IOWA, USA — Things are about to get froggy around Iowa! The Iowa DNR is looking for volunteers to participate in the annual frog and toad call survey.
For the past 33 years, scientists and trained volunteers have trekked into wetlands across the state to collect data on frog and toad activity. Over the years, the resulting data set has covered more than 2,200 wetlands and produced one of the largest and most unique records of amphibian endeavors in the country.
“It's rare to have such a broad set of data collected over so many years on ONE species, much less a whole group of vulnerable species," said program coordinator Stephanie Shepherd in a press release.
According to the DNR, amphibian populations are on the decline globally with evidence showing they're sensitive to environmental changes.
Frogs and toads are said to be relatively easy to survey because they sing during breeding season and each species can be pinpointed through their own unique songs. In Iowa there are only about 16 species of frogs and toads to hear.
This spring, the DNR is hosting two in person training sessions for interested volunteers as well as two virtual zoom sessions:
- In person on Wednesday, April 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Montgomery County's Wolfe Nature Center
- In person on Wednesday, April 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Mitchell County's Milton R. Owen Nature Center
- Virtually on Monday, March 11 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
- Virtually on Saturday, March 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Each workshop has a $10 fee to cover training materials. Seats are limited and registration will close a week prior to the trainings or whenever all the spots are filled.
The time commitment for conducting the frog and toad call survey and submitting the data is about 10 hours total between April and July. It will require being outside after dark for about two hours during each survey period.
Once trained, volunteer monitors survey a series of 5-10 wet areas along a driving route. New volunteers can create their own route or choose from existing ones. When completing the survey, monitors drive along the route at night and record all of the species they can hear calling.
The workshops will cover up to 16 frog and toad breeding calls. You can check out a few of those in the Iowa DNR's wildlife sound library. Volunteers must attend a workshop to participate in the data collection.
If you're interested in signing up for a workshop, you're encouraged to first click here and read through the full list of survey requirements. If you scroll down the page in that same link, you can see the list of routes near you that are in need of a monitor.
Shepherd joined The Current on News 8 to discuss the upcoming training sessions and the importance of this volunteer network to the state's amphibian population. You can watch her full interview in the above video.
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