LINCOLN PARK — Spring peepers and other area frogs and toads, prepare to be counted.
The Lincoln Park Conservancy has fully booked its annual Frog Call Monitoring training program this weekend.
"We're booked full for Saturday at 30 registrants and we had a wait list for the first time," Conservancy spokeswoman Luciana Bonifazi said Thursday. "Next year we'll likely be doing two training dates to accommodate the growing number of volunteers concerned about frog populations!"
Due to their sensitive skin and habitats in water and on damp land, frogs and toads are considered to be "indicator species," or more metaphorically the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to the overall health of a given environment.
On Saturday in Lincoln Park, volunteers will be taught to recognize the different mating calls of frogs and toads. They'll then select an area such as North Pond or any other natural area in Chicago's parklands and listen for the presence of frogs and toads three times between March 15 and July 10, for a total of six hours. They'll report and share data online with volunteers across the state.
"The data you collect provides valuable information about the health of natural areas and ponds," according to the Conservancy. "Little is known about the status of your parks' native frogs, so we need your help!"
