Greetings!

Spring is quickly approaching, and so is the frog monitoring season. I am happy to see that so many of our volunteers are interested in returning for another year of monitoring.

If I haven't done so already, I will be reaching out to each of you this month to confirm your monitoring assignment. Most volunteers can expect to continue with their usual assignments unless you and/or your monitoring partner has requested a new location.

Last year, volunteers reported that unexpected spikes and drops in temperatures made it difficult to plan visits. We are introducing slight updates to the protocols to make planning visits easier and to improve the quality of the data. I will be explaining the updates to the protocols during training workshops in March. We also heard volunteer requests for Landscape trainings, so we will have workshops for anyone wanting to use the app.

Please read through this newsletter for more information on upcoming training, protocol updates, and the Couchiching Conservancy AGM.

I am looking forward to another exciting spring of frog monitoring. See you at the training!
Aiesha Aggarwal
Conservation Analyst
Frog monitoring program coordinator
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Frog Monitoring Training for All
We are introducing some slight updates to the frog monitoring program to make monitoring easier and more successful. We are asking all frog monitors (new and returning) to attend training this year.

Protocol updates include:
  • Monitoring visits based on date rather than air temperature
  • Addition of a visual scan for frogs
  • A 2-minute "quiet period" before beginning to listen for frogs

The training will cover:
  • review of frog identification (audio and visual)
  • frog monitoring methods - including the new updates
  • how to submit data

There are two dates to choose from:
March 6th, 2:30 - 5 pm at the Orillia Library
March 7th, 4:30 - 7 pm at the Orillia Library

I will send out a link to sign up for training soon. If you are not available to attend training, please let me know.
Training for Landscape Users
If you would like to use the Landscape app for your community science monitoring, we will ask that you attend one of our Landscape workshops. The training will cover the basic steps of using the app and give volunteers the chance to try it out in the field while having staff available for support.

We are finalizing the training dates for the bookings, but expect to have the training in the 3rd and 4th week of March. I will send out an email once the dates are finalized.
Already confident in your ability to use the app? We would love your help with providing technical support to volunteers during the training. If you would like to help out with the training, please contact Aiesha.
More info on changes to monitoring timing
Change to timing for evening frog monitors:
The goal of evening monitoring is to monitor species richness (the number of different frog species found at a location). Calling code is largely a function of the timing of the survey. Missed surveys and poorly timed surveys can result in a skewed picture of species presence.
 
By looking at the data collected through the years, we discovered that date is a better predictor of species calling code than air temperature.
 
With this in mind, we have identified 3 different time periods that will produce a high likelihood of hearing all possible frogs if all 3 visits are made.
 
  • April 14-21: wood frog, Western chorus frog, spring peeper, Northern Leopard frog
  • May 14-21: gray treefrog, green frog, American toad, mink frog, Northern Leopard frog, spring peeper
  • June 14-21: American bullfrog, green frog, gray treefrog
 
We will be asking evening frog monitors to plan one visit in each of these timeframes.
 
What about daytime frog monitors?
The goal of daytime frog monitoring is to obtain records of western chorus frogs (a species at risk). Western Chorus frogs are early spring callers. The timing of monitoring visits will not be altered from the previous method - make 3 visits from late-March to early-May, with at least 24 hours between visits. This timing is still suitable for targeted observations of western chorus frogs. 
AGM
Please save the date for our Annual General Meeting (AGM): Saturday, March 2nd from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (doors open at 1:00pm). We will be holding our AGM in-person at Hawk Ridge Golf Club (1151 Hurlwood Ln, Severn). Come celebrate our 30th anniversary with us!

More info about the event and speaker here
Get In-Touch
Aiesha Aggarwal
Conservation Analyst
Phone: 705-326-1620
You are receiving this email because you are a Frog Monitor with The Couchiching Conservancy. Please let us know if things have changed and you can no longer volunteer, or do not wish to receive these emails. 
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