Help conservation efforts by becoming a frog monitor

Become a Citizen Scientist and be a frog monitor. There are two upcoming workshops in Kane and McHenry counties.

Monitoring is easy. Visit a specific wetland at least three times between March and June to identify frogs by their calls. Recordings of the various calls will be provided. Experts will provide the training, which includes visually identifying amphibians, listening techniques, and other pertinent information.

In conjunction with Chicago Wilderness, the St. Charles Park District and the McHenry County Conservation District are sponsoring programs to gather information on the abundance and distribution of frogs and toads throughout the region. The recorded data is utilized by land managers throughout the region.

This project is coordinated by the Chicago Wilderness Habitat Project. For more information, call Wildlife Resource Center Manager Sara Denham at (815) 728-8307 or check out frogsurvey.org.

• The St. Charles Park District will host a workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in James O. Breen Community Park, 3795 Campton Hills Road in St. Charles. Volunteers are needed. For information on the Kane County session, contact Pam Otto at potto@stcparks.org or (630) 513-4346.

• McHenry County Conservation District's Frog Monitoring Workshop will be 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Prairieview Education Center, 2112 Behan Road, Crystal Lake. You will learn the techniques and protocol for monitoring the 13 species of frogs and toads of our region by their calls. After completing the training, interested volunteers may monitor district sites or private wetlands. This free program is for all ages 12 and older, but preregistration is required to ensure enough materials are available for participants. Visit www.MCCDistrict.org or call (815) 479-5779.