Just as the proliferation of bicycles added a new dimension to Davis's appeal, so too has the addition of the Davis Toad Tunnel.
Hail To The Toads
Overnight, it seemed, Davis has become more toad-aware, with toad-related community activities and the unveiling of toad monuments for the community to appreciate. And the main beneficiaries seemed to be the children. At a childrens' fundraiser held shortly before the opening of the overpass and toad tunnel, Julie Partansky told the story of the Davis Toad Tunnel. "I am planning to give a little history of the tunnel and why Davis has the tunnel," she said. (The California Aggie). The storytelling was then followed by toad hop races.
Toad Hollow was just one of the public monuments set up as a result of the popularity (or lack of thereof among the toads) of the toad tunnel. In late 1999, the walkway at the northeast entrance to the Davis Food Co-Op on G Street was designed "Toad Lane" by the City Council, an occasion celebrated on the front pages of The Davis Enterprise.
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The Childrens Book Childrens' appreciation for the Davis Toad Tunnel reached a new high in January 2000 with the release of The Toads of Davis, a childrens book written and illustrated by local author Ted Puntillo, Sr. The new book was not only featured in the local newspapers, but on the local news as well. The Toads of Davis tells the story of the Davis Toad Tunnel in a unique way: through the eyes of the toads.
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A Lesson To Others
No one on the City Council denies that more thought could have been given into researching whether toads would be using the toad tunnel before spending $14,000 on constructing it. In the rest of the world, local governments now look to Davis as the model for how to (and not to) build a toad tunnel. In 1998, a Florida State University professor received a $40,000 grant to research whether and how toads would be able to utilize a proposed tunnel under the U.S. 319 highway outside of Tallahassee. "Best to plan ahead with this sort of thing. ... Partansky suggests that anyone else who builds a tunnel somehow simulate starlight in the passage to help lure the animals through." (Environmental Tunnel Vision, Forbes Magazine).
Now when outsiders and residents speak of Davis, the toad tunnel will forever be an inseparable part of Davis, having become another local landmark, among the bicycles, greenbelts, and solar-powered homes.
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| The Critics | The End |
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