A Nov. 10 workshop at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores shows you how to help frogs by cataloging their croaks. The Frog Call Workshop, from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Aquarium, outlines ways to distinguish the breeding calls unique to each of the 30 frog species and toad species in the state.

The workshop also covers methods to report your findings so they can be used in developing conservation programs. The workshop is free but space is limited and advance registration is recommended.

Pollution, habitat loss and disease imperil frogs, toads and other amphibians worldwide. Tracking the number and diversity of frog and toad calls in various places portrays how different populations are faring. The Aquarium is a chapter of FrogWatch, a national program surveying local sites for breeding frogs and toads through a network of call-tracking volunteers. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission manages a similar statewide volunteer-based survey program, the Calling Amphibian Survey Program (CASP).

The two programs team up to offer the special training and recruit new volunteers with the Nov. 10 workshop. It is geared toward conservation-minded residents, ages 12 and up, interested in learning more about frogs and toads and possibly in volunteering for frog-call survey programs. Current volunteers who would like to refresh their skills also are encouraged to attend. In addition to field identification of frog and toad calls, the workshop covers species identification and ecology, and FrogWatch and CASP protocols.  Register online or call 252-247-4003.

The Frog Call Workshop is a special after-hours event. Exhibit galleries will be closed and admission to the Aquarium will be limited to workshop participants.

The Aquarium is five miles west of Atlantic Beach at 1 Roosevelt Blvd., Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512. Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days. Admission is $8 for ages 13-61, $7 for ages 62 and up and $6 for ages 3-12. Children 2 and under and members of the North Carolina Aquariums are admitted free.  See the Pine Knoll Shores section of www.ncaquariums.com or call 252-247-4003 for more information on the workshop or the Aquarium.

Editor’s note: The above is a press release from the N.C. Aquariums.

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