The Leap into Action
Vernal Pool Habitat Project
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| All photos on this page © Ohio EPA |
We Need Your Support
Help us create new vernal pool habitats in Cleveland Metroparks! By participating in "Leap into Action" fund-raisers, you will be supporting a conservation project to create new wetland habitats for amphibians right here in Northeast Ohio! Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks are working together with "Leap into Action" partners on this important project and we need your help to make it work!
- Support from the Cleveland Zoological Society, will allow us to match dollar-for dollar, each contribution made (up to $5000) through "Leap into Action" in 2008
- So remember, every little bit counts, no amount of support is too small. We have to work together to create this important habitat for our local amphibians.
The number of vernal pools we can create is up to you. We will be raising funds throughout 2008 at "Leap into Action" events, through the sale of "Leap into Action" passports, donations and other ways as well.
How can I contribute to the "Leap into Action" Vernal Pool Habitat project?
- Purchase a "Leap into Action" passport.
- Participate in other fund-raisers at "Leap into Action" partner events or programs.
- Make a donation
- Raise funds on your own to help! Talk to your friends and come up with your own special way to raise funds, like a bake sale or lemonade stand. There are lots of great ones out there, and remember, every little bit will help! And then, don't forget to share your story of what you did to help in the Frog Blog!
The Vernal Pool Habitat Project
In conjunction with 2008 Year of the Frog, "Leap into Action", Cleveland Metroparks and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo are undertaking an exciting project that will create vernal pools within Cleveland Metroparks and then populate them with wood frogs, an important vernal pool indicator species. The presence of evidence of breeding by wood frogs means that a pool is a vernal pool!
Biologists are currently scouting out the best sites in Cleveland Metroparks for vernal pool restoration and creation. They will look at many factors including location, slope, soils, habitat and whether or not the site is in historic wood frog range. They will then develop plans for each specific site, including the land structure, water and vegetation elements to be included. Once appropriate habitat area has been selected the process of planning and creating vernal pools will begin. Creation of the habitats will begin in the fall of 2008. The sites will then be monitored for approximately 18 months to make sure they are healthy functioning habitats before any wood frog eggs are moved there. When the pools are ready, a portion of wood frog eggs will be collected from healthy populations within Cleveland Metroparks and placed into the new ponds. The ponds will be carefully monitored before the wood frogs are introduced to measure important habitat characteristics such as water fluctuations and water quality and also after the eggs are introduced to study wood frog development, annual survival and breeding in following years.
It is a long and complex process, but if all goes well, we will be able to hear the chorusing song of this tiny frog as we celebrate our collective success and the coming of spring in 2010!
Read about a similar wood frog repatriation project that took place in Franklin County (Columbus) Metro Parks.
