Current FrogWatch USA Volunteers
Welcome back and thank you for your support! AZA recognizes that your continued participation helps FrogWatch USA meet its educational and scientific goals. Your leadership in the community helps AZA meet one of its primary aims – connecting people with nature.
AZA, a nonprofit organization whose more than 220 accredited zoos and aquariums reach approximately 175 million visitors annually, assumed ownership and management of FrogWatch USA in 2009. AZA is committed to expanding the network of citizens who serve as knowledgeable and responsible wetland and amphibian stewards through the development of FrogWatch USA Chapters at local AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and like-minded organizations. Locate a FrogWatch USA Chapter near you.
Your previous experience as a FrogWatch USA volunteer and continued participation in this important citizen science program is fundamental to sustaining this program during its expansion.
Prepare for the 2013 Season
Practice Identifying Local Frog and Toad Calls
It is imperative that data are only submitted for species that you feel confident were identified correctly in the field. During the fall and winter, and before the FrogWatch USA season begins, refresh your memory about the frog and toad calls you will hear in your area by reviewing the Frogs and Toads by State List and then test your call identification skills throughout the season by taking the U.S. Geological Survey’s Frog Quiz.
Other sources for locating frog and toad species information and calls include: AmphibiaWeb, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library, Western Soundscape Archive, and MidWest Frogs. Many state and local resources are also available including, but not limited to, these for California, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
Monitoring Your Wetland Sites
AZA maintains records of the wetland sites current volunteers monitor. Please be sure to reference your site on all 2013 datasheets. If you would like to monitor a new site you must download and submit a site registration form. Learn more about how to select a new wetland site.
Review Monitoring Protocols
AZA is dedicated to maximizing the scientific value of the data being collected through FrogWatch USA’s standardized data collection protocols. Although it is up to you how often your site is monitored, it is recommended that each site be monitored at least twice a week throughout the breeding season. Before starting the 2013 season, be sure to review the FrogWatch USA monitoring protocols.
Data Recording
All data must be recorded on a FrogWatch USA datasheet and submitted to the AZA FrogWatch USA Office via email or regular mail; online data submission processes are in development, but not currently available. When completing your datasheets, please be sure to report all data, including monitoring visits when zero frog or toad calls were heard. Information about the absence of calls is just as valuable as information about their presence.
Datasheets should be submitted as soon as possible after each monitoring visit, preferably electronically, to: frogwatch@aza.org
If email is not available, datasheets may be sent via U.S. mail to:
FrogWatch USA Coordinator
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
8403 Colesville Road, Suite 710
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Upcoming Online Tools
AZA is pleased to be working with the National Geographic Society to develop and test an online citizen science, community geography tool called FieldScope. This tool will allow FrogWatch USA volunteers to upload, visualize, and analyze data online. Learn more about this project, generously supported by the National Science Foundation, and stay tuned for the arrival of FieldScope!