Amphibian Monitoring Project Volunteer Training Sessions March 28, 2009

With the warm weather soon arriving, it is time to venture outside and become a volunteer for the second field season of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s Amphibian Monitoring Project. Leap into action and attend a family-friendly training session at the aquarium on Saturday, March 28 or April 18 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Last year – a year deemed the “Year of the Frog” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, more than 160 citizen scientists helped collect data on local frog, toad and salamander populations throughout the late spring and summer seasons. Data was collected monthly at Bluff Point State Park and Pequot Woods in Groton and a conservation site at the aquarium.

The data was sent to the Department of Environmental Protection so that both groups can monitor the populations year to year.

“There were no good numbers for amphibians in this area before the project,” said MaryEllen Mateleska, instructor and public conservation programs manager at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, divisions of Sea Research Foundation, Inc. “Amphibians are environmental indicators, so it is important that we monitor the populations to determine if and how our surroundings are changing.”

Cost: Free. Registration is required. Visit www.mysticaquarium.org to register.

For more information, call MaryEllen Mateleska, instructor and public conservation programs manager, at (860) 572-5955, ext. 156, or visit www.mysticaquarium.org.