AMHERST — A portion of Henry Street in the Cushman section of town will be temporarily closed on some evenings as a way to protect salamanders, frogs and amphibians that will be migrating during cool and rainy weather, as well as the human volunteers who will be assisting them to get across the road.

While two salamander tunnels have been located on the road since 1987, providing a safe way for the salamanders to move from the uplands on the east side of Henry Street to the vernal pools on the west side, and for the amphibians to mate and to lay eggs, both the town and the Hitchcock Center for the Environment are coordinating the “Big Night” migration assistance.

On Wednesday, with a forecast for temperatures to be above 40 degrees and rain, the first road closure took place.

But Jeff Mazur, educator and camp director at the Hitchcock Center, said there was minimal movement of wood frogs and peepers, and he observed no salamanders by 10 p.m. Mazur wrote in an email the lack of rain for much of the day might have tempered the movement.

“It is very early in the season, so I think it is better anyway, as the breeding pools are partially frozen still and more cold is coming,” Mazur said.

With uncertain weather conditions in the days and weeks ahead, more closures of Henry Street could happen, as the migration takes place over multiple nights and potentially over several weeks.

On “Big Night,” amphibian mortality can be high, which is why volunteers direct the amphibians to the salamander tunnels that were built 38 years ago, with help from the Hitchcock Center, the town’s Department of Public Works, the University of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Audubon Society and local residents. The tunnels are 200 feet apart and include short “drift fences” to guide migrating salamanders into the tunnels.

Signs will be posted at the site to alert vehicles if road closures are happening.

The Hitchcock Center continues to maintain the salamander tunnels with volunteers, ensuring they remain free of debris, and that the drift fences are repaired if damaged during winter snowstorms.

Mazur said clean up of the runnels and repair of the fences alongisde UMass students on Sunday, so it may be best there was limited movement so far.

People are encouraged to call the Hitchcock Visitor Center at 413-256-6006 to get updates, with recorded information about what is planned. To learn more about volunteering, contact Mazur at jeff@hitchcockcenter.org.