(Western toadlets on top of underpass designed for their protection)
Motorists urged to avoid Barnjum Road as hundreds of western toadlets die during migration
Western toadlets are dying by the hundreds, squished by motor vehicles, while they attempt to migrate from Wake Lake across Barnjum Road into the forest.
Motorists are urged to avoid Barnjum Road where it meets Riverbottom Road in the Cowichan Valley to help reduce the death toll.
Six Mountains visited the area Friday afternoon and observed countless carcasses of toadlets pressed into the asphalt.
(Western toadlets squished on Barnjum Road)
Other toadlets were in the process of attempting to run the gauntlet of vehicles. Several received a helping hand to cross the road.
The province installed a series of underpasses and directed fencing in 2021 at Wake Lake to help protect western toads during their migration, but the system is not perfect.
(Ministry of Transportation photo, installation of directed fencing in 2021)
"That's going to happen some years, when they go in a direction where we don't have fencing and underpasses,” said Elke Wind, an amphibian specialist who has worked on contract with the Ministry of Transportation.
She noted that a complete barrier might have had negative repercussions for other species.
“The goal was always to save most of them in most years. It can't be perfect. Hopefully most of them move at dawn and dusk when there is less traffic.”
Problem is, when it’s rainy and cool they can move all day, she said.
The western toad is the only toad in BC and is federally listed as a species of special concern.
Read more about Wake Lake’s amphibians: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/738440f4-cc2b-403d-9216-85c353f0317b
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— Larry Pynn, July 3, 2026