Frogs, toads and salamanders

Frogs, toads and salamanders… you may wonder why you should care about these wetland creatures. There is a very important reason to watch over the health of this class of the animal kingdom - they are “our canary in the coal mine.”

Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in their environment, so threats to amphibians are threats to whole ecosystems. The National Park Service says:

“About one third of all amphibian species are in danger of extinction. Many animals rely on amphibians for food, so amphibian population declines can affect the entire ecosystem. Some of the threats amphibians face include disease, invasive species, climate change, drought, loss of wetlands, and habitat fragmentation. The good news is you can help amphibians right in your own backyard.”

Ways you can help include:

(Much of this information is from the National Park Service website)

• No touching- if you see an amphibian, just enjoy the view. The salts and oils from our hands can injure an amphibian as they are absorbed through its skin.

• Don’t dam or disturb any stream that may run through your property. Frogs and salamanders often live and lay eggs under rocks in streams, and moving those rocks may hurt them.

• Protect your watershed by reducing fertilizer and pesticide use, watering efficiently, reducing the amount of lawn or planting native grasses and plants that need less water.

• Some amphibians can be poisonous to pets, so keep an eye on them when they are outside.

• Provide shady protected places, and if possible a source of water for amphibians.

• Just like leaving the leaves in the fall is good for pollinators, it is good for amphibians too, providing them safe habitat in which to overwinter.

• Eat less meat. One of the major ways that amphibians are threatened is through habitat loss, and much of this loss comes from the destruction of their habitats.

  
  

re: wild has some more globally oriented suggestions.

 They include:

• Shop deforestation free - choose goods that are not made with ingredients that come from deforested land.

• Vote, asking your representatives to give priority to ecological diversity and the protection of wild spaces. 

  
  

Thanks for all you do to help the wild things and wild places!