The Solution

What you can do.
Littoria caerulea

This case changed from a "who-dunnit?" to a "who-didn't-dunnit?" How do you slap the cuffs on global warming? Who's going to put acid rain behind bars? The list of suspects is huge and there's enough blame for everyone to share. And since we all share in the blame we should all share in the solution. I went to the big brains to find out what I could do, what we all could do, to help buck this trend. Here's what the folks at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago suggest. It's good advice--follow it and you can make a difference, too.

		Promote the preservation of natural habitats for wildlife.
		Learn about wildlife, so you can enjoy the out-of-doors without accidentally harming plants or animals.
		Limit your use of chemicals such as pesticides and weed killers.
		Dispose of hazardous wastes safely. Don't dump them into your community´s water system--a frog's home is downstream.
		Make sure your air conditioner doesn't leak freon. When released, this gas damages the ozone layer.
		Please don't dump unwanted pet fishes, turtles, or frogs in local ponds. They can carry disease or prey on native species.
		Write your local representatives and tell them not to weaken the Endangered Species Act.
		Participate in a frog census. It's fun and you'll help scientists see how frogs are faring. Learn more here.
	Want a copy of the list? Click here and hit your print button.

Now tell someone about it.
You can read and research and study till you're blue in the face but it won't do much good unless you tell someone about it. Share what you've learned. People make better decisions armed with knowledge. Here are a few sources. Run 'em down, read 'em, then go find some more.

Internet
No point in reinventing the wheel. Here are a few good index sites for frog pages on the web.
The Basking Spot
Herplink (Herps are amphibians and reptiles)
WWW Virtual Library - Herpetology links (Guess what herpetologists study?)
Yahoo (A simple but effective Internet search engine)

Good books
Here's a research tip. When you find a book or article that covers what you're looking for, check out its bibliography for more good stuff.

Amphibians of Washington and Oregon by William Leonard and others, published by the Seattle Audubon Society in 1993.
Biology of Amphibians by William Duellman and Linda Trueb, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1994.
Frogs & Toads of the World by Chris Mattison and published by Facts on File.
Reptiles and Amphibians edited by Drs. Harold Cogger and Richard Zweifel, published by Smithmark Publishers in 1992.

For younger readers try

Frogs Swallow With Their Eyes written by Melvin and Gilda Berger and published Scholastic Inc. in 1996.
Amazing Frogs & Toads by Eyewitness Books, published by Knopf in 1990.

Magazine and Scientific Articles
Here's just a sampling--remember to check their references.

Poison Dart Frogs by Mark W. Moffet in May 1995's National Geographic.
Weird World of the Frog by Kathryn Phillips in March 1994's International Wildlife.
Amphibians in a Bad Light by Andrew Blaustein in October 1994's Natural History.
The Puzzle of Declining Amphibian Populations by Andrew Blaustein and David Blake in April 1995's Scientific American.

Are you ready to undergo the interrogation?