.com/environment.