Calling all wildlife watchers! The Iowa DNR will be hosting two more frog and toad call survey training workshops in 2024! There are still several spots available in our in person trainings in Mitchell and Montgomery Counties. These workshops are for anybody interested in getting involved in Iowa's Frog and Toad Call Survey which has been collecting data on our state's amphibians for over 30 years! Prospective surveyors must attend a training workshop.
The Frog and Toad Call Survey has a long tradition, starting in 1991. That was the first year a group of dedicated community scientists learned the frog and toad calls and trooped out into the night to visit wetlands across the state. Over the years, volunteers have collected data on over 2,200 wetlands and provided an incredible record of frog and toad activity.
Program coordinator Stephanie Shepherd explains, “It's rare to have such a broad set of data collected over so many years on ONE species, much less a whole group of vulnerable species.”
To get involved with the frog and toad call survey you will need an adventurous spirit and the interest to learn up to 16 frog and toad breeding calls. You can check out a few of those calls in our wildlife sound library!
Interested volunteers should first visit https://www.iowadnr.gov/vwmp and read through the survey requirements to see if it is something you'd have the time for and an interest in! You can then see whether there are any survey routes nearby that need a monitor by browsing the maps of available routes. Surveyors are especially need in Montgomery and Mitchell counties and surrounding counties. If you don't see an available route near you, creating your own survey route is also an option!
The time commitment for conducting the survey and submitting data is roughly 10 hours total between April and July each year and will require being out after dark for roughly 2 hours during each survey period. Workshops are most appropriate for adults or older children (12+).
Each workshop has limited seats available and a $10.00 fee is required. Registration will close a week prior to the workshops or whenever the workshops have been filled. Direct questions to Stephanie at vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.
Interested volunteers must attend a training workshop. Register to grab a spot in the workshop today!
IN PERSON:
A huge THANK YOU to Montgomery County Conservation Board and Mitchell County Conservation Board for hosting the workshops. Go check them out to see all the cool things they do!
There is a $10 fee to cover workshop materials. To learn more about the survey visit the DNR Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program webpage.