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:
View the FrogWatch USA flyer to learn more about the benefits of participation and why the efforts of volunteers like you are so vital.
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. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library, Western Soundscape Archive, and AmphibiaWeb also feature frog and toad calls for look up and practice.
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 treefrogs (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. FrogWatch USA data collection targets peak breeding season for all species across the nation and takes place from February through August.
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.
Become a FrogWatch USA volunteer
and attend a training near you!
View the video to learn more.
In addition to in-person training opportunities, an online volunteer training module is available for further enrichment.
FrogWatch USA volunteer training sessions are scheduled in preparation for the 2013 data collection season. Click on a link to learn more about a particular training opportunity and/or e-mail the associated chapter coordinator.
Arkansas
North Central Arkansas FrogWatch USA, Bull Shoals-White River State Park, Gaston Visitor Center (Bull Shoals, AR)
June 3, 2013; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Part 1)
June 10, 2013; 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Part 2)
Florida
Brevard Zoo, Education Dept. Mural Classrooms (Brevard, FL)
May 22, 2013; 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
August 21, 2013; 6:30 pm (Certification Session)
August 24, 2013; 6:30 pm (Certification Session)
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo (Tampa, FL) - Contact for details
June 6, 2013 (Introduction/Requalification)
July 3, 2013 (Frog calls)
August 1, 2013 (Assessment)
Massachusetts
Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA) - Registration required
May 25, 2013; 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Part 2 of 2)
New York
Great Swamp Conservancy, GSC Nature Center (Lenox, NY)
June 4, 2013; 7:00 pm
July 2, 2013; 7:00 pm
August 13, 2013; 7:00 pm
September 3, 2013; 7:00 pm (End of Season Meeting)
High Rock Park in the Greenbelt (Staten Island), Monthly field monitoring sessions - Registration required
June 19, 2013; 8:00 pm - Greenbelt Nature Center, Buttonbush Swamp
July 17, 2013; 8:00 pm - Nevada Ave. Parking Lot, High Rock Park
August 21, 2013; 8:00 pm - Nevada Ave. Parking Lot, High Rock Park
South Carolina
Greenville Zoo (Greenville, SC)
July 6, 2013; 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm (Group Event at Lake Conestee Nature Park)
Stay tuned for a session in your area or e-mail frogwatch@aza.org to inquire further.
Join a local FrogWatch USA Chapter
FrogWatch USA Chapters are hosted at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and other like-minded organizations. Chapter Coordinators recruit, train, and support local volunteers. There are currently 85 chapters established throughout the United States:
Alabama
Auburn University Museum of Natural History, Auburn
Birmingham Zoo, Birmingham
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, Birmingham
Arkansas
North Central Arkansas Master Naturalists
California
CuriOdyssey at Coyote Point, San Mateo
Sacramento Zoo, Sacramento
Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara
Sequoia Park Zoo, Eureka
Colorado
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs
Jefferson County Open Space, Golden
Grand Valley Zoological Quest, Grand Junction (Western Slope)
Connecticut
Mystic Aquarium, Mystic
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven
District of Columbia
Smithsonian National Zoological Park, NW Washington DC
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
Georgia
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance/Cascade Springs Nature Preserve, Atlanta
Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta
Illinois
Cosley Zoo, Wheaton
Henson Robinson Zoo , Springfield
Peoria Zoo, Peoria
Indiana
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Ft. Wayne
Monroe County Parks and Recreation, Bloomington
Potawatomi Zoo, South Bend
Iowa
National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, Dubuque
Kansas
Kansas Wetlands Education Center, Great Bend (Cheyenne Bottoms)
Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita
Louisiana
Audubon Zoo, New Orleans
Maryland
Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks, Ellicott City
Western Maryland FrogWatch at Frostburg State University, Frostburg
Massachusetts
Buttonwood Park Zoo, New Bedford
Zoo New England, Boston and Stoneham
Michigan
Barry Conservation District, Hastings
City High School, Grand Rapids
Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit
John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids
Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, West Olive
Potter Park Zoo, Lansing
Wittenbach/Wege Agriscience and Environmental Education Center, Lowell
Mississippi
Hattiesburg Zoo, Hattiesburg
Pascagoula River Audubon Center, Moss Point
Missouri
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City
Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis
Nebraska
Fontenelle Forest, North Bellevue
Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari, Ashland
New Jersey
Adventure Aquarium and New Jersey Academy for Aquatic Sciences, Camden
Jenkinson's Aquarium, Point Pleasant Beach
New York
Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo
The Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx and Queens Zoos
Great Swamp Conservancy, Lenox
Greenbelt High Rock Park, Staten Island
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park, Syracuse
Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester
Wild Spirit Education, Delevan
North Carolina
North Carolina Aquarium, Kure Beach and Pine Knoll Shores
Ohio
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland
Hiram College, Hiram
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, Akron
Oklahoma
Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum, Tulsa
Oregon
Oregon Zoo, Portland
Pennsylvania
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Erie Zoo, Erie
Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville
Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Pittsburgh
Rhode Island
Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence
South Carolina
Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet
Greenville Zoo, Greenville
Tennessee
Chattanooga Zoo, Chattanooga
Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville
Nashville Zoo, Nashville
Texas
San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio
Utah
Utah's Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City
Virginia
Maymont Foundation, Richmond
Mill Mountain Zoo, Roanoke
Nature Zone, Lynchburg
Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, Virginia Beach
Virginia Zoo, Norfolk
West Virginia
Oglebay's Good Zoo, Wheeling
Wisconsin
Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo, Green Bay
Racine Zoo, Racine
If a Chapter is not available near you, contact frogwatch@aza.org.