Amphibian Monitoring with Citizen Scientists

Follow our Woodland Park Zoo ZooCorps and Citizen Scientist Volunteers as they explore Carkeek Park in Seattle and show you some of the ways we monitor for amphibians in our wetlands.
Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Trek, and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium partnered with Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) to train volunteers in surveying for amphibian egg masses in local ponds and wetlands for the third year. Participants are trained in the WDFW-approved protocol as well as in identification of the egg masses of eight different amphibian species.
Volunteers have access to monitoring tools, including hip waders, digital cameras, and GPS units, and are monitoring for the presence of egg masses once a month from February through August in a local pond or wetland. Data sheets with information on locations of sightings are sent to biologists at WDFW, who use the information to monitor the presence of these species at sites across western Washington.
To learn more visit: www.zoo.org/cit...
Produced by Kirsten Pisto
Interviews: Jordan Veasley
Film: Gio Guerra
Photo stills: Dennis Dow, Mark Thompson and K. Martin