October 29 is National Take Back Your Drugs Day

Do you have unused or expired medications in your medicine cabinet? Don’t flush them, rush them, to a collection site near you this Saturday, October 29! The Drug Enforcement Administration is working with local law enforcement agencies around the country to set up community drug collection sites. Not only does properly disposing of drugs help reduce prescription drug poisonings, misuse, abuse and theft, it’s better for frogs, too. Past national collection days have kept more than 309 tons of medication out of waterways.

Find a collection site near you.

Amphibians are super sensitive to water contamination. They show evidence of harm at pollution levels scientific tests can’t detect. While research on the long-term effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment is ongoing, there’s no question properly disposing of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications, instead of flushing them or pouring them down the drain, means you’re keeping our water sources clean – for frogs and for people.

If you can’t make it to a drug collection site this weekend, check out these recommendations from SMAR_XT DISPOSAL for safely disposing of medicines in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

·        Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), add a small amount of water to dissolve it.

·        Add kitty litter, sawdust or coffee grounds to make it less appealing for pets and children to eat.

·        Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash.

Help spread the word about this simple step everyone can take to protect our environment and frogs!

The Last of the Wild Panamanian Golden Frogs Caught on Tape

An amazing BBC video documenting the plight of the Panamanian Golden Frog. Definitely worth watching.

“SPRING FORWARD” for AMPHIBIANS

Get to Know the Frogs in Your Own Backyard

Silver Spring, MD (March 7, 2011) – As clocks ‘spring forward’ on March 13, 2011, volunteers can take the opportunity to learn more about the amphibians in their own community through FrogWatch USA, the flagship citizen science program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

For more than ten years, individuals and families have engaged in amphibian conservation and management by reporting the calls of frogs and toads heard in their area. Previously abundant amphibian populations have experienced dramatic population declines in the United States, and observant FrogWatch USA volunteers can help scientists understand the scope, geographic scale, and cause of these declines. The data may be used to describe local species diversity, detect rare and non-native species, suggest shifts in species diversity, range, and seasonal timing, and inform the development of land management strategies.

“It is estimated that a third of frogs and other amphibians around the world are threatened by extinction,” said Dr. Paul Boyle, AZA’s Senior Vice President of Conservation and Education. “By becoming citizen scientists, you, your family and your neighbors can help save these species.”

Volunteers are trained to identify local frog and toad species by their calls and how to collect and report their findings accurately. Chapters engage people in both science and conservation in such a way that each volunteer is empowered to play a real role in the scientific process.

There are currently 24 FrogWatch USA Chapters across the country, mostly hosted by AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums. To see a complete list of chapters, visit http://www.aza.org/become-a-frogwatch-volunteer/

To learn more about FrogWatch USA and how to get involved, visit http://www.aza.org/frogwatch/

Jamie's Blog: Giving hope to the hopeless

We asked each of our travel team members to write about their journey to Panama. They are all so different and have such amazing perspective. Here is what Jamie Breitigan, Commissary Manager at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, wrote:

Panama February 11-19th, 2011


First, I’d like to say I entered this trip with “open-eyed ignorance.” I didn’t know any better.

Someone on this trip said, “Hope is for the hopeless.” If this is true, then why try? Why not just shrug your shoulders and say “oh well?” In this case, two words,
Atelopus limosus. Really you can insert a lot of other species names’ in its place, but the message remains the same. This is a species that needs immediate help.

The Atelopus limosus is a beautiful black and bright lime frog. Its coloring makes is perfect camouflage and it blends in with the wet river rocks and mossy surfaces where it is found in Panama. This animal is faced with many obstacles, like this devastating fungus, Chytrid that is wiping out the species. As it usually goes, we humans play a role that affects the Earth we all share. There is literally only a hand full of these animals left in the wild, and our hope is to find them and successfully breed them. As we found out, the “finding them” aspect has become more and more difficult to accomplish, but not impossible.

On our expedition to Cerro Brewster, our team – Ashley, Jenyva, Antonia, Bob and I – experienced a variety of interesting conditions. We hiked for 10-13 hours a day, up and down river beds, with extreme physical demands. We were constantly cold and wet, searching for frogs, and snakes, and any other predators that might be out there. We only ate to feed our bodies (not necessarily the food we would choose if we were back home).

