MN Frog Watch
Volunteer to participate in the Minnesota Frog and Toad Calling Survey, a nation-wide program to monitor the number and distribution of frogs and toad populations throughout the U.S. Minnesota Frog Watch is run by the DNR. Participants will be assigned to preselected routes and will be asked to conduct night-time 'listening surveys' on three evenings per year between April and July. Training materials (including audio tape), maps, and data forms will be provided. Volunteers need a vehicle and valid driver's license, good hearing, an interest in frog and toad conservation, a willingness to learn frog calls, and a desire to participate in the program for multiple years. The total time commitment is approximately 15 hours/year.

Streamside Salamander Home Contest!
NFW, the United States Geological Survey, and A Thousand Friends of Frogs announce a two year contest to develop and test structures that can be placed in good habitat for a number of eastern stream and spring salamanders considered to be in serious decline. The effort will yeild designs by citizens and naturalists that scientists can use to locate and sample populations of these amphibians. Cash prizes will be given for best 'salamander home' designs. For more information write to Sam Groege, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 12100 Beech Forest Drive, Laurel, MD 20708-4038

State Amphibian and Reptile
Find out how you can help name them.
State Amphibian - Species Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
State Reptile - State Amphibian Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

Frog Web Site Wins Awards Click here for more information.

Listen to the Frog CALL
Frog populations are declining around the world. Malformed frogs have been reported across North America and on other continents. Students from Minnesota to Florida monitor frog populations, and share their creative work with a global audience of schools, scientists, poets and painters. Frogs are indicating to us that something is happening to our environment, but will we listen to their Frog CALL?

In the production, Frog CALL, a really big frog (Alex) guides us through some of the challenges facing frogs as they become adults. This beautiful creature also shows us how amphibians act as indicators of environmental quality and how we humans can help amphibians and care for the environment.

For its first year, the production travelled to schools in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul and was viewed by over 2,500 students and teachers. This interactive production is aimed at grades 2-6 and lasts approximately 40 minutes. It was sponsored in part by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education.
Click here to read student reactions.

The Online H.Y.L.A. (Helping Your Local Amphibians) Course
A FREE online course was available to educators about frogs and the environment. Click here for more details.

Educator Activity Guide
Click here for information on the Educator's Activity Guide developed by the project or for other resources on amphibians.

Frog Trunks
Frogs trunks have been developed by the project staff and are available from the Science Museum of Minnesota. Check with the Science Museum of Minnesota for rental rates. These trunks contain an array of frog and amphibian materials which can be used by teachers to educate students about frogs and the challenges that face them. Contents include posters, learning activities, puppets, scientific materials, and of course some plastic dart frogs!! The trunks have been funded by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources.

New Partnerships Formed
1,000 Friends of Frogs Partners with the WISE project
Bring the mystery of the malformed frogs to your classroom with the WISE project! The Web-based Integrated Science Environment (WISE) project is looking for educators to incorporate The Deformed Frogs Mystery project into their classroom.
For more information on the WISE project, click here.

Friends of Frogs on federal Taskforce for Amphibian Declines and Deformities
Staff from the project are acting as education consultants to this federal taskforce which grew out of the challenges facing amphibians. This is a program based in the Department of the Interior and has funded specific research projects. Check out their web site by clicking here.

Friends of Frogs joins Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
A new organization to educate the public and policy-makers about the challenges facing amphibians and reptiles was founded last year. Called PARC, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is composed of various agencies and non-profits involved in education and research on these groups of animals. For more information on PARC, click here.