The Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey gets underway in coming weeks, and volunteers are likely to hear more of the booming call of the American bullfrog this summer when its mating season begins.
Wisconsin's largest frog appears to be staging a comeback as well, a trend documented by hundreds of volunteers.
DNR conservationist Andrew Badje coordinates the survey. The survey was created in 1984 as a way for volunteers to help the staff-limited DNR get more research data....
"....we want ot have a broad and thorough coverage across the state and where they are calling. We want to figure out a couple of things: distribution and we also want to document how species are doing population and range-wise throughout the state...."
The survey was initiated as a response to known and suspected declines in the 1960s and 70s in numerous Wisconsin frog species, including the northern leopard frog, American bullfrog, pickerel frog, and Blanchard's cricket frog. The DNR has limited the number of wild bullfrogs taken.
Badje says one positive sign is the return of the well-known American bullfrog...
"...they were over-harvested back in the day for biological supply reasons as well as the food market. American bullfrogs were the species people would eat frog legs, so there was a big market back in the 1900's until recently for that particular species...."
Badje says volunteers have been hearing more of the bullfrog during their spring mating calls. Badje says the survey is the longest running citizen science amphibian calling survey in North America.
Volunteers are needed again this year in certain areas. Badje says you can call him(608-785-9472) for more information or you can go to the DNR website and put in Frog and Toad survey in the searchbox and we have a link here.
