|
 Great
Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Habitat Restoration Featured
in Partnership for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Newsletter
(PARC) Newsletter
Homeowner's
Guide to Protecting Frogs - Lawn and Garden Care
[pdf
file]
Currently,
there are 21 amphibian species classified as endangered
or threatened and 11 species waiting to be listed. Overall
frog and salamander numbers are declining and the cause,
or causes, have not been determined.
Possible causes
include:
- Changes in climate
- acid rain, ultraviolet radiation, drought, ozone layer
depletion, etc.
- Loss of wetlands
- Invasive predators
(such as trout and bullfrogs)
- Disease (bacteria,
viruses, fungus) or parasites
- Pollution -
pesticides, fertilizers, heavy
metals, etc.
How
is the Division of Environmental Contaminants Involved in
Studying Amphibian Declines and Deformities (malformations)?
Evaluating
the Health of Our National Wildlife Refuges: Amphibian Malformations
 |
| Service
Biologist, shows Girl Scouts how to catch frogs at Patuxent
Research Refuge and National Wildlife Visitor Center
in Maryland. |
The Service helps
conserve habitat for fish and wildlife through the National
Wildlife Refuge System, the world's largest and most diverse
collection of lands set aside specifically for wildlife. To
ensure the health of this habitat, Service environmental contaminant
specialists monitor the effects of contamination on fish and
wildlife found on refuges. Many amphibian species are sensitive
to a variety of environmental stresses and may be good early
indicators of the health of their environment. For this reason,
the Service has a keen interest in determining if amphibian
deformities are occurring on National Wildlife Refuges. On
July 6, 2000, the Service launched a nationwide survey of
malformed amphibians on wildlife refuges. If malformed amphibians
are found, the Service will then seek to identify the cause,
or causes, of the malformations and provide concrete management
guidelines for wildlife refuges and other land managers to
address the problem.
MORE INFORMATION:
What's
Happening to the Frogs? (July 6, 2000
- FWS Press Release on Launch of Nationwide Refuge Surveys)
Fact
Sheet on Amphibian Deformities and Refuges (pdf
file)
Water Quality
The Service works
with States, local communities, and other Federal agencies to
ensure that water quality
standards protect natural resources. The Service's expertise
in determining the effect of proposed standards on fish and
wildlife resources is broadly recognized. It is this expertise
which is used in developing protective standards.
The Task for
on Amphibian Declines and Deformities
Environmental contaminants
staff participate in the Task Force on Amphibian Declines
and Deformities (TADD). TADD was established by Secretary
of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, in response to concerns about
the declining numbers and overall health of amphibian populations.
TADD's mission is to "promote and coordinate Federal agency
activities to identify the factors responsible for population
declines, and implement conservation and management activities
to arrest or reverse these declines". The Service's Division
of Environmental Contaminants is an active participant in
three of the TADD Working Groups: Science, Conservation, and
International Affairs.
What
Can You Do To Help Amphibians?
You can help keep the environment clean and the frogs healthy
by changing the way you care for your yard. Check out our
Homeowner's
Guide to Protecting Frogs - Lawn and Garden Care.
Links to amphibian
decline and deformity sites and information:
A New Threat to
Frogs (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Endangered
Species Bulletin. September/October 2000) (pdf
file) - http://endangered.fws.gov/esb/2000/09-10/12-13.pdf
Amphibian
Declines: an issue overview [pdf
file]. Task force on Amphibian Declines and Deformities.
FrogWeb: Focus
on Amphibian Declines and Deformities - http://www.frogweb.gov/index.html
Declining Amphibian
Populations Task Force - http://www2.open.ac.uk/Ecology/J_Baker/JBtxt.htm
U.S. Geological
Survey: Amphibian Declines and Deformities - http://www.usgs.gov/amphibians.html
Center for North
American Amphibians and Reptiles - http://eagle.cc.ukans.edu/~cnaar/CNAARHomePage.html
North American
Amphibian Monitoring Program -
http://www.mp2-pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp/
The Herptox Page:
The effects of environmental contaminants on reptiles and
amphibians - http://www.cciw.ca/green-lane/herptox/
North American
Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations - http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/narcam/
Amphibiaweb: Information
on all aspects of amphibian biology - http://www.amphibiaweb.org
University of
California, Berkeley - University of Washington: Declining
Amphibians Forum - http://scope.educ.washington.edu/amphib/
Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency: Deformed Frog Information - http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frog-latest.html
Links to
information for homeowners on proper use of fertilizers:
The Natural Resource
Conservation Service:
Lawn
and Garden Care
and Backyard
Conservation
Updated: July 14, 2004
|
