Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey

Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey underway on the Lower Sugar River

On April 15th, The Lower Sugar River Watershed Association along with many members of our new partner the South Central chapter of the Wisconsin Farmers Union began to survey the frog and toad populations living along the Lower Sugar River. Fourteen volunteers formed two groups to survey 10 sites beginning at the Decatur Albany wetlands in the north and meandering south through the Avon Bottoms. The survey sites were identified by the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey (WTFS). 

The WTFS is a volunteer-based program coordinated by the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey and the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program. The primary purpose of the WFTS is to determine the status, distribution, and long-term population trends of Wisconsin’s twelve frog species. The WFTS was initiated in 1981 in response to known and suspected declines in several Wisconsin species, particularly northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens), Blanchard’s cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi), pickerel frogs (Lithobates palustris) and American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus). The WTFS began annual statewide surveys in 1984 and is now one of the longest running amphibian monitoring projects in North America.

The surveys take place three times annually (early spring, late spring, and summer). At each site, volunteers identify the species calling and record an estimate of abundance. During the early spring survey, five species of frogs were identified in the Lower Sugar River; boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculatae), spring peepers (Psuedacris crucifer), northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens), pickerel frogs (Lithobates palustris), and green frogs (Lithobates clamitans).  

If you would like to learn more about our local frog and toad species, join our survey team. There is no prior experience or knowledge required. We will help to train your ears to identify the species by call and teach you an easy way to estimate abundance. Please contact Bethany Storm, Program Director for LSRWA at programdirector@lsrwa.org or 630-770-8446. 

The Lower Sugar River Watershed Associations (LSRWA) is a not-for-profit conservation organization located in Brodhead WI, dedicated to the care and enjoyment of our water resources and to empowering citizens with experience and knowledge to steward land and water resources in the Lower Sugar River Watershed.  Visit our website's Get Involved page or email or contact 608.897.8641 to learn how to support the organization and to become a volunteer.,