Greetings! Spring is upon us, and we are once again recruiting volunteers for the Minnesota Frog & Toad Calling Survey (MFTCS). I have already heard a rumor that frogs have been heard calling in some parts of the state with our recent warm weather!
If you are interested in frogs and toads, please read on. The survey entails going out on 3 evenings, after dark, and driving your assigned route of 10 stops. At each stop, you listen for 5 minutes and write down all of the species of frogs and toads that you hear calling, as well as some environmental information (if the moon is visible, # of cars that pass, distracting noise, and air temperature - it does require having a thermometer). We provide detailed instructions, route description and map, and the CD of Minnesota frog and toad calls. Once the survey is completed in July, you send in your completed data sheet to me. You run your route 3 times to account for different species calling at different times...you choose one evening between each of the following time periods, depending on your schedule and weather conditions (you don't run the survey if it's too cold or too windy/rainy to hear): Run 1 - April 15 - 30 Run 2 - May 20 - June 5 Run 3 - June 25 - July 10 Our survey (MFTCS) is part of a larger, multiple-state amphibian calling survey sponsored by USGSâs North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP). As of 2006, NAAMP has required all of itâs volunteers to take an annual online frog & toad call identification quiz if they are running a route. Therefore, all of our volunteers are encouraged to take the quiz, so NAAMP can use their data in their regional analyses. The quiz is a useful tool for learning and/or refreshing yourself on the frog and toad calls of the species found on your route, and you can take it over and over until you achieve a "passing" score of 65. Since you log in with your route number, the quiz includes only the species that may be present on your route (it does not include species from elsewhere in the state). The quiz does require access to the internet (preferably high-speed). To view a map of available routes (which is updated at least once a week), and to get more information on the survey, please visit our website at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteering/frogtoad_survey/index.html Unfortunately, we no longer have any routes available in the Twin Cities metro area, nor close to Duluth. We are seeking volunteers for rural Minnesota, as can be seen by our route availability map: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteering/frogtoad_survey/map.html Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering! Thank you, -Yvette __________________________________________________ Yvette Monstad Nongame Research Specialist Minnesota Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program Division of Ecological Services Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Rd., Box 25 St. Paul, MN 55155 Phone: (651) 259-5120 Fax: (651) 296-1811 [email protected] Volunteer for the Minnesota Frog & Toad Calling Survey! http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteering/frogtoad_survey/index.html
