Vernal Pool Development and Restoration
Speaker: Tom Biebighauser
Recorded during the SAVE THE FROGS! World Summit, April 6th, 2022
Vernal pools provide critical breeding habitat to frogs, toads, and salamanders across North America. Unfortunately, a majority of these ephemeral wetlands have been lost to draining and filling for agriculture, and to urban development. The destruction of these vernal pools is affecting recovery efforts for listed species of amphibians, crustaceans, and shorebirds. Tom Biebighauser will talk about some of the highly successful techniques he has developed for restoring vernal pools that look and function like natural wetlands. You’ll meet dedicated individuals across the United States and Canada who are building vernal pools to provide habitat for rare species at schools, on rangeland, in forests, fields, and on mined land. It is now entirely possible for landowners to build vernal pool, and at a low cost!
Watch The Video!
About The Instructor
Tom Biebighauser has restored over 2,700 wetlands and streams across Canada, in 26 states, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan since 1979. Tom designs and builds over 120 wetlands and streams each year. He has developed highly effective techniques for restoring springs to provide habitat for endangered animals and plants. Having built over 1,400 dams, he has since decommissioned over 300 dams. He retired in 2013 after working 34 years for the US Forest Service as a Wildlife Biologist, where he initiated wetland and stream restoration programs across the United States. Tom has served as an instructor for the British Columbia Wildlife Federation Wetlands Institute for 17 years, restoring over 250 wetlands and streams across Alberta and British Columbia since 2003. He instructs a Graduate-level class on Wetland Design for Engineers at the University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering, along with classes for the British Columbia Institute Technology. Tom has developed highly effective and low-cost techniques for building wetlands and streams for rare species across North America. The habitats he builds require little, if any maintenance, and do not involve the use of diversions, dams, dikes, pipes, or pumps. Tom has written 4 books about wetland restoration, and has received 44 awards for his outstanding contributions.
