08/30/18

On the Brink of Extinction: Preserving the Frog Population in the State of New York

It is difficult to believe that such an adaptable species would ever be at risk of extinction. Many people attribute the decline in the frog population to climate change; however, wood frogs have proven to be adaptable in a variety of climates. Researchers have found that the wood frog population native to New York are capable of freezing themselves during the winter, stopping their hearts and all brain activity, only to thaw out in the spring and begin to search for food and a mate. Frogs can locate their food source virtually anywhere, but they always mate in water. Therefore, in order to attract frogs to your garden this spring, a small area with water such as a pond is a necessity.

Photo by Ken Goulding on Unsplash

Adaptation and Survival

Due in large part to the recommendation of Lili Winkelman, a fourth-grade student from Syracuse, the wood frog has been unofficially named as the State amphibian for New York. While the wood frog has shown an uncanny ability to adapt to its environment, according to the United States Geological Survey, many other species of frog are in a severe state of decline due to climate change, pesticides and disease. Welcoming frogs in to your garden can help to provide them with the safe and stable environment that they need in order to stabilize and rebuild their population.

How Frogs Help

While you attract wood frogs to your garden, thereby helping to preserve and grow the frog population, they will help to preserve your garden. Frogs can be particularly helpful in a vegetable garden because they consume pests and insects. A single frog can consume up to 10,000 pests and insects in a single season. This can help preserve your garden naturally, while saving you money on pesticides. A natural and environmentally friendly space is particularly important to the survival of frogs because they breathe through their skin; therefore, pesticides are particularly toxic to them since they can be easily and unintentionally ingested.

Welcoming frogs in to your garden will not only help to grow their population locally, it will also help your garden grow naturally and economically. By building a small pond and shelter, you can help prevent the potential extinction of a species while helping your garden grow in a safe and natural environment, without the use of chemicals or pesticides.

Guest blog by Jennifer Dawson

07/25/18

‘Save All Frogs’ Initiative Launched!

‘Save All Frogs‘ Initiative Launched!

Matt Ellerbeck – Frog Advocate & Conservationist

Frogs are one of the most diverse forms of herpetofauna in the province of Ontario, boasting more species than turtles, lizards, or salamanders. Yet, there is no outreach education effort solely devoted to these amphibians within the province.

This is unfortunate as many frog species are threatened with extinction. Furthermore, the endangerment of frogs is not exclusive to regions outside of Ontario. Several of the province’s native species are in serious decline.

The Great Lake/St. Lawrence population (east and north of Toronto) of the Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata) is listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act. The Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) is even more at risk, being listed as Endangered. Worse still, the diminutive Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) is considered extinct from Ontario.

More of Ontario’s frogs could also be disappearing, as many species have not yet been properly assessed.

This is what inspired me to launch my Save All Frogs project. With this effort I will be educating individuals throughout the province on why frogs are disappearing, what roles they play in the environment, and most importantly how they can help.

I will be emphasizing as I visit schools, camps, conservation areas and other venues that individuals can become involved with the recovery of frogs via behavioral changes, informed decision making, environmental stewardship actions, and habitat management efforts.

Education has been noted as an effective conservation tool by numerous groups and organizations. The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC) states that it recognizes the need to increase awareness, appreciation, and understanding of amphibians, reptiles and their habitats, which can then enhance conservation actions and stewardship practices. The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust also proclaims that education is one of the most important tools in the long-term conservation of amphibians and reptiles. By raising awareness, enhancing knowledge and encouraging people to take action, real steps can be made towards conserving amphibian and reptile species.

This is why I am committed to educating the public on the plight of frogs!

Save All Frogs - Matt Ellerbeck

05/26/18

Frogs Are Green at Jersey City City Council

On Monday, May 21, 2018, Susan Newman addressed the Jersey City City Council about Frogs Are Green’s mission and the children’s artwork up in the Caucus room. A curated selection of the 2017 winners in our Annual kids’ art contest.

Below is a transcript and the video of that event.

“Good afternoon Council President Lavarro and Jersey City City Council members. I am deeply honored to be here today to talk for a few minutes about Frogs Are Green.

