“Shilo, can you get those pylons back onto the road?” Cricket grabbed her flashlight. “We have to stop that truck.” She ran up the side of the road and waved her flashlight back and forth to get the driver’s attention as he came around the corner. Shilo and Will carried Warden McKay’s bright-orange pylons out to block the road.
The truck slowed down quickly. It stopped four houses away and rumbled like a bear. Its headlights shone on Cricket like a giant spotlight. It was the big rig that delivered ice cream and milk to the businesses in the village.
“Hey!” The driver stuck his head out of the truck’s window. “What’s going on here? What’s that all over the road?”
“Hi, Mr. Dharwa,” Will called. “It’s the salamander migration. We could use your help.” Will offered Mr. Dharwa a bucket as he climbed out of his truck. The big rig blocked the road, and soon a line of cars was parked behind it. People got out of their cars to help.
Cricket wasn’t surprised to see the flashing orange lights of her dad’s Park Warden truck.
“This is quite a big job, Cricket,” her dad said.
“It is,” Cricket said. “Dad, I want you to meet Dr. Kate.”
“These kids have been a great help,” Dr. Kate said, shaking hands with Cricket’s dad. “They built the Salamander Step just in time too.”
The ramp was covered with salamanders. Nearby, a bucket brigade of people helped lift more salamanders over the curb and take them to the grass.
“The Salamander Step works, but it’s not wide enough,” Cricket said. “You know what we really need, Dad?”
Warden McKay shook his head.
“A tunnel. If the salamanders could go under the road, they would be protected from cars and birds and salt.”
“A tunnel would solve all the problems,” Shilo nodded.
Warden McKay looked from the mountain to the lake. “That’s a really big project,” he said.
“But a great idea,” Dr. Kate added.
“I guess we would need to raise lots more money,” Shilo said.
“We’d probably need a whole construction crew,” Tyler said.
“We could write a letter to the government,” Cricket suggested.
“I could write one too,” said Dr. Kate.
“And we could start a petition,” Cricket said. “I bet all these people here would sign it. Who wouldn’t want to save the salamanders?”
“I would sign that petition, Cricket,” Mr. Dharwa said, holding a bucket of salamanders.
“If there’s a way to save these salamanders, Cricket, I know you kids can do it,” Warden McKay said.
Yes, they could. And they had a whole year before the next migration to make it happen.