The Latest Toad Migration Information

The migration is picking up, and the toads are off in all directions. There are currently toadlets on Ryder Lake, Huston and Elk View roads as they make their way from the wetland. Avoid the area if possible, but if you must pass through, Elk View is currently the safest for the toads to drive as the fencing is containing most of them. As of right now, Ryder Lake road is the most important one to avoid. 

Keep an eye out for updates as things progress, as changes may be made to the detour in coming days. 

Toadlets have begun to cross Ryder Lake Road. This year’s migration still looks like its going in two directions, but at this point Elk View Road is clear of the tiny amphibians. Please avoid using Ryder Lake Road unless absolutely necessary as they are hopping across in small numbers and will likely continue to do so in the coming days.

The fencing is in place! A huge thanks to all our volunteers who made this possible this year. With the toads sitting at the wetland shore and sunning themselves, the timing could not be better to get the fence in. They will be crossing Elk View and Ryder Lake roads near the breeding wetland very soon, so keep an eye out and follow the detour when it’s unveiled.

With the hot weather, the toads are metamorphosing fast! Tails are being absorbed and tiny legs are sprouting from the tadpoles as the tiny animals prepare to leave their wetland home and make the journey into the terrestrial world. At the moment they are still staying by shore as they finish their transformations but soon the toadlets will be moving. This year it looks like there will be two main pathways: one on Ryder Lake Road near the intersection and one on Elk View Road near the tunnel. As always, follow the detour to keep away from the main migration pathways.

The tadpoles at the wetland are schooling near shore and slowly turning into tiny toads. Once the warm weather returns their transformation will be kicked into overdrive and they will soon be leaving the water.

The migration is over!

The toadlets have done their annual crossing of the roads and are safely living in the forests where they will grow into adulthood. The detour signs are down as there is no longer a need to avoid Elk View Road.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help with the fence or provide us with updates on the toads. Another thank you goes out to everyone who takes the detour route. Just a few minutes of your day can save dozens of toadlets and help keep the population of Western Toads healthy for the future.

Check back next summer for more updates!

The migration is starting to wind down!

Though there are still a few toadlets making the journey across Elk View Road, the majority of the tiny amphibians have made the trek from the wetland and are now safely in the forest. Keep your eyes out for toadlets and other animals during the weekend as there will likely still be small numbers moving about.

The toads are still hopping across the roads! Near the toad tunnel and further towards Ryder Lake Hall on Elk View Road are the hotspots, so do your best to avoid these areas while driving.

Other animals are on the move as well, so keep your eyes out for other amphibians and Garter Snakes on the roads around the wetland.

The migration is in full swing! The toads are crossing under and sometimes over Elk View road around the toad tunnel. Most of the toads are behind the fence, but there are always some that make their way onto the road. Please follow the detour signs and avoid using that section of the road if possible.

Note that the City of Chilliwack is working further down Elk View road towards the valley floor and have detour signs up. Following their detour will allow you to safely avoid the most sensitive area of the toad migration as well as the road closure.

The toadlets have reached land! The fully formed tiny toads are beginning to hop across the fields surrounding the wetland. The hot weather is perfect for a bit of sunbathing, so they will likely wait for a few days at the water’s edge before going on their way. Keep an eye on the roads in the next few days!

The hot weather is hitting the wetland! As summer comes full force, the increased temperatures send the tadpoles into growth overdrive. Since last week the tadpoles have grown front legs and turned into tiny hopping toads. Though they still have little tails, it wont be long before they leave the wetland and start migrating.

With the help of our excellent volunteers, the toad fencing has been installed! The toads themselves are still swimming around in the wetlands, and most only have their back  legs. Depending on weather, it will likely be another week and a half to two weeks until they emerge.

Check back for more updates!

Our toadlets seem to be done with their annual migration! We have officially removed the detour signage and will remove the fencing sometime next week. We will post here when we plan to remove the fencing. If you are able to help, please join! We would love to have you.

Thank you to everyone who took the detour, volunteered with us on surveys, let us know when things were happening with the toadlets, called the city of Chilliwack staff when trucks were not following the detour, and let us know when signs needed a little extra attention. We had a relatively slow and uneventful migration this year, meaning everything went very smoothly.

We are starting to see fewer toadlets on the road! We are leaving the detour signage up for a few more days just in case, but it seems like our toadlet migration is wrapping up for the year. We had a slow and quiet year, meaning our toadlets mostly stayed behind the fence. It’s lovely when they do exactly what we predict.

Thank you to everyone who followed the voluntary detour and joined us for road walks!

The next update will be to let everyone know when the detour signage has been removed.

So far, the toadlets are listening to our advice and staying behind the fence. There are toadlets crossing the road at Elk View, near the Toad Tunnel, but for the most part they are being directed to culverts and the Toad Tunnel itself by fencing. We are still encouraging people to take the detour even if they can’t see toadlets on the road; they are there just in small numbers, and if they go around the fence, we could see a lot more on the road any time.

