Size

3 Acres

Public Access

The public can enjoy Frog Pond and Salamander Swamp from the edge of Range Road and the entrance to Idlewood Drive. Please respect private property - approximately half of the pond is owned by CCLT’s neighbors. If you are looking for public trails, the entrance to Rines Forest is located across Range Road from these wetlands.

Conservation Purposes

This small parcel protects a portion of the Frog Pond, a small semi-permanent vernal pool, and Salamander Swamp, a shallow wetland across Idlewood Drive from Frog Pond.  These wetlands provide vital breeding habitat for wood frogs, spotted salamanders, spring peepers, toads, tree frogs, and bullfrogs. 

Description & History

The Frog Pond and Salamander Swamp property was donated in fee to CCLT in 1999 as part of the approval of the Idlewood subdivision by the Cumberland Planning Board. The Pond was well known to neighbors for its deafening chorus of spring peepers in April and as a prime breeding site for a variety of amphibians.

Frog Pond harbors hoards of breeding wood frogs, spring peepers, and spotted salamanders just after ice-out in late March or early April. These little amphibians can create a cacophony at night. Yellow spotted salamanders also breed in the shallow waters. Following all the singing, masses of eggs decorate twigs all around the pool. During the day, you may be lucky enough to see a quick hop through the surrounding vegetation or a fleeting pair of legs swimming through the water. Starting in July, young frogs and salamanders leave the pool to spend the rest of the year in the leaf litter or underground tunnels of the surrounding forest. CCLT regularly monitors the water in the pond to assure that it will remain a thriving habitat for its amphibious residents.