- April 14, 2021 - Biodôme : Environmental news, Animal portrait, Scientific research
Since the start of April, in Montérégie and in Outaouais, a shrill sound has been heard, similar to the one made by a fingernail scraping along a comb. That strange noise is the song of the chorus frog, a very small frog ranked as vulnerable in Québec. With snow still in evidence here and there, males are busying themselves with seducing females in a deafening chorus.
But unfortunately, those chorales are growing increasingly rare. Since the 1950s, close to 90 percent of the chorus frog’s natural range has been destroyed in Montérégie. Urbanization and intensive agriculture are the principal causes.
The chorus frog needs you!
Since early spring 2021 it’s been possible to belong to the Ambassadeurs de la rainette faux-grillon (Chorus Frog Ambassadors) program launched as part of the recovery plan for the chorus frog led by the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs. That program was developed by the Biodôme and different partners involved in the conservation of the species. Its aim is to rally both citizens and organizations that are looking to learn more about this amphibian and to share information, to raise awareness and to act concretely in conservation and perception efforts.
Interested in belonging to the program as a private citizen? We’re offering a list of actions you can commit to undertaking. Maybe there are some you’re already doing?
Here are a few examples:
- Visit a discovery trail relating to the chorus frog
- Attend a workshop or lecture or take part in an activity about the species
- Share information and do awareness-raising on social media
- Participate in a community-science project.
An organization such as a classroom, a zoo or a museum can also propose an ambassador project. That project can take the form of an educational or popularizing activity, a publication, or any other intervention that contributes to improving the situation or the perception of the species.
Why become an ambassador?
In joining the program you’ll learn how to protect the chorus frog and its habitats and be joining a network that takes concrete steps towards conserving the species.
As the saying goes, we protect what we love, and love what we know. And for improving your knowledge of the chorus frog, you’ll have access to a virtual kit exclusive to members. That kit contains several references to help you learn more about this amphibian and its situation. We also suggest links to sites of organizations whose mission is the conservation of the species and participative-science projects.
Tools for the design and carrying out of ambassador projects are also made available to organizations. Some of those are logos and models of PowerPoint presentations in the program’s colors, a bank of free photos, and examples of activities that are fun and educational.
And the chorus frog at the Biodôme?
In 2021 and 2022, the Biodôme is continuing its contribution to the captive breeding and reintroduction in the natural environment program, which began a few years ago. The chorus frog can count on the Biodôme's Living Collections team to continue their conservation efforts.
Now it’s your turn to join your voice to the chorus of those vulnerable frogs by becoming a Chorus Frog Ambassador.