Click here to learn more and view a detour map.

This not-so-clear photo shows some of the toadlets on the other side of the fence. So far, it is keeping the bulk of the migration off the road!

There are toadlets on the road! We have set up the voluntary detour and encourage people living and travelling in Ryder Lake to follow it when possible. Click here to learn more and view a detour map. If you want a paper copy of the map, we also have an info sign with brochures by the Ryder Lake Community Board on Elk View.

So far, there are only a few toadlets on Elk View, but we expect to see more over the weekend.

We also do surveys of the toadlets, so keep an eye out for people working on the roads next week!

The toads this year are really taking their time getting to the road! They are currently hanging out beside the wetland, waiting for the perfect moment to move. Expect toadlets on the road any day now!

Detour signs will be revealed as soon as there are toads on the road. Keep an eye out for more updates.

The toadlets are starting to hang out on the edge of the wetland. This little one has all its legs and has almost completely absorbed its tail!

Expect to see toadlets on the road in the next few days!

The detour signs will be unveiled as soon as we have toadlets on the road, so look out for that as well! These signs are currently covered in garbage bags.

Keep checking back for updates!

They have legs! Very small ones.

These little toad tadpoles are still in the wetland and are probably a week to a week and a half away from travelling across the road.

Check back soon for more updates.

Fencing Install Event June 29th, 2024!

If you are interested in the toads and want to help, we have an event coming up that might interest you! We will install temporary fencing on Elk View Road on Monday, June 29th! Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

We have been checking on the Western Toad tadpoles in Ryder Lake, and they are almost ready to start moving! Wednesday, they were tadpoles with no legs, so we still have some time, but expect the full migration within a couple of weeks.

Keep checking in for more updates!

We have toadlets on the road again! This time we have toadlets moving on Huston Road! This means we are changing the detour signage to reflect this new path. Elk View Road has very little toadlets on it and is clear for travel. Huston Road between Ryder Lake Road and Elk View Road is now the main area with toadlets on the road. Please avoid this area!!

It has been a slow toad year for our team! Luckily, a slow year means that most toadlets are making it to the toad tunnel and other road culverts and crossing the road without getting hit. We are leaving the detour signage up for now, so continue to follow the detour.

There are toadlets on the road! We have set up the voluntary detour and encourage people living and travelling in Ryder Lake to follow this detour when possible. Click here to learn more and to view a detour map. If you want a paper copy of the map, we also have an info sign with brochures by the Ryder Lake Community Board on Elk View.

So far, we have only seen a few hundred toadlets on Elk View Rd by the Toad Tunnel and on Ryder Lake Rd between Huston Rd and Elk View Rd.

If you want to view the toadlet migration, please park at the designated parking area (there is a sign north of the Toad Tunnel on Elk View) or further away.

We also do surveys of the toadlets, so keep an eye out for people working on the roads!

Any day now!

The toads in Ryder Lake are getting ready to move! It still looks like they will cross Ryder Lake Rd. rather than Elk View Rd! Keep an eye out and avoid driving on Ryder Lake Rd. between Huston Rd. and Elk View Rd.

The detour signs will probably be unveiled over the weekend, so look out for that as well. These signs are currently covered in garbage bags and will only be uncovered when we have confirmed toadlets on the road.

The toads in Ryder Lake are getting ready to move! Some are still tadpoles, but others are starting to look very toad-like. Right now, it looks like they will cross Ryder Lake Rd. rather than Elk View Rd! Keep an eye out and avoid driving on Ryder Lake Rd. between Huston Rd. and Elk View Rd. this long weekend!

Our fencing event will still be happening as planned on Monday, July 3rd.

And look out for the unveiling of the detour signs within the next few days! These signs are currently covered in garbage bags and will only be uncovered when we have confirmed toadlets on the road.

Fencing Install Event July 3rd, 2023!

If you are interested in the toads and want to help, we have an event coming up that might interest you! We will install temporary fencing on Elk View Road on Monday, July 3rd! Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

The toad tadpoles in the Ryder Lake neighbourhood are starting to develop back legs! Jenn had the chance to check on them and snap some photos! This little one has tiny back legs visible and is sitting out in the sun.

We expect things to progress quickly with the hot weather predicted next week.

Check back for more updates soon!

The toad tadpoles have been hard to spot in the wetland so we don’t have any toad photos to share yet.

This is a little Pacific Treefrog tadpole found in the Ryder Lake neighbourhood over the weekend. We can see the little back legs starting to come in! Checking all tadpole development can help us get a sense of when the Western Toad tadpoles will start to move.

NOTE: This tadpole was captured by hand by a professional with clean hands and was handled for a very small amount of time! In general, we recommend catching tadpoles with a net and taking photos in a bucket or smaller container if they are being captured at all.

Check back for more updates soon!