We are on an awareness mission to educate the public about the threats to frogs and amphibians. Frogs are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and disease. Because they breathe and drink through their skin, they are extremely sensitive to an unhealthy environment. Chemicals, pesticides, ozone, and UV are dangerous, even deadly, to them.

According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, a third of the world’s amphibian species are threatened with extinction.

This spring marks our tenth year and our voice grows stronger each day. Through blogging, interviews, social media and a variety of annual events we have reached millions of people.

Every fall, Frogs Are Green holds a kids’ art contest for ages 3-17 and a photo contest, open to all ages. Hundreds of entries come in from over 30 countries and as close as Hoboken and Jersey City and this number increases every year. I’m proud to say that this is a yearly project in the JC public school system and the students have entered for the last 4 years.

Children are naturally curious about nature and can express themselves through art in a way they cannot always express verbally. To inspire them we change the theme each year. This past year we received close to a 1000 artworks and the selection on the walls in this caucus room were curated from the winners in 2017. The theme was Amphibians & Reptiles. The contests will open again in September and we will have a new theme and a new selection of judges. I’m very excited about this fall as we will partnering with another organization to raise funds to save the frogs and the rainforest. We do not charge any fees to enter.

In addition to our annual contests and spring exhibitions, we design and publish books for adults and children to learn from and enjoy. These are a few of the books we’ve published and we have more in development.

Our New Jersey nonprofit organization is called FROGS ARE GREEN because we believe that healthy frogs mean a healthy planet. By saving the frogs, we will also save our planet—and ourselves.”

Susan Newman, Founder and President
Frogs Are Green Inc.

04/8/18

Amphibians and Reptiles Art Exhibit at Jersey City City Hall

Frogs Are Green is proud to showcase artwork by children around the world in collaboration with The City of Jersey City and the JC Office of Cultural Affairs for the 4th consecutive year! Just in time for Earth Day on April 22.

The curated exhibition from the annual kids art contest is up in the City Hall caucus room, so it will be visible in the City Council videos for the month of April. The best days to see the artworks are Mondays and Fridays. Just call or stop by the City Council’s office on the 2nd floor of City Hall.

Below is a list of the young artists in the exhibit.

Antariksha Sethiya, 14 yrs old, India
Claire Lee, 10 yrs old, California, USA
Elcin Sefer, 13 yrs old, Turkey
Eylem Konuklar, 10 yrs old, Turkey
Fatemeh Tabrizi, 16 yrs old, Iran
Gegea Bianca, 15 yrs old, Romania
Giwoo Kim, 14 yrs old, California, USA
Ipek Liva Gurses, 5 yrs old, Turkey
John Rama, 17 yrs old, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
K.C.J. Perera, 12 yrs old, Sri Lanka
Luniva Joshi, 12 yrs old, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Lynn Sun, 9 yrs old, USA
Margaret Kelly, 7 yrs old, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Mina Buyukgonenc, 9 yrs old, Turkey
Minh Khanh Truong, 6 yrs old, Vietnam
Ng Yin Hei, 7 yrs old, China
Paulus Ong, 5 yrs old, Indonesia
Rachel Paulus, 9 yrs old, Florida, USA
Richard Alicea, 17 yrs old, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Ritvik Patra, 9 yrs old, California, USA
Shrushti Chavan, 12 yrs old, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Tanvi Gadre, 13 yrs old, India
Viktoriya Kukarekina, 10 yrs old, Texas, USA
Yanbo Feng, 14 yrs old, Michigan, USA

Any questions about this show, just let us know.
info@frogsaregreen.com

Sponsored by:

03/8/18

Young Artists Study Frogs in Belgrade

Students from around the world participate each year in the Frogs Are Green kids art contest, but we don’t always know about the lessons. I’m so pleased to share this letter we received from an art teacher in Belgrade, Serbia.

Dear Susan,

The first group of students we worked with were 13 year olds. We divided the whole class into groups and each group had worked on one area; had an electronic presentation; and their own artistic work. I must add that your project was so inspiring, that my colleague who teaches biology and I followed your recommendation on classes with six groups of students and each group had its own presentation and art project related to different areas of life of frogs. All groups performed their works of art, posters, collages, 3-d reliefs, etc., and during this time, one group went out in front of the screen and commented on the photos from their presentation. Other professors and pupils were present, so we designed the final part of the lesson as some kind of dialogue; comments and questions from the audience, to which the students responded.

