Rising Tide Explorers is hosting FrogWatch, a community science effort open to everyone wanting to come help our amphibians in need.
“Frogs do for the night what birds do for the day: They give it a voice.” -Dr. Archie Carr
Each summer, people around the USA gather on warm, humid nights to go out into their community and do something that they may rarely get to do: just listen. They are listening for something specific, a sound delicately floating on the breeze through the night sky. They are waiting for the call of… FROGS!
FrogWatch USA is a community science initiative that was developed by the Akron Zoo in 1998, and similar programs followed their blueprint in our area just a couple years later in 2000 through the Southwest Florida Amphibian Monitoring Network. These programs invite community members to join local meetups to listen for frog calls and work together to identify the species that are calling. This may be some attendees’ first time participating in FrogWatch this summer, but there may also be some other attendees that have been listening to the frogs for decades now. One such participant is Becky Speer, Recreation Coordinator for Naples Preserve, who has been attending FrogWatch events in our area for over 15 years. In her own words, Ms. Speer says, “Running the route on the third Wednesday of the month was a real adventure. So many species of frogs and toads calling at a site. The deafening sound of green tree frogs. squirrel tree frogs, and oak toads chorusing. Barred owls swooping down to catch a frog for a midnight snack. Crayfish, frogs, and toads either sitting on or crossing the road making driving a straight path impossible. Loud calls of night birds. It was so much fun that we often got together and went out on unscheduled nights.”
By coming together and assessing species’ abundance in an area over decades, the data gathered through these events helps scientists better keep track of how amphibian populations are doing in different areas of the country. This is important because frogs are known as indicator species, like the canaries in the coalmine for our wetlands. Since they are so susceptible to threats like air and water pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, etc., their abundance is a good proxy for the overall health of the ecosystem. They are also a key linkage in food webs, helping energy flow from the small animals they often eat like roaches, flies, and spiders up to the larger predators that may eat them like alligators, birds, and bobcats.
Unfortunately, our area of Southwest Florida has undergone massive over development over the last century and a half, converting frog habitats into human ones. As Ms. Speers recounts, “Because of the development in Collier County, our FrogWatch route is no longer the same. We still have fun being together, but much of what we enjoyed is gone. We no longer hear species such as the pinewoods tree frogs. We no longer see or hear the barred owls – could it be because the frogs are gone?” Ms. Speer’s statement highlights why FrogWatch is such an important program: without our data, we may have no insight into how frogs, our important indicator species, are faring. We need to shine a light on them (literally and metaphorically) to better understand where and why they are declining, what areas still host healthy amphibian populations, and what management decisions need to be made to better conserve our precious wetlands and the life within them for the future.
Here in Naples, our local chapter of FrogWatch is hosted by Rising Tide Explorers and traverses three separate locations: East Naples Community Park, our collaborators at Naples Botanical Garden, and Naples Outfitters (RTE’s official shop). The night involves a preliminary meetup where we’ll review the order of stops for the night and teach some of the frog calls we expect to hear. Then we will depart in a caravan to each site, gathering together to listen for calls and look for any frogs or toads we can find in a standardized three-minute sampling period, recording that data to contribute to the larger, nation-wide project.
This event is completely free and is accessible to absolutely anyone that wants to join, from Pre-K attendees to retirees! It’s a great way to learn about some of the wildlife that shares Southwest Florida as a home with you and to meet new friends that also love the environment as much as you do. The first introductory event of the summer will take place from 6:30-8:30 on Friday, June 27th at Naples Botanical Garden, and will include special presentations and activities to give everyone an idea of what the survey dates for the rest of the summer will entail. If you would like more information and are interested in attending our June 27th event, you can call (239)-262-6149 or register on EventBrite.
We can’t wait to have you all join us to celebrate these riveting ribbeters!
Written By Gerald Thompson
