News

Ribbit! Hear the love songs of frogs on Valentine's Day

Posted February 11, 2009 10:00 pm

By Crystal Mack Daily Herald correspondent

A gray tree frog is an amphibian found in Kane County. Courtesy Charles Peterson, River Valley Photographic Resources

This Valentine's Day, show some love for Kermit and his friends.

The St. Charles Park District will be holding a frog monitoring workshop at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Pottawatomie Community Center.

If the only frog song you know involves a banjo and lyrics about rainbows, this class will help you learn more about why it's not easy being green.

"Frogs have a universal likability," said Pam Otto, manager of nature programs for the park district. "Being a part of this survey can help make a difference in their lives."

Part of the Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project, the workshop trains volunteers to learn the distinctive calls of twelve different amphibians. From the gulp of the green frog, to the loud snore of the northern leopard frog, participants will be able to distinguish each species' song.

This knowledge is used to help monitor frog populations in various Chicagoland habitats.

Frogs work as great indicators for both water and land quality, since they spend part of the lives in each environment. If large sums of frogs disappear from an area, it is a clue that something is amiss.

"We search for trends over a period of time, looking to see how weather patterns and man-made environmental modifications are affecting their lives," Otto said.

Trainees will be able to take auditory surveys of different neighborhoods, parks and wetlands and report their findings to the project's online database.

This data has helped researchers find that the cricket frog, once almost completely absent from Kane County, is starting to make a comeback.

In addition to learning the different calls, participants will also discover more about amphibians' behavior and local ecology.

"It's a great way to get in touch with nature," said Otto. "You never know what you'll hear when you're out there."

"The Rainbow Connection," perhaps?

A "smiling" bullfrog is among the frogs whose vocalizations may be heard at Saturday's frog monitoring workshop in St. Charles. Courtesy Charles Peterson, River Valley Photographic Resources

An American toad mating "frenzy" is common at this time of year in Kane County. Courtesy Charles Peterson, River Valley Photographic Resources

Frog monitoring workshop When: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 14 Where: Pottawatomie Community Center, 8 North Ave., St. Charles Cost: There is no fee. Info: Call Pam Otto at (630) 513-4346. Interested parties who cannot make the workshop have the option of getting involved via leaning materials.