A relatively primitive rest area, here one will find a pair of pit toilets, a boat launch ramp, an informational sign dealing with the western toad, a bear proof garbage container, a parking area and not much else. We don't recall even seeing any picnic tables.
The informational sign is mounted beside the boat ramp and relates to the visitor the story of one of the tiny inhabitants of the area, the Western Toad. This is what the sign has to tell us:
Western Toads
Summit Lake is a very important breeding site for the Western Toad. This species at risk has suffered significant population declines throughout the southern part of its range due to a combination of factors including habitat loss, disease, pollution, introduced predators, and road mortality.
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Each year there are three seasonal movements for Western Toads at Summit Lake: adults descend from upland habitat in spring to breed in the lake, and then return to upland habitat a few weeks later. Upon metamorphosis in late summer, millions of dime-sized toadlets migrate to upland habitat where they disperse and mature. They will return to breed in Summit Lake between four and six years later.
• have a distinctive cream-coloured stripe down the centre of their back
• have bumpy skin, and large kidney-shaped parotoid glands behind
their eyes. These bumps and glands produce a viscous, white,
poisonous substance that deters predators
• have a life expectancy in the wild (under good conditions) of
about 10 years
• hibernate in burrows up to 1.3 metres underground, below the
frost line
• eat insects, ants, beetles, crayfish, spiders, slugs, earthworms
and centipedes
The Western Toad, sometimes known as the Boreal Toad, is an important part of a complex food web, but populations across its historical range have dramatically declined and now British Columbia is the "Global Keeper of Western Toads!"
At Summit Lake the adults and toadlets can use one of two toad tunnels under the highway, but movement patterns change and vehicle mortality is still high. The partnership is working together to build community awareness, conserve this important habitat, and develop solutions to reduce highway mortality. You can help by learning more about Western Toads!
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