USGS
Seeks Citizens of All Ages to Listen for Frogs and Toads
News
Release: February 29, 2000
Jay
Chamberlin, a policy analyst with a local land trust in northern
California, dons his boots and flashlight after hearing the
first calls of Pacific treefrogs and makes his way to the small
pond in his backyard. There, he will spend the next few minutes
cupping his hands around his ears and counting the frogs he
sees and hears.
Mr. Chamberlin is one of hundreds of U.S. citizens
who are counting frogs as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's
Frogwatch USA program.
"With the melodious calls of Pacific treefrogs
and Arroyo toads in California filling the evening air, the
second year of the U.S. Geological Survey's Frogwatch USA has
begun," said Sam Droege, a wildlife biologist and amphibian
researcher with the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in
Laurel, Md.
Frogwatch USA is a USGS educational program that
provides children and adults with an
opportunity to learn about the environment while collecting
valuable information about their local frogs and toads.
According to scientists, amphibians are declining
worldwide; several species already have gone extinct, and other
once-thriving species have diminished in numbers.
"Understanding the decline of amphibians is crucial
to uncovering how society's activities affect water quality,
wildlife habitat and overall health of the environment," said
Droege. "Over time, the information that is collected
by volunteers will contribute to the growing body of knowledge
regarding the status and health of amphibians in the United
States."
Last year, said Droege, Frogwatch volunteers from
47 states included many young people, farmers, homemakers, naturalists,
scientists and others. They all are actively monitoring sites
and providing information to USGS for analysis and evaluation.
The information is displayed on the Frogwatch USA Web site.
Droege urges citizens to join Frogwatch USA to
begin to monitor frogs and toads in their communities and to
help communities become better prepared for the environmental
challenges of the 21st century.
Frogwatch
USA is a part of Frogweb.gov. For more information about the
program and to volunteer, call Frogwatch USA at (301) 497-5819
or visit the website, which can be reached through Frogweb.gov.
As
the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and
civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with
more than 2000 organizations across the country to provide reliable,
impartial, scientific information to resource managers, planners,
and other customers. This information is gathered in every state
by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property
from natural disasters, contribute to the sound conservation,
economic and physical development of the nation's natural resources,
and enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological,
energy and mineral resources.
Reprinted
from http://biology.usgs.gov/pr/newsrelease/2000/2-28.html
