JACKSON — The Natchez Trace Parkway provides a home for the tiny juvenile Webster’s Salamander and frogs.
A two-mile section of the parkway south of Interstate 20 in Hinds County now has a lowered speed limit to protect them.
Parkway officials say on rainy nights during the breeding season from December through March, dozens of salamanders are killed by cars when the amphibians attempt to cross the road.
Officials say the speed limit of 35 mph will be enforced during nighttime hours through the area when it is raining to increase the ability of the salamanders to cross unharmed.
The Natchez Trace Parkway spans 444 miles across three states, from the southern Appalachian foothills of Tennessee to the lower Mississippi River.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.