VANCOUVER — Peter Ritson, an environmental science instructor at WSU Vancouver, received a two-year, $14,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor Clark County’s wetlands by examining amphibian populations.
The project involves training community volunteers to search for and count pond-breeding amphibians and their eggs this winter, then reporting their findings to local and state agencies.
“We want to educate Clark County residents about the importance of amphibians and their associated habitats,” said Ritson. “We hope to encourage their protection in several ways: engaging citizens in wildlife protection by training volunteers to survey and monitor pond-breeding amphibian species, providing data essential to species conservation decisions, and increasing public understanding of the importance of wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing region.”
What Is an Amphibian? The National Geographic describes them this way: A mphibians lead double lives one in water and one on land. Many begin life with gills, then develop lungs as they age. They are vertebrate animals that include frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts as well as odd, wormlike caecilians (seh-SILL-yuns). They are cold-blooded, using the environment to regulate their body temperature. Early amphibians were the first animals to leave the sea and venture onto land, forming a crucial link from fish to terrestrial reptiles.
To find out more about volunteering, contact Ritson at 360-546-9262 or ristson@vancouver.wsu.edu.
See related article in The Columbian at https://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/12/12112007_Amphibians-target-of-census.cfm.