It turned out that this was a very successful class. The children have responded to a great extent. In the second half of the school year, we will try something different with another group of children. We plan to make a short interactive story, a kind of dramatic play where students will make and wear masks of different types of frogs from around the world. All of them will communicate with each other and thus describe their characteristics. This new idea with masks and drama dialogs is just getting ready, so I’ll send you photos and information when it is done.

Bye, all the best,

Valentina Mirkovic
(art teacher)
“Janko Veselinovic” School
Belgrade,Serbia

Serbia students learn about frogs and create art for Frogs Are Green Contests 2017

Play Prev|Next

01/28/18

Winners of the 2017 Kids Art Contest

Announcing the Winners of the Frogs Are Green 2017 Kids Art Contest!

We want to thank all the students, teachers, and parents from across the United States and around the world! We are proud to reach more countries each year and 2017 includes entries from over 30 countries and half the states in the USA.

In addition, children continue to show their creativity and inspiration, encouraging us to protect the environment and the biodiversity of life!

Thanks to our Judges (Devin Edmonds, Beverly D’Andrea, Jerome China, John Dunstan, Gaye Dunstan, and Sam Pesin) who I’m sure had a rough time choosing! Bravo to all the winners. (Wait for images to load).

Contact us to receive your winners certificate via email. 1st Place winners in age groups only should email us their mailing address to receive prizes.

Download a participation certificate here: Frogs Are Green 2017 Kids Art Contest Certificate

– Susan Newman, founder, Frogs Are Green

__________________________________________________

2017 Winners based on Age Groups

WINNERS – Age Group 3-6

Paulus Ong Jr., 4.5 years old, Jakarta, Indonesia

Ipek Liva Gurses, 5 years old, Turkey

Minh Khanh Truong, 6 years old, Vietnam

Chakshana Thilakarathne, 5 years old, Sri Lanka

Sanuka Basnayake, 6 years old, Sri Lanka. Frogs Harmony

Susanna Simon Almeida, 6 years old, India

Lithika Adigopula, 6 years old, Jersey City, USA

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Age Group 7-9

Lynn Sun, 9 years old, NJ, USA

Rachel Paulus, 9 years old, Florida, USA

Md Matin Bin Md Zulkarnain, 7 years old, Singapore

Mina Buyukgonenc, 9 years old, Turkey

Ritvik Patra, 9 years old, CA, 3D frogs

Viara Pencheva, 8 years old, Bulgaria, Crocodile and Frogs

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Age Group 10-12

Shrushti Chavan, 12, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Viktoriya Kukarekina, 10, Texas, USA

K Chathushka Jeewantha Perera, 12 yrs old, Sri Lanka

Defne Akkaya, 11 years old, Turkey

U. K. Samadhi Anjanaa, 12 years old, Sri Lanka. Sampath Rekha International Art Academy

Luniva Joshi, age 12, MS4, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Eylem Konuklar, 10 yrs old, Turkey

Seah Hong, 10 years old, CA, USA

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Age Group 13-17

Gegea Bianca, 15 years old, Romania

Richard Alicea, 17 years old, Liberty HS, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Tanvi Gadre, 13 years old, India

Fatemeh Tabrizi, 16 years old, Iran

Antariksha Sethiya, 14 years old, India

Vanessa Gong, 13 yrs old, USA

Play Prev|Next

Specialty Categories:

WINNERS – Best of China

Lau Yat Hei, 5 years old, Hong Kong, China

Ng Yin Hei, 7 years old, Hong Kong, China, School of Creativity

Chan Po Chi Angelo, 4 years old, Hong Kong, China, School of Creativity

Chau Tse Yin Celine, 4 years old, Hong Kong, China, School of Creativity

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best of Turkey

Elcin Sefer, 13 years old, Turkey

Ipek Liva Gurses, 5 years old, Turkey

Ceren Gunaydin, 9 yrs old, Turkey

Kaya Yuzseven, 12 yrs old, Turkey

Aysel Nur Akar, 8 yrs old, Turkey

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best of Jersey City

Shrushti Chavan, 12 years old, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Vibha Jain, 7 years old, Jersey City, NJ

