Frog Watch USA Chapter Launches in Montgomery County
Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has launched its first chapter of FrogWatch USA and the first volunteer training sesssion is already booked to capacity.
This nationwide volunteer frog and toad monitoring program is run by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Volunteers are trained to identify frog and toad calls at a wetland site and to report their data online. Data is compiled and analyzed to influence conservation strategies for frog and toad species, and their habitats. According to DEP’s website, frogs and toads are pollution sensitive organisms and are indicators of environmental health.
Organizers said the local chapter is an opportunity for Montgomery County residents to participate in citizen science and to learn more about the amphibians and the wetlands they call home.
The first training session for volunteers is scheduled for Jan. 30 at the Rockville Library. This session, as mentioned above, is already filled.
Topics to be discussed include:
–Introduction to FrogWatch and Volunteer Commitments
–Importance of Frogs and Toads
–Site Registration
–Monitoring Protocols
–Species in Montgomery County
The second training session will be scheduled sometime during the monitoring season, which runs from February – August.
You can find out more information about the new Frog Watch USA chapter on the DEP’s website at https://montgomerycountymd.mygreenmontgomery.org/frogwatch/.
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