The sleeping conditions, or lack there of, were interesting to say the least. We hung our hammocks off the side of a porch or under the hut/house, with spiders, scorpions, bugs and snakes crawling all around us; anything to stay dry at night though, because even though it’s the “dry season” in Panama, it still rains several times a day. Some of us had it good though in comparison. Antonia was stuck between the roar of two tired men “sawing away at wood.” No, there really wasn’t much sleep. That was okay; we were ready and willing for these challenges.



What we really weren’t prepared for was the lack of frogs. Again, I didn’t know any better. It lowered my spirits when we didn’t find frogs though. They simply weren’t there. We found lots of other small and elusive creatures, just not many frogs. While we found some, yes, it was a staggeringly lower ratio than prior trips (which were all within the past year and a half). Our two main targets were the Atelopus limosus, found during the day, and the Hyloscirtus colymba found at night. Prior trips yielded several of these species. This trip yielded 19 total amphibians; (2.1.1) A. Limosus, two males, one female and one juvenile, and no H. Colymba.



During the day it was very hard to find any daytime frogs. Fortunately, the prized A. Limosus was discovered on our second day of searching…a female. Great job Jenyva! At night it was a little different. We could hear, what seemed like hundreds of different frogs. I think everyone had luck catching frogs at night. Unfortunately, many of the ones caught were very common and well represented (not the species’ we were searching for on this trip). It’s still very thrilling to spot and try to catch one. I got a 20 minute adrenaline rush afterwards…it was exciting.

We did encounter some dangers in the form of venomous snakes, scorpions, and of course, spiders. You don’t really see the spiders during the day, they are there. At night, they are everywhere. When we scanned the landscape with our flashlights, all we saw were eyeballs looking at us. It was straight out of a cartoon. There were slips, falls, and butts landing on rocks, always looking worse than it really was and always followed with laughter.

Even with our so called “dangers,” it’s nothing compared to the peril the frogs face. They don’t even know what’s ahead. They continue to do what they’re suppose to; the males present themselves to females, search for food, hide from dangers and maybe survive from Chytrid. Some may say the plight of the frogs is hopeless, and yes you can shrug your shoulders and say “oh well.” I choose to see it a little different. We can become champions for these animals. Champions like Eduardo, who has dedicated his life to finding, collecting, and ultimately saving them, or like Bob Chastain and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo staff, who are helping this crisis on the ground and through financial means. With, what seem to be the actions of a few people, these frogs, who are thought to be hopeless, now are given hope. I think I will choose to give hope. Our actions give hope. Yes, I went into this journey with “open-eyed ignorance” but came back with open eyes and a little (less ignorance) more education.

Jenyva's Blog: Where have all the frogs gone?

We asked each of our travel team members to write about their journey to Panama. They are all so different and have such amazing perspective. Here is what Jenyva Turner, Zoo Keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, wrote:

February 17, 2011
The first waterfall- Cerro Brewster- Panama



For the last three days, we have been actively hiking and searching for frogs. Our day hikes, while productive in the sense that finding little to nothing still provides valuable information, have only produced two Atelopus limosus and a few other more common frog species. Therefore, Ashley and I decided to try out the “sit and wait” approach to wildlife viewing. I love doing this at home in Colorado- choosing a spot to sit and see what creatures come into view. It’s amazing how much more you see when being still and quiet and allowing the animal to come to you. It’s difficult to spot highly-camouflaged small frogs that blend into the mossy rocks they are found on. And as quiet as we were walking around, it’s tough to be quiet when sloshing around stream beds, stepping over branches and slipping on rocks. They know we are coming and even though they knew we were there it still felt like a worthwhile try since Atelopus limosus is our target species for this trip.

We went to a spot that has produced Atelopus in the past trips as well as this trip, thoroughly scanned the area for snakes and sat down to wait. The area we chose has faster moving water since Atelopus lay their eggs in faster water to reduce competition from other frog species and reduce predation. The tadpoles are specially designed with little suction cup disks on their bellies to help them hold onto the rocks and keep them from being washed away. Pretty cool! It’s amazing how specialized life is to survive.

