Anuran Surveys

In order to assess the current condition of Lower Green Bay and Fox River Area of Concern (LGBFR AOC) fish and wildlife, the UW-Green Bay project team started to identify information gaps and determined that anurans (frogs/toads only) had only been surveyed in Great Lakes coastal wetlands within the AOC through the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP). Small, inland wetlands within the LGBFR AOC, including areas along the Fox River, have not been recently surveyed for anurans using standardized methods and were excluded from the CWMP sampling regime due to strict sampling criteria. Under the guidance of Howe and Wolf, Giese and a student assistant conducted field scouting and identified 13 locations within the LGBFR AOC that trained UW-Green Bay students surveyed for anurans in the spring and summer of 2015.

Anurans were sampled using the same, widely-accepted protocol used for the CWMP project, namely a 3-minute, unlimited-distance point count, in which trained observers recorded all anurans heard regardless of how far away an individual was calling from the observer. Each location was surveyed three times throughout the spring and summer (mid-April through late June 2015) in order to detect different anuran species as they become active after hibernation. Visits were separated by at least 15 days and when minimum overnight temperatures were met for each visit (first: 5°C, second: 10°C, and third: 17°C visits).

The raw anuran point count data are available for download here (read “About” tab in file first and detailed field methods).

If you plan to use these data, please contact Erin Giese (giesee@uwgb.edu), Robert Howe (hower@uwgb.edu), and Amy Wolf (wolfa@uwgb.edu) to track data usage, properly cite their work, and ask questions if needed.