[...] thanks to Hollywood, a recording of Pacific tree frogs "ribbiting" has been used in movies for almost a century to depict all frogs across the United States, said Tom Krohn of Yellville. Last year, Krohn and his wife, Peggy Krohn, founded two Arkansas chapters of FrogWatch USA, a citizen science program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Tom Krohn travels the state putting on presentations about the auditory aspects of anurans, the taxonomic order that includes frogs and toads. During the hour-long lecture, he teaches attendees to mimic the sounds of four Arkansas anurans: the American bullfrog, the spring peeper, Fowler's toad and the dwarf American toad, which Krohn described as the "most musical of all the toads we have in Arkansas." When a crowd of about 20 people croaked, trilled and peeped in chorus for Krohn last month at the Boone County Library in Harrison, it was a bit more cacophonous than one might expect on a spring night in the Ozark Mountain wilderness, with some of the frogs sounding a lot like sheep. FrogWatch has 103 chapters in 38 states and the District of Columbia, said Shelly Grow, director of conservation programs for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Silver Spring, Md. [...] FrogWatch chapters have trained more than 3,000 people to discern the sounds made by different types of frogs and toads, she said. Anurans play an important role as both prey and predator in wetland ecosystems and are considered indicators of environmental health, according to the national FrogWatch website. "Many previously abundant frog and toad populations have experienced dramatic population declines both in the United States and around the world, and it's essential that scientists understand the scope, geographic scale, and cause of these declines," a message on the website states. Frogs and toads are at risk because of habitat loss, pollution and chemical contamination, environmental changes, disease and harvesting, Krohn said. Frogs can take in oxygen and water through their skin, so they're particularly sensitive to water quality, said Krohn. If they're interested in taking the next step in frog conservation, they can take a training session in which they learn about the sounds of all anurans that might be in their area. If a person learns the sounds of the anurans on his property, and the number or variety decreases, it could signal an environmental concern such as pollution or a disease that affects frogs, said Krohn.
Frogs Are Croaking In Arkansas Hill Country
By BILL BOWDEN, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, San Antonio Express-News: World
Sat, 03/29/2014 - 11:36pm
Topics: hollywood pacific yellville frogwatch usa tom fowler american boone county library harrison ozark mountain columbia shelly grow silver spring md frogwatch anurans if united states krohn arkansas frogwatch association zoos aquariums frogs sounds toads toad environmental chapters website conservation declines disease pollution people water
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