We lack the long-term research data to make the type of conclusions we want to. According to Sam Droege, biologist and head of monitoring development for the USGS at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, the scientific design of the frog-calling survey is quite rigorous. Researchers at the USGS at Patuxent help set up monitoring programs in each state, acting as advisers and consultants. Educating Volunteers Across the US, volunteers receive training in how to identify each calling frog species in the area, how to conduct a frog-call survey, and the protocol behind the survey technique. Volunteers are then assigned a calling route in their area.
Volunteers collect data on temperature, wind, cloud cover, and rainfall.
They listen for frog calls and then write down which species they hear and the intensity. The volunteers then forward the data to the USGS at Patuxent, where they are compiled and analyzed. But with Frogwatch, you can always go back and see how things change over time. Some scientists believe deformities could also be contributing to the decline. Over the past five years, frogs in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Vermont have been found with missing or extra limbs and eyes.