Endangered species, Jefferson Salamanders, safely return to summer breeding grounds

During March to May 2025, York Region intermittently closed Stouffville Road between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street in the City of Richmond Hill to ensure the safe crossing of Jefferson Salamanders, an endangered species. We can proudly say the Jefferson Salamanders safely crossed the road and have returned to their summer breeding grounds.

The City of Richmond Hill is home to one of the few known populations of Jefferson Salamanders in York Region. York Region works in partnership with Toronto Region Conservation Authority to help ensure their survival. Jefferson Salamanders cross Stouffville Road twice a year. In the fall, they return to their winter habitat, and in the spring, they travel to their breeding grounds. To ensure their safe passage during these migrations, the road is intermittently closed. They make the passage at night and only when it’s raining. 

This section of Stouffville Road is in the Oak Ridges Moraine Natural Core Area. The Jefferson Salamanders natural habitat requires many of the features found in some areas of the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment, including undisturbed natural forests, rocky outcrops, wetlands, and ponds. Salamanders are a good indicator of healthy forests and ecosystems in this community.

York Region thanks residents and motorists for their patience and help during the closure period, ensuring the safe crossing of the Jefferson Salamanders. Our continued partnership with the community, the City of Richmond Hill and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is so important to keep these endangered species safe.

Recognizing the environmental significance of the area and the species, York Region is constructing a wildlife passage, anticipated to begin in summer 2025. The underpass is a permanent solution that will play a role in species recovery and end the need to close Stouffville Road during future migrations.