The frogs are calling. The question is, will Georgians who know what they’re hearing answer?

The second year of a calling frog survey in Georgia starts Jan. 15.

There are 78 survey routes but only about 30 volunteers lined up to

cover them. John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with the state

Department of Natural Resources, needs some 50 more listeners who can decipher the croaks, trills and peeps of Georgia’s 31 frog species.

It’s not as hard as it sounds. “They’re a lot easier to learn than birds,” Jensen said, explaining that the season, place and call patterns trim the list of frogs that might be sounding off on a route.

The effort is important. The North American Amphibian Monitoring

Program survey developed by the U.S. Geological Survey is aimed at

tracking regional and national trends in frog distribution and

abundance. Given the sensitivity of amphibians to air and water quality

changes, those trends can signal environmental problems and shape

conservation priorities.

But in Georgia, baseline data is needed first. “You’ve got to know

what you’ve got before you know where it’s going,” Jensen said.

Which means more survey volunteers with an ear and even a heart for

frogs.

Before being assigned one of the pre-set routes scattered across the

state, participants must pass an online quiz testing their ability to

audibly identify frog species. Helpful resources include
http://www.ugapress.org/AmphibsandReptiles.html

, which features

recordings and photographs as a supplement to the new reference

“Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia.” The DNR Wildlife Resources

Division also has available the compact disk "Calls of the Wild -

Vocalizations of Georgia's Frogs.” The “public” quiz at
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/

allows would-be monitors to test

their skills.

Volunteers are asked to commit to the survey for at least three years,

underscoring the need for consistency in such citizen-science projects.

Routes are run three nights a year, once each in three call periods:

Jan. 15-Feb. 28, March 15-April 30 and May 15-June 30.

To sign up or find out more, contact Jensen at Wildlife Resources’

Nongame Conservation Section in Forsyth, (478) 994-1438 or
john.jensen@gadnr.org

. Details on the North American Amphibian

Monitoring Program are available athttp://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/

.

Copies of “Calls of the Wild” are $15.36 each, including sales tax

and shipping. Mail a check payable to Wildlife Conservation Fund to GA DNR/WRD, Nongame Conservation Section, 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, Ga.  31029, ATTN: Frogs of Georgia CD.

Georgians who buy a license plate featuring a bald eagle or a

ruby-throated hummingbird help conserve frogs and other nongame

wildlife. Sales of the plates, as well as donations to the Give Wildlife

a Chance state income tax checkoff, are vital to the Nongame

Conservation Section. This Wildlife Resources Division section receives no state funds for its mission to help conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural

habitats.

The plates are available for a one-time $25 fee at county tag offices,

by checking the wildlife license plate box on mail-in registrations and

through online renewals (http://mvd.dor.ga.gov/tags

).

Frog photos: Rick Lavender (rick.lavender@gadnr.org

) or Public Affairs (770.918.6400).

Details on "Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia:” www.ugapress.uga.edu/.

DNR RSS news feeds: www.gadnr.org.

Wildlife Resources Division contacts:

Kristina Summers, public affairs specialist - (770) 918-6791;
kristina.summers@gadnr.org

Karen Hoydick, wildlife interpretive specialist - (770) 784-3059;
karen.hoydick@gadnr.org