Frog watch 102 training
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
0 likes•20 views
The document provides an agenda and details for a Montgomery FrogWatch volunteer training. It discusses reminders and refreshers on monitoring protocols, wetland types and site selection, and data entry details. It reviews the monitoring process, calling intensity index, online data submission through FrogWatch-FieldScope, and resources for volunteers. Breakout groups are held to discuss monitoring on parkland or independently, with a question and answer session at the end.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to Frog watch 102 training
Similar to Frog watch 102 training (20)
More from MCDEP
More from MCDEP (13)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Frog watch 102 training
- 1. 1 Montgomery FrogWatch Volunteer Training Part 2 Website: www.mygreenmontgomery.org/frogwatch Email: FrogWatch@montgomerycountymd.gov Frogwatch@montgomeryparks.org
- 2. 2 Agenda Training Part 2: Down in the Details • Reminders & Refreshers • Monitoring Protocols • Wetland Types & Site Selection Overview • Site Registration & Data Entry Details – General information • Data Entry using FrogWatch-FieldScope – Breakout groups: • Monitoring on Montgomery Parkland (Parks) or Monitoring Independently (DEP)
- 3. 3 1 2 3 Welcome Back! 1) Wet Meadow in Edgewater, MD 2) Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance in NW DC (Linnean Trib.) 3) Freshwater Marsh along the Anacostia River in NE DC (Kingman & Heritage Islands Park)
- 4. 4 How Did It Go? 1) Wet Meadow in Edgewater, MD 2) Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance in NW DC (Linnean Trib.) 3) Freshwater Marsh along the Anacostia River in NE DC (Kingman & Heritage Islands Park) 1 Cope’s Gray Treefrog / Unknown Gray Treefrog 2 Southern Leopard Frog 3 Fowler’s Toad
- 5. 5 Calling Intensity Index 0 – No frogs or toads heard calling. 1 – Individuals could be counted; there was space between calls. 2 – Calls of individuals could be distinguished, some overlapping of calls. 3 – Full chorus, calls were constant, continuous and overlapping. Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep
- 6. 6 CALLING INTENSITY PREVIEW 0 – No frogs or toads heard calling. 1 – Individuals could be counted; there was space between calls. 2 – Calls of individuals could be distinguished, some overlapping of calls. 3 – Full chorus, calls were constant, continuous and overlapping. Site: Fort Lincoln Haven (FLH) in Northeast DC. Video courtesy of DOEE FrogWatch Volunteer Sandra B.
- 8. 8 Monitoring Review • Time of Year (Months) • Time of Day • Location • Safety
- 9. 9 Process Review 1. Site Selection & Registration 2. Data Collection (Monitoring Protocol) • Weather conditions (abiotic) • Temperature (F) & over last 48 hrs • Beaufort Wind Code • Precipitation during & over last 48 hrs • Frog and toad observations (biotic) • Species & calling intensity • Notes/Incidental Observations 3. Data Submission • Online to national database (or via email or mail, if needed) 4. Repeat! (Minimum 3x across the season)
- 10. 10 Monitoring Protocol 1. Go to registered location(s) at least 30 min. post-sunset 2. Fill out site & volunteer information 3. Fill out weather information 4. Remain completely still for 2+ minutes (Acclimation Period) 5. Listen for precisely 3 minutes (use timer!) 6. Record date, start & end times 7. Write down species names & calling intensities 8. Record additional notes on site conditions, listening conditions, other animal observations, species heard outside of the 3-minute listening period Data sheet Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks FrogWatch Chapter
- 11. 11 Upon Arrival • Site & safety check • On FrogWatch USA Datasheet… – Enter volunteer and site information • Names • State • Chapter = Montgomery County FrogWatch
- 12. 12 Required Weather Information • Air temperature (indicate C or F) • Wind speed (Beaufort Wind Scale) • Current precipitation • 48 hour weather history (Precip. & rain)
- 13. 13 Beaufort Wind Scale Tip: Use forecasted wind speed from a weather service/app to help predict conditions before your visit Too Windy to Monitor
- 14. 14 Collecting Frog/Toad Data • 2 minute acclimation period • Listen quietly for precisely 3 minutes. • Listen to, identify, & remember all breeding calls occurring in the session. • If the monitoring session is interrupted by noise, restart it, including the 2 minute acclimation period. • Record data – Difference between start & end times is 3 min! Sue Muller, Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks FrogWatch Chapter
- 15. 15 Calling Intensity Assign a calling intensity level for EACH species heard during 3-minute listening interval: Spring Peeper X Unknown Gray Treefrog X
- 16. 16 Calling Intensity Assign a calling intensity level for EACH species heard during 3-minute listening interval: No Species Heard X
- 17. 17 Additional Notes • Species heard outside of 3 minute period • Frog/Toad sightings • Non-amphibian species • Significant site conditions • Notes about background noise
- 18. 18 Data Collection & Submission • 5 sections • One datasheet per monitoring visit • Complete in the field or at home • Used in conjunction with online data entry • Maintain back up copies – Optional: Email to Montgomery FrogWatch Coordinators
- 19. 19 Give It a Try! Site Name: Meadowside Nature Center Pond (Rock Creek RP) Use clues from the video & weather conditions from your area in the last 48 hours for this exercise.
