Girl Scout Troop 750 out of Lansing, Kansas decided to educate people about Saving the Frogs for their Animal Service project. They made this poster and handed out educational cards with information on what they can do to help Save the Frogs!

Good job Troop 750 for your dedication to amphibian conservation by helping save the frogs! Want to help spread the word like these frog savers? Learn how here!

Toad-like ‘inner eye’ makes it hard to look away, York researcher says
The Canadian Press    December 15, 2011

Late is better than never, right? We’ll be adding the week in frog news to the FrogBlog every week now, thanks to Kristin Womack for taking charge of the compilation.

Frog News compiled by SAVE THE FROGS! Volunteer Kristin Womack

“I have lived in Scotts Valley since 1967. As a kid I spent a lot of time exploring the fields, forests, and wetlands of my home. Back then you couldn’t walk ten yards across a field without encountering a garter snake or two. There were small ponds and swampy areas all around that were just full of frogs and snakes and stuff. It was a really great place to grow up and through my early curiosity in all things cold-blooded I developed a real appreciation for and interest in snakes and frogs. The reason I am writing now is that for the first time I can remember, when I open my window at night I can not here a single frog…not one…all year.

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A new species of limbless amphibian Ichthyophis davidi from the
bordering districts of Goa and Karnataka states of Western Ghats

In a joint effort by the researchers Dr. Gopalakrishna Bhatta of Department of Biology, BASE Educational Services Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru; Dr. K.P. Dinesh and Dr. C. Radhakrishnan of Western Ghats Regional Centre, Calicut; Mr. P. Prashanth of Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Agumbe and Mr. Nirmal U Kulkarni of Mhadei Research Centre, Chorla Ghats have discovered a new species of limbless yellow striped caecilian from the Belgaum district of Karnataka which is part of the Western Ghats of India.
The new species Ichthyophis davidi is one of the largest known yellow striped caecilian from Western Ghats and is named in honor of Dr. David Gower, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London in recognition of his contributions to Indian caecilian studies. The common name suggested for the species is Chorla Giant striped Ichthyophis.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will conduct an in-depth status review of 374 rare southeastern aquatic, riparian and wetland animal and plant species and May Warrant Endangered Species Act Protection Includes 13 Amphibians and 12 Reptiles

Press Release-USF&WS 9/26/11
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will conduct an in-depth status review of 374 rare southeastern aquatic, riparian and wetland animal and plant species to determine if any or all of them warrant federal protection as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The Service made this decision, commonly known as a 90-day finding, after reviewing a petition seeking to add a total of 404 species to the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants and analyzing information about these species in its files. While this initial review found evidence to suggest that ESA protection may be warranted for 374 of these species, the Service will now undertake a more thorough status review before determining whether to propose any of them for listing.

The review will encompass 13 amphibians, six amphipods, 17 beetles, three birds, four butterflies, six caddisflies, 81 crayfish, 14 dragonflies, 43 fish, one springfly, two isopods, four mammals, one moth, 35 mussels, six non-vascular plants, 12 reptiles, 43 snails, eight stoneflies, and 75 vascular plants. Included in the review is the Florida sandhill crane, a
long-legged, long-necked gray crane that resembles herons except for the bald patch of red skin on top of its head.

“The Endangered Species Act has proved to be a critical safety net for America’s imperiled fish, wildlife, and plants. Our finding today is the first step in determining whether these species need the special protection afforded by the Act,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.

Eighteen of the 404 species petitioned are already on the Service’s list of candidates for listing as threatened or endangered or are subjects of a proposed rule to list. The decision for one fish, the Alabama shad, was given to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) because the species is under its jurisdiction. The NMFS found that the petition did not present substantial scientific or commercial information to move forward with a 12-month finding for the Alabama shad. The Service has not yet made a finding on the remaining 11 species, but anticipates doing so no later than September 30, 2011.

