The drama of the long-toed salamander began in Waterton Lakes National Park when modifications were made to the road running by the information centre. Indeed, a large population of salamanders was only discovered in Waterton when their migration to and from Linnet Lake was interrupted by the construction of new curbs and sidewalks along the road. In the fall of 1991 a park's employee discovered several salamanders having difficulty climbing the steep curbs, backing large numbers up on the road. In 1992 many community volunteers turned up for about a week in April, on cool rainy nights, to manually lift over 2,000 salamanders over the curb. This discovery led to testing and monitoring of several alternatives by the warden service.
Salamanders now cross the road with a minimal amount of difficulty.
The incident emphasised the need for a study of park salamander populations. Julie M. Fukumoto of the University of Calgary agreed to conducted a two-year study as part of her Master's Degree. Julie found scattered isolated populations of long-toed salamanders within WLNP, similar to study findings elsewhere in the province where the species were listed as threatened. The parks also play a major role in increasing awareness and appreciation for biodiversity, including recognition of lesser known species such as the long-toed salamander. As Parks Canada explores these possibilities, their findings may be implemented to protect biodiversity outside of park boundaries as well.