Spring migration is underway, and birders are breaking out their binoculars, but they’re not the only ones on the hunt to observe and document wildlife in their area.
Montgomery County Parks Naturalist Jackie Raiford told WTOP that 40 volunteers signed up this year for the Maryland county’s FrogWatch program, a nationwide community science program that monitors from frog populations and launched locally in 1998.
“Who would have thought there would be a group of people willing to go out in the woods at night, usually in the rain, looking and listening for slimy creatures and trying to figure out who’s calling?” Raiford said, adding that there’s a real interest in keeping tabs on the tadpoles, toads and frogs that populate area parks.
There are about a dozen frog species volunteers must learn to identify through FrogWatch, and the process focuses on sound rather than sight, with participants learning the distinctive calls of each species.
Once volunteers complete the training process, Raiford said they receive a permit, “which gives them access to our parks at night where they can monitor a wetland or a pond. They record which species they hear throughout the spring and the summer and that data feeds directly into how we manage habitats and track long term changes in our parks.”
Beyond their ability to devour insects and bug their human neighbors, frogs and toads offer important clues about the health of the local environment, said Raiford.
“Frogs have a special role because they serve as bio indicators for our waterways. And a bio indicator is basically like the canary in the coal mine. It tells us that something might be wrong,” Raiford said.
Because frogs have semi-permeable skin and live both on land and in water, they are very sensitive to pollution, said Raiford.
“If something’s off in one of our waterways, it impacts frogs first. So by tracking frogs, we’re keeping an eye on the overall health of our ecosystem,” Raiford added.
The chorus of frogs and toads heard across the region shifts from early spring to summer, moving from the distinctive spring peepers to the loud thrum of bullfrogs heard on summer nights.
WTOP asked Raiford if she had a favorite species, and she did.
“I am really partial to American toads. I just love them,” she said. “They kind of have a face that only a mother could love their you know, by some standards, a little bit ugly, but they have a beautiful singing voice, a beautiful trill that’s just so lovely to listen to. I could listen to it all night.”
“They’re easy to overlook, but they’re a really important part of our ecosystem, and they help us keep insect populations in check.” Raiford said. “I have this toad that hangs out in my garden and eats slugs, and every time I see her, I feel the need to thank her, because she’s such a great backyard neighbor.”
Recruitment for volunteers in Montgomery County’s FrogWatch program has ended, but to learn more about frogs in your backyard, or to sign up for the next volunteer opportunity, you can check the county’s Living With Frogs website.
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