Why Monitor Frogs?

In the same way that thermometers measure temperature, amphibians and other species of plants and animals can be used as indicators of environmental health.

• Amphibians are particularly vulnerable to changes in the environment.
• They live both in water and on land.
• Water must be available for reproduction.
• Disturbances or destruction to either habitat (land or water) can affect amphibians.
• Amphibian skin is sensitive to environmental contaminants such as greenhouse gases, acid rain, and chemical contaminants such as fertilizers and pesticides.
• The sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage an amphibian's delicate skin.

When amphibians start to disappear, we are warned that all is not well in the environment.

Did you know that amphibians breathe and drink through their skin?

As a FrogWatch Observer in Prince Edward Island, you can take action within your community to protect local wetlands. By simply listening for frog calls, we hope you will appreciate the importance of wetlands upon which many species depend. By monitoring the calls of frogs and toads throughout Prince Edward Island, valuable information about the location of frog and toad populations can be collected. Over the long-term, this data can be used to generate presence/absence information across a broad geographic range. As well, as the weather warms, we can monitor the south to north progression (phenology) of calls as amphibians wake from hibernation. Changes in calling dates over larger periods of time may indicate large scale climatic changes such as global warming.

The health of frog and toad populations is a good indicator of the quality of freshwater and wetland habitats. The first amphibian calls celebrate the arrival of spring, and tell us where healthy habitats are located.

For more information about Amphibians in Canada visit the Toronto Zoo's Adopt-a-Pond and Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network websites.