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Amphibian Week 2024

May 5 through May 11 is Amphibian Week!

It’s time to celebrate all our frog, salamander, and caecilian friends. Let’s hop into some of our free Natural Inquirer resources to learn all about amphibians.

Amphibious Assault: How Climate Change May Affect Amphibian Breeding

Learn about how certain amphibian populations and their breeding patterns may be responding to climate change in this article from the Climate Change Investi-gator (Pacific Northwest Research Station).

  • Written for upper elementary students
  • Based on published, peer-reviewed Forest Service research
  • Includes an activity
  • Download for free
PDF Preview of Investi-gator Article Amphibious Assault

As the Frog Hops: What Routes Do Frogs Travel in Mountain Environments?

Learn about a study to discover the types of habitats needed by Columbia spotted frogs at different times of the year. The scientists also wanted to find out how far Columbia spotted frogs will travel or migrate to reach different habitats and which routes they take when they are migrating.

  • Written for middle school students
  • Based on published, peer-reviewed Forest Service research
  • Includes an activity
  • Order or download for free
frogs leaping down a mountain

Toad-ally Awesome! Investigating the Relationship Between Flooding and Toad Reproduction Along the Rio Grande

The scientists in this study were interested in studying how toads reproduce in the floodplains along the Rio Grande.

  • Written for middle school students
  • Based on published, peer-reviewed Forest Service research
  • Includes an activity
  • Order or download for free
A Woodhouse's toad sitting in the palm of someone's hand.

Scientist and Engineer Cards

Have students interested in studying amphibians? Meet herpetologists or ecologists, like Tim Baldwin and Dede Olson, with our scientist and engineer cards. Learn about their research, how they got started, and more. Cards can also be downloaded and printed as posters!

 

 

  • Tim Baldwin, Herpetologist

    Front cover of Dr. Tim Baldwin Collector card
    • Ph.D., Alabama A&M University
    • USDA Forest Service Scientist
    • A herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians.  I assess how reptile and amphibian populations respond to forest management and land-use changes.
  • Dede Olson, Research Ecologist

    Front cover of Dr. Dede Olson Collector Card
    • Oregon State University
    • USDA Forest Service Scientist
    • I study potential threats to animal populations, especially amphibians and reptiles, including disease and habitat alteration from forest management.  I also study general ecology such as species distributions, habitat associations, movements, and breeding.

Wildlife Scientists Card Set

Interested in exploring other wildlife science careers? Order a Wildlife Scientists Card pack featuring careers such as wildlife biologist, wildlife ecologist, herpetologist, ornithologist, astacologist, & more.

  • Pack of 30 cards
  • Download or order for free
  • Cards can also be downloaded and printed as posters
Natural Inquirer Wildlife Scientist Cards

Have fun learning all about amphibians and some of the interesting research being done about them! And if you want to learn more about Amphibian Week, how it started, this year’s events, and more, visit https://parcplace.org/education/amphibianweek2024/.

Nissa McKinney stands outside next to a wooden walkway.

Nissa McKinney

I am a science writer for Natural Inquirer. I work with scientists to translate their research into language that’s easy for students to understand. I used to be a high school English teacher, so I love getting to connect with...