John Rama, 17 years old, Liberty HS, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Misally Dillard, 17 years old, Liberty High School, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best of Hoboken

Margaret K, 7 yrs old, Wallace School, Hoboken, NJ USA

Mickael Silvestre, 6 years old, Wallace Elementary, Hoboken, NJ, USA 2017

Beatrice Holder, 7 years old, Wallace Elementary, Hoboken, NJ, USA 2017

Molly Lamb, 6 years old, Wallace Elementary, Hoboken, NJ, USA 2017

Penelope Sprague, 6 years old, Wallace Elementary, Hoboken, NJ, USA 2017

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best 3D Art

Ritvik Patra, 9 years old, CA, 3D frogs

Leyla Zehebi, 13 years old, Turkey

Bartek Burda, 12 years old, Scotland Polish Saturday Primary School

Olek Zoblunda, 4 years old, Scotland Polish Saturday Primary School

Thanumi De Silva (3 Years old) & Upali Gunasekara (57 Years old), Sri Lanka. (We included this child/elder project).

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best Environmental

Ansh Gupta, 15 years old, Edison, New Jersey

Sharanya Sharma, 10 years old, India

Luniva Joshi, age 12, MS4, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Stop Pollution by Arnav Gandhi, 11 years old, India

Varnika Pujari, 5 years old, Jersey City, NJ

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best Typographic

Lynn Sun, 9 years old, New Jersey, USA

Muneeb Alam, 13 years old, Jersey City, NJ

Anagha Chimmalagi, 6 years old, New Jersey, USA

Ceren Gunaydin, 9 yrs old, Turkey

Miriam Kimani, age 12, MS #4, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best Amphibian Art

John Rama 17, Liberty High School, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Claire Lee, 10 years old, CA, environmental

Shrushti Chavan, 12, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Claire Kim, 9 years old, CA, USA

Priya Neil, 16 years old, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Sarah Sheik, 9 yrs old, Jersey City, NJ

Tanvi Gadre, 13 years old, India

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best Reptile Art

Yanbo Feng, age 14, United States, Michigan, USA

Rachel Paulus, 9 yrs old, Florida, USA

Elcin Sefer, 13 years old, Turkey

Aneira Pereira, 13 years old, United Arab Emirates

Janna Gapuz, 15 years old, McNair Academic High School, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Vibha Jain, 7 years old, Jersey City, NJ

Play Prev|Next

WINNERS – Best Black and White Art

Giwoo Kim, 14 years old, California, USA

Tanvi Gadre, 13 years old, India

Justin Tan Chi Yang,11yrs old,SJK(C) Sin Min A,Sungai Petani Kedah Malaysia

Luniva Joshi, 12 years old, MS #4, Jersey City, NJ, USA

Vitomir Certic, 14 years old, Serbia

Play Prev|Next

Frogs Are Green

Environmental Organization Helping to Bring Awareness About Frog Decline Around The World

Category Archives: Learn about Frogs

On the Brink of Extinction: Preserving the Frog Population in the State of New York

‘Save All Frogs’ Initiative Launched!

Frogs Are Green at Jersey City City Council

Amphibians and Reptiles Art Exhibit at Jersey City City Hall

Young Artists Study Frogs in Belgrade

Winners of the 2017 Kids Art Contest

Announcing the Winners of the Frogs Are Green 2017 Kids Art Contest!

2017 Winners based on Age Groups

WINNERS – Age Group 3-6

WINNERS – Age Group 7-9

WINNERS – Age Group 10-12

WINNERS – Age Group 13-17

Specialty Categories:

WINNERS – Best of China

WINNERS – Best of Turkey

WINNERS – Best of Jersey City

WINNERS – Best of Hoboken

WINNERS – Best 3D Art

WINNERS – Best Environmental

WINNERS – Best Typographic

WINNERS – Best Amphibian Art

WINNERS – Best Reptile Art

WINNERS – Best Black and White Art