Become a FrogWatch USA Volunteer
You do not have to be a frog or toad expert to be a FrogWatch USA volunteer; all you need is an interest in frogs and toads and a willingness to participate in a volunteer training session at your local FrogWatch USA Chapter, hosted by AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums nationwide, and a commitment to monitor a site for 3 minutes at least twice a week throughout the breeding season.
Frog and toad breeding season generally extends from late January through August depending upon temperature, rainfall, length of the day, and biological factors for a specific locality and each species. A species may call year round in one part of the country and only for a few months in another place, as can be seen with green tree frogs (Hyla cinera) in Florida and Maryland. Some species can be heard vocalizing early in the year, such as wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), while the breeding season for others, such as cricket frogs (Acris spp.), starts later in the year.
Local Frogs and Toads
To find out which frogs and toads are in your area and hear their calls, review our Frogs and Toads by State List or a field guide. You can also test your identification skills by taking the U.S. Geological Survey’s Frog Quiz.
Volunteer Training
Volunteer training emphasizes the nature of science as it relates to frog and toad call identification and reporting. Lecture and course material focuses on the ways in which the volunteers contribute to the FrogWatch USA’s base of scientific data by following scientific and standardized data collection protocols and local frog and toad species as well as their basic natural history, range, and mating calls.
Upcoming Training Sessions
Florida
Brevard Zoo
February 8, 2012; 4:30-8:30 pm
February 11, 2012; 4:30-8:30 pm
April 11, 2012; 4:30-8:30 pm
April 14, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
May 23, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
June 20, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
July 25, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
August 22, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
August 25, 2012; 4:30-8:30pm
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
February 11, 2012; 1:00-5:00pm
Illinois
Henson Robinson Zoo
February 9 and February 16, 2012; 6:00-8:00 pm
February 19 and February 26, 2012; 4:00-6:00 pm
Missouri
Saint Louis Zoo
February 26, 2012; 10:00 am-12:30 pm
March 24, 2012; 10:00 am-12:30 pm
March 28, 2012; 7:00-9:00 pm (certification)
New Jersey
Jenkinson's Aquarium
February 29, 2012; 6:00-8:00 pm
March 21, 2012; 6:00-8:00 pm
Pennsylvania
Lehigh Valley Zoo
February 4, 2012; 1:00-3:00 pm
February 11, 2012; 1:00-3:00 pm
February 18, 2012; 1:00-3:00 pm
Rhode Island
Roger Williams Park Zoo
February 11, 2012; 10:00 am-12:00 pm
March 7, 2012; 6:00-8:00 pm
March 24, 2012; 10:00am-12:00 pm
April 12, 2012; 6:00-8:00 pm
South Carolina
Greenville Zoo
February 4, 2012; 10:00 am-3:00 pm
February 25, 2012; 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Tennessee
Chatanooga Zoo
March 3, 2012
March 31, 2012
Knoxville Zoo
January 21, 2012; 10:00 am-3:00 pm
February 12, 2012; 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Utah
Utah's Hogle Zoo
March 8 and March 9, 2012; 6:00-8:00pm
March 10 and March 17, 2012; 2:00-4:00pm
Virginia
Lynchburg Nature Zone
March 10, 2012; 3:00-5:00pm
Virginia Zoo
March 11, 2012; 5:00pm
March 18, 2012; 5:00pm
West Virginia
Oglebay's Good Zoo
March 11, 2012; 1:00 pm-5:00 pm
Join a local FrogWatch USA Chapter
Alabama
Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham
California
Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara
Sequoia Park Zoo, Eureka
Colorado
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs
Connecticut
Mystic Aquarium, Mystic
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven
Florida
Brevard Zoo, Melbourne
Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Gainesville
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, St. Augustine
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa
Zoo Miami, Miami
Illinois
Henson Robinson Zoo, Springfield
Indiana
Monroe County Parks and Recreation, Bloomington
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Ft. Wayne
Iowa
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque
Maryland
Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks, Ellicott City
Massachusetts
Zoo New England, Boston and Stoneham
Michigan
Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit
Missouri
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City
Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis
New Jersey
Jenkinson's Aquarium, Point Pleasant Beach
New York
The Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx and Queens Zoos, New York
North Carolina
North Carolina Aquarium, Kure Beach and Pine Knoll Shores
Ohio
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, Akron
Oregon
Oregon Zoo, Portland
Pennsylvania
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville
Rhode Island
Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence
South Carolina
Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet
Greenville Zoo, Greenville
Tennessee
Chattanooga Zoo, Chattanooga
Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville
Texas
San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio
Utah
Utah's Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City
Virginia
Nature Zone, Lynchburg
Virginia Zoo, Norfolk
West Virginia
Oglebay's Good Zoo, Wheeling
If a Chapter is not available near you, contact frogwatch@aza.org.