Expert: Stephen Vantassel - 5/19/2004

Question
We live in Southern Maine. We have an above ground pool in the backyard that, due to a torn liner, was not opened up last year (by that, I mean the cover was not removed). That cover collected a lot of snow, probably 2-3 feet deep, and in the spring it melted, creating our own little pond. Much to our surprise, around early June last year, we discovered that an adorable gray tree frog couple had taken up residence in our make-shift pond. We have an actual pond next door, only a couple hundred yards away, but our pool provided a more secluded and relatively predator-free environment. By the end of the month we could clearly see little tadpoles swimming around. Well, we knew there was no way we were opening the pool that year anyway, so we watched the little frogs grow and eventually move away. We thought we'd get the jump on the frogs this year, by cleaning the pool before they took up residence, but do to an unseasonably warm May, they beat us to the punch. We'd like to open the pool this year, but by the time we get around to it, we'll have little froglets swimming around.

So, my question is, is there any way to safely move them to the pond next door, so we can open the pool? How would we do so?

~Emily

Answer
Unfortunately, I don't know the specific answer here. I normally deal with squirrels etc. not amphibians. I would suggest contacting your state Dept. of Environmental Management. They should have some tips. I would think that catching the tadpoles and then reintroducing them to the pond would be a possibility. But contact the state first.