Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

Vernal pools are temporary freshwater pools that provide critical breeding habitat for many amphibians and their invertebrate prey, such as fairy shrimp. Vernal pools are protected under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act only if breeding by certain species -- including some frogs, toads and salamanders -- is documented. In 1992, a local environmentalist, Leo Kenney, and his students formed the Reading Memorial High School Vernal Pool Association in Reading, Massachusetts. The Association has since certified 200 vernal pools in the state, close to one-third of all the pools documented to date. Mr. Kenney's students also present instructional workshops in vernal pool natural history and certification to students, teachers, and Conservation Commissions. This innovative effort has prompted many public school and college instructors to initiate their own certification projects. The work of Mr. Kenney and his students has been recognized with a number of prestigious regional and national awards.