Alaska Herpetological Society
FrogWatch
AHS is excited to the newest chapter of FrogWatch! Are you interested in contributing to science meaningfully and advancing the field of herpetology in Alaska? If so, this may be the program for you!
Training is required to participate. Upcoming training dates:
Saturday April 23rd, 4PM-6PM in FAIRBANKS @ UAF Murie Auditorium
Sunday May 1st, 4PM-6PM in FAIRBANKS @ Creamer's Field Visitor Center
Spring 2016 marks the first season of AHS participation in FrogWatch USA. FrogWatch is a national citizen-science program designed to provide scientists with long-term amphibian population monitoring data on a large scale. While FrogWatch is a perfect match for amateur naturalists, herp enthusiasts, and outdoor recreationists, it is also meant to reconnect communities with nature by providing a quick, easy, and fun way to learn about local wetlands and amphibian populations.
FrogWatch USA was established by the U.S. Geological Survey. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums assumed control in 2009. The AZA has recently partnered with the National Geographic Society as part of its FieldScope project. FieldScope allows volunteers to submit their own data as well as explore the data of other volunteers via interactive maps and graphs. Volunteers have been collecting and submitting data for nearly 20 years! This project has provided invaluable knowledge on amphibian population trends in the United States, including declines commonly associated with the global amphibian crisis. While your individual contribution may not seem like much, the success of this project (and others like it) depends on individual contributions.
FrogWatch USA surveys are designed for individual, group, and family volunteers of all ages. The standardized protocol takes as little as five minutes to complete and requires only that you learn the mating calls of all frogs and toads native to your area - an easy task in Alaska! Volunteers are encouraged to monitor the same site, twice per week, throughout the breeding season. Sites can range from a pond at your local park to a spring-melt ditch in your backyard.
The Alaska Herpetological Society hosts a regional chapter of FrogWatch USA in Fairbanks. We are proud to be the first chapter established outside of the lower 48! If the Fairbanks chapter is met with strong community support and volunteer participation, additional chapters may be established in Anchorage and Southeast Alaska. FrogWatch volunteers do not need to be associated with a regional chapter, however, and may submit data from anywhere in the country. Volunteers located near a regional chapter are simply provided with all of the resources needed to be involved in the project, including proper volunteer training sessions.
For more information on how to get involved, please visit www.frogwatch.org or email Mark Spangler (maspangler@alaska.edu).
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