Interest waning in Manitoba reptile, amphibian project, biologist says

A provincewidereptile and amphibian survey that depends on the efforts ofnature-lovers seems to be losing steam, whichhas the projectdirector calling on Manitobans to get out into the field and help this spring and summer.

"We have ahardcoregroup of people who are seriousherpersand submit stuff every year, but like anything, interest drops off," said biologist DougCollicutt, director of the Manitoba Herps Atlas.

"You get people who are seriously interested inherpsand all kinds of critters.Even if we weren't doing this project, they'd be out there looking for stuff."

"Herpers"are the frog, turtle,snake, salamander and lizard-lovingequivalent tobirders.The somewhat unfortunate word is derived fromthe branch of biology known as herpetology, which is focused onamphibiansand reptiles.

Collicutt launched the atlas in 2011, around the same time as a similar citizen science project in theManitoba Breeding Bird Atlas.

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There are 24species of "herps" in the province,including four frog species, four tree frog species, four toad species, four salamander species, five snake species, two turtle speciesand one lonely species of lizard in the Prairie skink.

Every spring, when those slimy, warty, slitherythings thaw out and wake up from their long winter naps, Collicutt and a small, diffuse group ofvolunteers head out into the wetlands, woodlands, fields and forests of Manitoba to check up on them. Whatever they observe gets recorded and logged into the atlas databaseand plotted out on an interactive mapthat shows the species'presence and distribution across the province.

The map is neat in and of itself, butthe data-collecting efforts of casualherp-hobbyiststhat make it possible has also advanced the local wildlife community's knowledge in a number of ways.

Counting critters

For instance, people associated with the project have helped determine thatthe range of the mink frog in southeastern Manitoba is significantly more expansivethan previously thought (50 to 100 kilometres greater).

There have been a few similar boundary-expanding reports of blue-spotted salamanders outside their northernmost range, too.

Meanwhile, the green frogappears to be increasingly isolated to a specific pocket of landin the southeast corner of the province again, something borne out from the observations of volunteers.

And although it could just be an anomaly, Collicutt said there have been afew credible sightings ofaspeciesof soft-shell turtle on the Pembina River near Morden, Man., and in Birds Hill Provincial Park in recent years.

"It's a very unique looking critter," he said."Little tube-like nose, quite a distinct body, shape, manner of moving and attitude compared to the snapping and painted turtles we've got."

Citizen scienceincreasingly important

After a brief surge in interest five years ago,at the outset of the atlas, the number ofcommitted herpers has waned.

And it's ashame, Collicutt says, because government funding cuts toscience make the efforts of ordinary people all the more critical to conserving and monitoring species.

"It's getting to the point where wildlife is just getting a passing notice," he said. "Budgets for the wildlife branch are just disappearing and our wildlife is disappearing along with it."

Another thing contributing to thedecline is that volunteers tend to want to explore new habitats, so theyquit returning to the spots they visited years prior.That leads to gapsin the data that start to grow over time.

"They think that repeating the same entries every year doesn't add much to it," Collicutt said, adding that he has tried to convince naturalists involved with the project out of that mindset.

Go Wild Manitoba app

Collicutt was hopeful theGo Wild Manitoba app createdby iNaturalist and Manitoba Conservation last yearwould help the atlas tap into a new market of naturalists. The app is free andavailable on iOS and Android smartphones andwas released last summer.

It allows users to record observations of any plant or wildlife species theycome across, but it didn't gain much traction last yearamong flora and fauna nerds, he said.

"I was really interested to see if that would take off," he said."It just kind of fizzled."

The height of herpingseason is spring and early summer, so Collicutt ishopeful more Manitobanswillplay around with the app this time around.

Gone herpin'

While some of Manitoba's amphibian and reptile species are tucked away in hard-to-reach habitats or wet, muckymarshes that aren't super-fun to walk through, many others are hopping and slitheringright around us.

"It's amazing where they are. A semi-permanent pondthat [is]going to last six to eight weeks [is]going to have frogs in it," he said.

"The critters are all around. You just learn a little bit about how to find them and where to find them, what time of year and the conditions, and it's not hard."

Fort Whytein Winnipegis crawling with frogs in the spring. Leopard frogs andCanadian toads are commonly found on the property.In the middle of April, acacophony of calls burped outfrom hundreds of boreal chorus frogs and wood frogsfills the air.

It's a harsh,hiccupy sound that acts as great background music for watching the bison inelegantly bump around the paddock on site.

Oak Hammock Marsh is another convenient location close to the city.

It's worth taking some time this spring to get to know the frognext door and be a part of an important citizen science project in Manitoba, Collicuttsaid.

"If we had 20 dedicated people all across the province just sending in records, hey, that's all we'd need."