Spring rains are bringing out amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders, who now begin the sometimes treacherous journey to breeding grounds.
As the sun sets, music fills the air. But, this music is not the local band gearing up, it is the song of the amphibians. Spring time brings rain, which fills the vernal ponds where amphibians lay their eggs, ensuring another generation.
For many amphibians, these unique vernal ponds are up to a mile away. The journey to reach them can spell death.
According to the Rainforest Alliance, most species of amphibians are on the decline. The reason is not just changing temperatures. It also is because roads now cut off the creatures from their breeding grounds. Each year, many amphibians are killed crossing the road.
Some states now have vigilant citizens watching the roads, while others have put up signs warning motorists of amphibians crossing the road.
What To Look For:
- During and after brief rain showers, frogs and salamanders head out. It is often around dusk when they begin their journey.
- Areas surrounded by marshland or woods with small ponds often attract the creatures.
- Look for a shine that comes off the backs of the amphibians when your headlights light the road.
- Slow down and enjoy their songs instead of running them over.
National Campaigns For Frogs
The Rainforest Alliance feels especially strongly about frogs and uses one on its seal. The group is teaming up with Amphibian Ark's campaign to make 2008 the year of the frog. Besides raising awareness, the campaign also hopes to save the special creatures.
Estimates show that nearly one-third to one-half of the 6,000 amphibian species are facing extinction, reports the Alliance website. In order to counteract the extinction possibility, zoos and preservation organizations are joining together to talk about these unique creatures.
The staff of Amphibian Ark is also looking at amphibians as indicators of climate change and other risks to the environment. According to the website, 165 species of amphibians may have already gone extinct. Once a species is extinct, there is no way to get it back.
It is also estimated that 500 species of amphibians are already so close to extinction, not even the hardest work could save them. That means, your children and their children, will never be able to see that species, except maybe in a museum.
"Amphibians profoundly enhance our lives and our world in countless ways," reads the Ark's website. "They provide vital biomedicines, including compounds that are being refined for analgesics, antibiotics, stimulants for heart attack victims, and treatments for diverse diseases including depression, stroke, seizures, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. The Australian red-eyed treefrog (Litoria chloris) and relatives give us a compound capable of preventing HIV infection, the cause of AIDS."
The Ark organization and their partners are hoping their efforts to reach out to local organizations and push for national funding will help slow the deaths of some of nature's best musicians.
