Atlanta’s Amphibians: A Workshop for Identifying our Urban Frogs and Salamanders

• This program is a production of Mark Mandica and the Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Project (MAAMP).
• It is free and open to the public.
• All ages are welcome.
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Atlanta’s Amphibians: A Workshop for Identifying our Urban Frogs and Salamanders

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Spotted salamander (photo courtesy of Mark Mandica)
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In response to global amphibian declines, the Metro Atlanta Amphibian Monitoring Program (http://maamp.us/) (MAAMP) aims at identifying and monitoring amphibian breeding populations in our urban landscape.

Scientists, naturalists and concerned citizens are working with national, state and county parks as well as private land-owners in a comprehensive monthly amphibian survey in and around the I-285 perimeter. The surveys provide valuable data to assess the health of urban amphibian communities.

Did you know there are almost 30 documented species of amphibians living in and around our Atlanta neighborhoods?

The purpose of this workshop is to introduce attendees of all ages to the amphibian species hiding under the rocks, logs and in the water around us. We will also describe their habitats and the best time of year to look for these species. A portion of the workshop will be focused on frog calls, as that is often the simplest way to confirm the presence of a species at a site.

We are lucky to have such a diverse community of amphibians in our urban neighborhoods. Our hope is that this workshop will motivate participants to become citizen scientists and get involved with regular amphibian surveys. Anyone interested in local frogs and salamanders, and learning how to identify frogs by call is encouraged to attend.

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About the workshop leader
Mark Mandica received his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts where his thesis focused on the ephemeral wetland ecology of amphibians. He then went on to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where he worked as a Scientific Assistant before moving to South Florida for graduate school at the University of Miami. Mark’s M.S. thesis was on the amphibian community ecology in the Everglades as well as photoreception in South Florida bufonids.