Hop into 'Find a Frog in February'

Did you know that the Mary River catchment is home to over 40 frog species?

We want you to find as many as possible during February!

Fraser Coast Regional Council and the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee encourage residents to get involved in the annual ‘Find a Frog in February’ initiative by venturing outdoors, finding frogs and contributing their sightings and recordings.

Fraser Coast Regional Coucil Natural Environment Manager Amber Kelly said the annual citizen science program builds community awareness around frogs, their habitat needs and the threats they face.

“Frogs can be affected by changes in the air, water and land.  Collecting information on their whereabouts and habitats helps us to better manage the environment and help protect them in the future,” she said.

Council’s Natural Environment team is joining with the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee to run a special workshop in the Tree House at the Urangan Community Wellness Centre in Hervey Bay on Thursday, 29 February from 5pm.

“The workshop will be followed by frog surveys at the Hervey Bay Botanical Gardens from 7pm,” Ms Kelly said.

“Those getting involved must register and are encouraged to bring a headlamp or torch and wear field clothes.”

If you can’t make the workshop, you can still help improve the future of our frogs by submitting your frog sightings throughout February.

Residents can download the ‘Frog Finder’s Record Sheet’ from the MRCCC website and return their findings to findafrog@mrccc.org.au.

Tinana State School is also joining the program this year, supported by funding from Fraser Coast Regional Council.

Year 4 and 5 students will have a workshop conducted by the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee on Friday, 16 February with a local frog hunt occurring at Woocoo Park.

The Tinana State School Sustainability Squad will take part in the Citizen Science project to identify frogs in the Woocoo Park habitat.

Support from the Fraser Coast Council also includes the Year 5 students experiencing an in-class session with MRCCC scientists to engage in curriculum about wetlands and frogs in our local area. 

The Mary River Catchment Committee has a range of information available on its website including an interactive map, workshop details and record sheet:  https://mrccc.org.au/frog-in-february/

RSVP for the workshop and survey by emailing findafrog@mrccc.org.au