Newt Crossing: Novato Hikers Asked To Step Light At Indian Park Trail

NOVATO, CA — In Yellowstone, signs warn of moose crossings. In Tuscon, its javelinas. In Novato, it’s newts.

A sign installed at Novato’s Indian Park Trail bears a simple reminder to all who traverse the park: watch out for newts. Installed by the Marin County Parks and the Marin Municipal Water District, the sign was created by Brookside Elementary School 4th graders and remains as a colorful warning for visitors to take care where they step.

Each year since 2020, the sign heralds the start of the unofficial newt season.

California newts are everywhere during the winter rains of 2023, according to amphibian experts. Though Brookside 4th-graders drew the poster in 2020, the message is timeless: Be aware of newts underfoot while you’re out and about.

The Newts are slow-moving as they take to paths to seek out bodies of water such as the nearest lake, during the mating season, according to www.CaliforniaHerps.com. Though they show little activity, opting to stay under cover of rocks and logs, newts do tend to cross the pathways during the rainy season, according to experts at the National Park Service.

The 4th graders added some advice not only on walking with care but educating hikers about the local amphibians.

“The rainy season is newt mating season,” the class wrote. “They go to the water to lay their eggs.”

The water, this year, is at near record levels.

How do you know you are looking at a newt?

Identifying characteristics include the light brown upside and yellow–orange underbelly. Its skin may appear “warty,” and a newt can secrete a toxic substance from its skin when out on dry land. They also take a protective stance if threatened, showing their orange necks.

Brookside students reminded hikers and cyclists to watch out for newts when walking or biking around the lake as well.

“The newts blend in with their surroundings and are difficult to see,” the sign warns.

The Marin Municipal Water District commented on the sign and its value in drawing attention to the slithery creatures.

“Volunteers coordinated the lesson for the visiting children,” said spokesperson Adriane Mertens. “Even though it was made a while ago, the sign is still valid now as ever.”

Visitors have commented on the sign and shared their photos of California newts crossing the paths at the Marin County park.

“I love this sign,” one commenter wrote on the Marin County Water District’s Facebook page. “It made me so happy when I first saw it!”

The newts’ survival depends on all of us, the sign reads.

“We care about newts and all living things,” the students wrote, “and we hope you do too.”