Sadly though, sometimes life is too specialized and as a result when something new is brought into the environment, it suffers- as in the case with chytrid. I learned that 80% of frog individuals in this section of stream in Cerro Brewster in eastern Panama, have been affected by chytrid. 10-15 species out of the 25 frog species affected are gone entirely. Why does that matter? After all, we have found frogs the past few days, we hear frogs every night- so evidently not all are being wiped out by chytrid. Wouldn’t those species just move into the areas occupied by the extinct species and fill the same ecological niche? I needed to know that answer and got some great insight from Edgardo, director of the amphibian conservation center of EVAC in El Valle, Panama. His answer was that these frogs live in different levels of the tree canopy in the forest and have specific predators that specialize on them. Those predators have to move down the canopy, further into the forest, etc, displacing other species in the process when they lose their main food source. This puts them into direct contact with species that they have never had contact with before, thereby increasing the chance of disease transmission. I thought that was a good point. There is also the added argument that the next medical breakthrough could come from the skin secretions of a frog that is now extinct. Obviously, the biodiversity of the forest must be maintained, as much as possible- even though the future of many amphibians looks rather grim.

It’s tough to sit here and think about that while peering through binoculars at what would seem to be the ideal frog habitat. Where are the frogs? The forest is full of so much other life- lizards, snakes, freshwater crabs, snails, mammals, birds, spiders and insects of all types- butterflies, cockroaches, locusts, stick insects, katydids, ants and mantids- yet very few frogs. It’s very sobering.



The water trickling by is very soothing. I can hear that it’s raining, but the rain isn’t able to penetrate the canopy above. An iridescent emerald green hummingbird just buzzed by. A trail of leaf-cutter ants are marching up the dirt wall behind me. Life around me seems to be going on as normal, despite my presence. Life in general seems to go on despite human presence, but it’s not as rich and I can’t help but think about “Where have all the frogs gone?” Hopefully, we can help them.

Ashley's Blog: A Journey Begins with a Single Step

We asked each of our travel team members to write about their journey to Panama. They are all so different and have such amazing perspective. Here is what Ashley Young, Interpretive Keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, wrote:

Panama, Thursday February 17th 14:39



As I sit here on a cold stone between two rushing waterfalls, I am in awe of the astounding things I have seen here in Cerro Azul. Everything is wet. Last night there was a snake as thin as a pencil trying to swallow a lizard, birds of every color and size, and spiders as big as my hand. My eyes are open to so many new and inspiring sights but I cannot shake this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach when I consider all the sights and sounds that are missing.

Yesterday we started searching for Atelopus limosus in the morning and did not return till dusk yet found nothing. We have encountered 30 amphibians, 19 collected and others swabbed and released. To me that seems like so many but these forests used to be teeming with frogs. In years past they have collected 80 frogs. There is only 20% left of the original population in this stream and some species are completely gone. So quickly they have disappeared. My mind wanders to what must have been. I can imagine the nights so loud with frogs that you cannot sleep and the leaves so full that you cannot walk two steps without spotting a frog. I cannot shake this missing character in the story of the forest.

The effects of Chyrid BD are very real in this stream, Panama, the greater Americas and at home here in Colorado. The symphony of the rainforest here has brought me to tears on several occasions but it is missing its strong bass. The deep reverberation of hundreds of frogs calling out into the night. Though we found three Atelopus limosus and a handful of other frogs to preserve in captivity, I wonder how long the music can last without big changes being made all over the world. So many living things depend on a healthy and diverse amphibian population that life as we know it will be forever altered if they keep disappearing at this rate. Sitting here in this stream, in this little valley in Panama the reality of the crisis seems so real, so evident, so clear.

As we hike out tomorrow each step will take me farther and farther from this quiet stream but the reality of the amphibian crisis will still be ever present in my mind and in my conversations back in the Loft at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. So much needs to be done and we are not powerless. Efforts can be and are being made but we all must do our part to impart real change. I begin that journey tomorrow with a single step.

FOX 21 Reports: Zoo team returns from Panama

Zoo team returns from Panama frog expedition: "The five member team from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo spent nine days in the jungles of Panama as part of a global effort to save amphibian species on the verge of extinction due to fatal chytrid fungus."

Watch the video.

Read the entire story.

Thank you FOX21 for your update and report!