Frog ponds help endangered species close to home
When you hear about animals in danger of extinction, you probably picture exotic places from nature shows. But Brent Brock saw the problem closer to home when he returned to a city park pond in Topeka, Kan., that was home to thousands of frogs when he was a kid.
"It looks the same, but there are no frogs," he says. "Finally after about an hour of searching I found one lonely little bullfrog."
Amphibians are currently in crisis, and it's not just due to habitat loss.
Climate change and disease seem to be playing a role, but whatever the reason, about 46 percent of the 277 species of amphibians in the United States are at risk, according to Brock, program director for Tree Walkers International, an organization that encourages private individuals to get involved in amphibian conservation.
The bright side is that it's unlike the plight of pandas and polar bears in that you can help in a hands-on way. Because frogs and salamanders are secretive and nocturnal creatures, you may not see them - but they're out there, and probably quite nearby.
"You live closer to amphibians than you think," says David Mizejewski, author and naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation.
One way you can help is to build a pond - or if you've got one, modify it to make it more amphibian-friendly. Ornamental fish ponds are usually not well suited for amphibians, says Brock, and they may be lured away from more appropriate habitat to lay eggs, only to have them eaten by your fish.
Some simple modifications may help your existing pond work as amphibian habitat, and if you want to build one from scratch, it doesn't have to be elaborate - Brock installed one about half the size of a bathtub that cost less that $100.
Even without a pond, your yard can provide habitat for adult amphibians, many of which are less dependent on bodies of water outside breeding season. Perhaps the most important step is to minimize your use of pesticides and other chemicals, which not only affect amphibians directly - they absorb toxins through their delicate skin - but kill off the insects that they need for food.
In fact, helping amphibians might just mean less yard work. Minimize that chemical-laden lawn and instead plant native vegetation. And don't work so hard at cleanup; that pile of fallen woody debris is just the sort of place where you'd find amphibians in the wild.
Another way to help doesn't even require a yard: You can volunteer with Frogwatch. Participants go out after sunset to listen for frog calls, reporting data on weather and species of frogs heard. Shelly Grow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which recently started coordinating Frogwatch, says it's not that hard for the average person to learn to tell frog calls apart because you'll only be dealing with a handful of species at any given time.
Frogwatch volunteers don't have to live near pristine wilderness, or even a permanent body of water. Many amphibians reproduce in temporary ponds called vernal pools that dry up after the breeding season.
"Even if you live in a densely populated urban area, probably within a mile of where you are there's a wetland where you can participate," says Mizejewski.
The data collected can help scientists track changes in frog populations, which is crucial at a time when so many species are disappearing.
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On the Net:
For more information on wildlife-friendly backyards: www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife
Find lists of zoos that are holding Frogwatch training programs: http://www.aza.org/frogwatch/
Find amphibian pond guidelines under Operation Frog Pond at http://www.treewalkers.org/twidocs
<enter><table width="290" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"><tr><td> <p class="News"><b>Have a pond in your yard? Here's how to make it amphibian-friendly:</b></p> <p class="News">• Build gently sloping sides.</p> <p class="News">Most amphibians breed in fairly shallow water. Give them a choice of different relatively low depths.</p> <p class="News">• Choose appropriate plants.</p> <p class="News">Plants growing in the water at the edges of the pond are needed for laying eggs. A variety of vegetation surrounding the pond provides hiding places.</p> <p class="News">• Forget fish.</p> <p class="News">Large ornamental fish like koi and goldfish feed on eggs, tadpoles and larvae. Consider using your pond as a place to observe native wildlife instead of stocking it with fish.</p> <p class="News">• Keep pets away.</p> <p class="News">Keep pets away from your pond; amphibians have enough natural predators to deal with. And never release nonnative amphibians (or any other nonnative animals) outdoors. They'll not only compete with native species in your pond, but they'll head off and cause problems elsewhere, as well.</p></td></tr></table></center>