- 20. 20 Monitoring Equipment Kit Prepare a monitoring equipment kit, to include: – Copy of Monitoring Protocol, datasheet for each visit – Clipboard – Pencil or indelible ink pen – Thermometer (Local Weather Report or other Weather App) – Stopwatch, Wristwatch, or Stopwatch App – One flashlight per person – Cell phone – Written permission from property owner – Optional: Extra flashlight, field guide, tape recorder, camera, rain gear
- 21. 21 Know Before You Go • Practice identifying the calls • Gather equipment • Adopt/Register site – Become familiar w/your site during the day (incl. hazards) • Plan to monitor at least 30 minutes after sunset • Watch the weather & ensure appropriate weather conditions for monitoring: – Above 42 degrees Fahrenheit – Not raining too hard, nor too windy – Consult calling behavior chart if unsure Stay safe!!
- 22. 22 22 FrogWatch USA Site Selection
- 23. 23 Wetlands (Refresher) • Frogs and toads need water to breed • Wetlands are defined by: 1. Plants that are known to grow in saturated conditions 2. Soils that lack oxygen 3. Water at or near the surface during some part of the growing season • Can be very large or very small; natural or man-made; temporary or permanent (or somewhere in between) Wheaton Branch Regional Pond, Silver Spring
- 24. 24 Types of Wetlands • Marshes – Frequently covered in water; emergent soft-stemmed vegetation • Vernal pools – Form in spring from melting snow or rains; often dry in summer • Swamps – Saturated soil, sometimes with standing water; plant life dominated by woody plants • Bogs & Fens – Bogs: Include spongy peat, derive water from precipitation; highly acidic waters support low plant diversity – Fens: Like bogs, but also receive water from sources like groundwater, and therefore gain nutrients that support more diverse plant life
- 25. 25 Types of Wetlands • Ponds – Farm Ponds – Ornamental Ponds – Golf Course Ponds • Other – Streams – Stormwater Management Facilities • Wet ponds • Dry Ponds • Biofilters, Rain Gardens, etc.
- 26. 26 Selecting a Location • Visit FrogWatch Locator Web App https://arcg.is/0aD808 | http://bit.ly/Montgomery-FrogWatch-Map • Click on an existing site to learn more about it • Use the wetlands layer to help you explore other options.
- 27. 27 Web App Demo https://arcg.is/0aD808 | bitly/Montgomery-FrogWatch-Map
- 28. 28 Working With Coordinates • Decimal Degrees (Format = ##.####, -##.####) • Google Maps • Mobile Apps – Topo Maps+ (iPhone) – Backcountry Navigator (Android) – MotionX GPS (iPhone; $1.99) • Include directions & supplemental info. for location verification
- 29. 29 Monitoring Protocol: Online Data Submission • Enter data directly using FrogWatch-Fieldscope https://frogwatch.next.fieldscope.org/ • Retain all data sheets until given to DEP/Parks – MCDEP: frogwatch@montgomerycountymd.gov – Parks: frogwatch@montgomeryparks.org
- 30. 30 Registering for Field Scope
- 31. 31 Breakout Rooms • Are there any questions before we breakout into groups? • Two breakout rooms – Parks – On Montgomery County (M-NCPPC) Parkland – MC DEP – Everywhere else! • Optional: Reconvene from 8:30 – 8:45 pm for more Q&A as needed
- 33. 33 Program Resources • Montgomery County FrogWatch Chapter – Program Page: https://mygreenmontgomery.org/frogwatch/ – Coordinators: frogwatch@montgomerycountymd.gov | frogwatch@montgomeryparks.org – Site Selection: http://bit.ly/Montgomery-FrogWatch-Map • Montgomery Parks – Registration: http://bit.ly/MCParks-FrogWatch – Logging hours: https://www.ParksVolunteers.org – COVID updates: https://www.montgomeryparks.org/covid-19/ • FrogWatch USA – Database: https://frogwatch.next.fieldscope.org – National Info.: https://aza.org/frogwatch – Follow on Social Media!
