Here's O-Docker's comment, with a question that some of you midwestern paddlers (or other freshwater folkd) might be able to answer better than me:
If you're entertaining ideas for new posts, maybe now's a good time to ask about the frogs themselves, Ma' Frogma.
Biologists report a huge reduction in global frog populations over the past few decades. Who better to see this than paddlers, wanderers in the wetlands that you are? Have you or your paddling readers noticed any changes in the frogs? Do you see or hear frogs when you paddle?
We live just a few blocks from the American river and occasionally one of these guys finds his way into our yard. It's a real kick to hear froggie sounds in the garden at night, especially in the semi-urban neighborhood where we live. But it's a reminder of just how rare this is becoming.
Now I can't really answer that, because although the name "Frogma" might lead you to think I'm out communing with Kermit's wild cousins on a regular basis, I'm not, for the simple reason that I'm almost always paddling salt water. I think there are only one or two frog species who can tolerate salt water, and neither of them live this far North.
So I don't see a lot of frogs. That's why I had to take a picture of this little bitty frog who was hanging out on the rainfly of my tent one night when I was up at Croton Point for the Hudson River Greenland Festival last June!
I know that there are some coqui frogs in Hawaii who are doing fine to the point that they keep people awake at night. They're not an endemic species, so that's not necessarily good news.
Another random frog story - here's a link to an article about some very tough Irish frogs who survived the ice age. Appropriately posted on St. Patrick's Day on Yahoo.
So how are your frogs doing?
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