Most of the species, such as the caddisflies and crayfish, are found in small areas. However, some like the green floater mussel and the black rail historically ranged over much larger areas and have seen their habitat and numbers significantly reduced. All of these species face one or more of the following threats:  the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of their habitat or range; overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; disease or predation; the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and natural or manmade factors affecting the species’ survival.

The status reviews for these species (other than the 18 already on the candidate list), as well as any subsequent listing proposals that may follow, will likely follow completion of a multi-year listing work plan approved by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 9, 2011. This work plan, developed through a settlement agreement with WildEarth Guardians and a separate, complimentary settlement agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, will enable the agency to systematically, over a period of six years, review and address the needs of more than 250 species now on the candidate list, to determine if they require ESA protection. A list of these species is available at
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/listing_workplan.html.

Based on the status reviews for these 374 aquatic-dependent species, the Service will issue 12-month findings for each species and determine whether to propose them for listing. At this time, however, the 12-month findings are not scheduled to be completed within the next six years due to the priorities detailed in this court-approved work plan, unless the Service is able to combine these findings with other actions already funded and/or scheduled.

To ensure this status review is comprehensive, the Service is soliciting information on the 374 species from governmental agencies, Native American tribes, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested parties concerning the status of the species.

The finding will publish in the Federal Register on September 27, 2011. (I think it was meant to say 2012).

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Written comments regarding the status of these 374 species may be submitted by one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FWS-R4-ES-2011-0049-0001

U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. [FWS–R4–ES–2011–0049]; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.

Comments must be received within 60 days, on or before November 28, 2011. The Service will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means the agency will post any personal information provided through the process. The Service is not able to accept email or faxes.

For further information contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, Southeast Regional Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30345.

For more information about this finding, please visit the Service’s Southeast regional web site at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/.

Vanessa Kauffman, 703-358-2138, vanessa_kauffman@fws.gov
Tom MacKenzie, 404-679-7291, tom_mackenzie@fws.gov

SAVE THE FROGS! is making great progress on our campaign to get frog dissections out of all US public schools by 2014. In May we we got nationwide news when nine California schools dropped their entire animal dissection programs. Today Central Coast News (CBS-46/FOX-35 California) highlighted our campaign with this 2-minute video:

Learn more about dissections and our campaign at:
www.savethefrogs.com/dissections

Dwarf Frog Culprit In Salmonella Outbreak
TylerPaper   August 4, 2011

Pasadena approves first phase of Devil’s Gate project
Mercury News   August 3, 2011

Parasite Creating Deformed Frogs in Western U.S.
National Geographic   August 3, 2011

Fungus Pushes Frogs Toward Extinction
NBCWashington   August 2, 2011

Ryder lake toads on the move
Chilliwack Progress   August 2, 2011

Terry Jones Urges Frog Lovers To ‘Bring Out Your Dead… Frogs’
VentnorBlog    August 1, 2011

A boy, a frog, a knife
SFGate   August 1, 2011

Tucson monsoon brings pet danger in form of toxic toad
Fox11AZ   August 1, 2011

Veterinarian removes screw from hungry toad
Sun Herald   July 28, 2011

Hunt is on for London’s scaly frogs and lizards to help save our own skin
London24   July 28, 2011

The end is in sight for amphibian fungal disease
e! Science   July 27, 2011

Amphibian invasion? Nope, just mating season
Merced Sun Star   July 26, 2011

Tiny toad found in Australian desert
Science News   July 26, 2011

Frogs are dying in record numbers. Now you can help scientists study this problem.
io9   July 26, 2011

Night critters provide a musical interlude: Frogs, toads and insects fill the air with relaxing sounds
Chron Life   July 22, 2011

“Extinct” Toad Thrives in Lab
National Geographic   July 21, 2011

For the love of your pet: Frogs and dogs
Victoria Advocate   July 21, 2011

Zoologger: How deaf-mute frogs talk to each other
New Scientist   July 21, 2011

Lost Rainbow Toad Found After 87 Years
Wired Science   July 14, 2011

More Frog News at:
http://savethefrogs.com/newsletters