- 34. 34 Species Resources • Montgomery County & Maryland – https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/water/streams/frogs-and-toads.html – https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/herps/Fieldguide_OrderAnura .aspx – https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz/index.cfm • Other – https://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/amphibians/frogsandtoads/frogs_and _toads_of_virginia.htm – https://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/ – https://herpsofnc.org/frogs-and-toads/ – https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/index.htm • iNaturalist
Editor's Notes
- ANA
- ANA Mention breakout groups and interpret poll results
- RACHEL You’ve had a week to study/practice, so we’re going to set the stage today with some frog and toad calls. And what makes these extra special is that they were recorded by local volunteers, so as new local volunteers you will get a taste of the real experience!
- RACHEL
- RACHEL Measure of relative abundance Fowler’s Toad example = Lvl 1 Cope’s Gray TF example = Lvl 2 Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs often heard at Lvl 3 (describe)
- RACHEL List species and assign a level of calling intensity (1,2, or 3) for each
- KEN
- KEN [Use chat feature]
- KEN Slide shared during Pt 1; Review process
- RACHEL
- RACHEL Take a closer look at the datasheet together quickly and then we’ll go through a little exercise where you’ll fill one out! -- Safety reminder / Site conditions Indicate chapter (also important to do as part of the online database registration process)
- RACHEL Qualitative Most technical part is choosing right wind code
- If paper is going to blow away, it’s too windy Use weather forecast app to check windspeed in advance.
- RACHEL Once initial data is notated and you’re comfortable in your surroundings, TURN OFF LIGHT Be quiet and still for an additional 2 minutes (min.) before initiating the monitoring session so frogs and toads acclimate to your presence. Cup hands around your ears and listen quietly for precisely 3 minutes. Use a watch/timer on phone to time this duration accurately. Listen to, identify, and remember all breeding calls occurring in the session. If the monitoring session is interrupted by noise, restart it, including the 2 minute acclimation period. Noises include car horn, loud truck or train passing by. Immediately following the 3-minute monitoring session, enter the start and stop times on the Datasheet. List all species heard during the monitoring session and rate their calling intensity. If uncertain about a species identification, do not report it. If no calls were heard during the monitoring session, enter “No Calls Heard” on the Datasheet. Good data documents both the presence and absence of breeding calls.
- RACHEL If it helps, you can enter species that you heard as you were approaching your site, but do not rate their calling intensities until the actual 3 minute listening period and mark 0 or CROSS THEM OUT if you don’t hear them during that period. It’s important to just get that 3 minute sample to maintain consistency.
- RACHEL Absence data just as valuable Do NOT guess
- RACHEL (Back of the sheet) Anything that would make the observations more meaningful Do NOT guess
- KEN
- KEN Highlight field conditions for datasheet as needed (e.g., Forecasted wind 5-10 mph), hear light rustling of leaves
- KEN
- KEN Safety reminders DO NOT ENTER ANY WATER BODIES Stay at least 5 feet from water’s edge Recommend monitoring in groups If alone, tell someone where you will be Always bring a cell phone Wear bright clothing Safety reminders: Anyone younger than 18 yrs, please visit your site with an adult Everyone should tell someone where you are going No monitoring during lightning and thunder
- KEN
- KEN FrogWatch monitoring conducted at wetlands Need water to breed Wetlands are defined by… [Ask participants to type responses into chat]
- KEN
- RACHEL Demo of web app (need 15 min)
- RACHEL Latitude (North/South) first followed by Longitude (East/West) (Latitude, Longitude) Specify N for Latitude and W or “–” for Longitude Longitude will always be negative in the US! Format: Decimal Degrees; 4 decimal places (i.e., _ _._ _ _ _, - _ _. _ _ _ _)
- KEN Click FieldScope Ask how many people have internet access If you do not have internet access: -Or Mail data sheets to Montgomery County DEP c/o FrogWatch 255 Rockville Pike Suite 120 Rockville, MD 20850
- KEN
- ANA