[Answer]
Vernal pools or "spring pools" are shallow depressions that usually
contain water for only part of the year. In the Northeast, vernal pools
may fill during the fall and winter as the water table rises. Rain and
melting snow also contribute water during the spring. Vernal pools
typically dry out by mid to late summer. Although vernal pools may only
contain water for a relatively short period of time, they serve as
essential breeding habitat for certain species of wildlife, including
salamanders and frogs. Since vernal pools dry out on a regular basis,
they cannot support permanent populations of fish. The absence of fish
provides an important ecological advantage for species that have adapted
to vernal pools, because their eggs and young are safe from predation.
Species that must have access to vernal pools in order to survive and
reproduce are known as "obligate" vernal pool species. In Maine,
obligate vernal pool species include wood frogs, spotted and
blue-spotted salamanders (two types of mole salamanders) and fairy
shrimp. While wood frogs and mole salamanders live most of their lives
in uplands, they must return to vernal pools to mate and lay their eggs.
The eggs and young of these amphibians develop in the pools until they
are mature enough to migrate to adjacent uplands. Fairy shrimp are small
crustaceans which spend their entire life cycle in vernal pools, and
have adapted to constantly changing environmental conditions. Fairy
shrimp egg cases remain on the pool bottom even after all water has
disappeared. The eggs can survive long periods of drying and freezing,
but will hatch in late winter or early spring when water returns to the
pool.
Starting September 1, 2007, significant vernal pool habitat
is protected by law under the Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA).
For more information about significant vernal pools see the State of
Maine web site.
Click here.
[Answer]
DEP stands or "The Department of Environmental Protection"
This department is responsible for protecting and restoring
Maine's natural resources and enforcing the state's environmental laws.
For more information on the DEP, see the State of Maine website.
Click here.
