(Town of Lenox, NY- March 2014) The Great Swamp Conservancy is in its second year of collaboration with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ FrogWatch USA Program.
The GSC chapter is one of five areas in New York state offering citizen science training sessions; the program allows individuals and families to learn about wetlands and help conserve amphibians by reporting calls of local frogs and toads.
The data collected is used to help develop practiced strategies for the conservation of these species.
Amphibians are indicators of environmental health. Many previously abundant frog and toad populations have experienced dramatic population decline in the U.S. and around the world, and it is essential that scientists understand the scope, geographic scale and cause of declines.
This is where citizens come in; scientists can’t be everywhere collecting amphibian data. This is a very educational, well-planned, national program. Kristin Burns is our new FrogWatch USA coordinator and is a SUNY Brockport graduate in environmental science.
A field trip to the GSC wetlands is planned for the next meeting at 7 p.m. April 9 to search for frog and toad eggs. Rusty Patane and Barbara Barker, also on the FrogWatch USA team, will help direct the participants. This is a unique opportunity of a lifetime to aid scientists in amphibian research that benefits wildlife and mankind.
This is a free program with many educational tools provided for the volunteers.
Come find out how many different frogs reside in New York state, which frog is endangered and which amphibians live in our local wetlands. The chapter meets monthly on Wednesday evenings. The members monitor two areas on the GSC property. There will be a walk to the ponds to see if we can locate frog and toad eggs before the training session. Wear rubber boots, it is a wetland area.
For more information, call 315.697.2950 for more information about this program designed for individuals and families.