BOB HAY
Gray treefrogs and Cope's gray treefrogs
ANDREA ZANI Under cover of darkness in spring and summer, Wisconsin’s wetlands practically roar with the sounds of nature. Raccoons quarrel, owls call and answer, and frogs and toads create a symphony of sound that fills the night air. It is the latter that draws dedicated volunteers to the longest-running amphibian monitoring project in North America, the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey. People like Heidi Conde of Eau Claire, a volunteer since 2010, work to identify and record the species they hear to help DNR biologists gain insights into the state’s frogs and toads. “Because the sense of sight is limited at night, the sense of hearing becomes more important,” Conde said. “I got involved because I think the survey is
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important research since amphibians are a good indicator species for water quality.” The information she and others collect is vital to scientists managing frog and toad populations, said Andrew Badje, DNR conservation biologist who co-coordinates the project with colleagues Rori Paloski and Tara Bergeson. “The Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey has done so much for frog and toad conservation in Wisconsin since it started in the early 1980s,” Badje said. “The program has done an exceptional job documenting annual status reports for all our species.” Northern leopard frog
ANDREW BADJE
Wisconsinites join forces for crucial monitoring project
Green frog