Frog docents will warn hikers not to trample frog breeding grounds in Marin County, Calif.
Live in Marin County, California? Want to help save frogs? The Marin Municipal Water District is seeking volunteers to become frog docents to help raise awareness for the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii), a species of special concern in California.
Volunteers will receive docent training on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Sky Oaks Watershed Headquarters in the city of Fairfax. It will include a three mile hike to Little Carson Falls where volunteers will learn about the ecology of the frog and the area. Docents will monitor egg masses during the maturation process and will warn hikers to avoid the frog's breeding areas. Docents must be 18 years of age or older and must volunteer for a minimum of three four hour shifts between the months of March and June. It is at this time the tadpoles and eggs are most vulnerable to human interference. For more information on the docent program, call the water district at 415/945-1128 or email volunteerprogram@marinwater.org.
The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small frog, about 1.4-3.23 inches in length. It is native to northern Oregon, California, and Baja California, but has disappeared from more than 45 percent of its native range due to pollution and human factors, such as the introduction of non-native species such as bullfrogs and crayfish. There are just two known breeding sites for the frog, one of which is Little Carson Falls on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, Calif.
