01/22/15

Irwin Quagmire Wart, Frog Book Author for Children

Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your mission and goals.

I’m a frog so I’ve always been interested in our health and welfare. I have a baby brother and young cousins so I want to see our habitats preserved for them and for all future generations.

What is your educational background and what lead to sharing “The Land of of Lily Pad?”

I’m sorry to admit it, I have no formal education, but I’m loaded with street smarts… swamp smarts, if you prefer. Even though my name is Irwin Quagmire, lots of people know me by my initials, IQ because I am a very smart frog. I began writing books in 2011, after my first trip to France. Since then, I have written three other books, including a book on environmental stewardship for kids. After all, who knows more about being green than a frog!

Do you travel to exotic places and if yes, tell us about some of them.

The most exotic place I’ve been to is my home… Land of Lily Pad. It’s the most fabulous frog pond on earth… where humans are not allowed. So it’s still a beautiful, healthy, safe environment. Otherwise, I’ve only traveled a little in the US and Europe.

Please share your books and/or publications?

I have written, as I said before, four books:
Irwin Quagmire Wart Travels to Paris, France… a kid’s guide to the City of Lights
Irwin Quagmire Wart Travels Back in Time… a kid’s guide to life in Pioneer America
Green is Good… a kid’s guide to environmental stewardship
Perfectly Perfect – a rhyming book for young children that embraces the idea of self-acceptance and self-love no matter what you look like

What are some challenges you have faced and how did you deal with them?

I’m luckier than a lot of frogs. My family and friends have a clean, safe home. My biggest challenge is where to find the juiciest flies… all kidding aside, I am trying really, really hard to get my message out to the world and to get my books published. But it’s hard and very competitive.

What can people do to help? Donate, and contribute to your cause?

It would be helpful if my message and my website got promoted more. And it would be a dream to find a real publisher or literary agent… but I’m not holding my breath.

“Ask not what your swamp can do for you but what you can do for your swamp”… Irwin Quagmire Wart (and maybe John F. Kennedy). I believe this whole-heartedly and want to help your organization as much as I am able. I am planning on including a link to your website on mine: on the page, Irwin’s Favorite Things. If there’s more I can do, please let me know. My amanuensis can write pretty well and is very willing to contribute whatever she/we can.

How do you reach your targeted audience?
Is it through your website, advertising or social media or another route? Which is most effective and why?

I have a Facebook page: Irwin Quagmire Wart
A website: http://www.irwinquagmirewart.com/
Twitter account: @IrwinQWart
So far, none of them are effective but I am hoping that through Twitter, and reaching out to other frogs and frog-related people, I can drive more traffic to my website… and eventually, my books.

How do you keep the audience engaged over time?

I update my website often and try to include subjects that will be of interest to kids and adults, but are also near and dear to my heart; the environment is my big passion.

Tell us about your events around the world and some of the campaigns you have started.

None yet, but I have big plans…

What is in the works for the future? What haven’t you yet tackled, but will want to do soon?

My goal is to write a series of travel books for kids, focusing on unique world locations, both large and small. I believe that through travel, both children and frogs can learn that differences in appearance and culture are both good and interesting. By helping children to “see the world” (through a frog’s eyes) as a beautiful, non-scary place filled with interesting people, beautiful art, and amazing things to see and do, I hope to make the world seem a little smaller and certainly a place that needs protecting.

12/31/14

Pobblebonk Frogs in Australia

Rosemary Horton from Australia likes to keep Frogs Are Green readers up to date with her efforts to save frogs.

The photos below were taken with an ordinary digital camera through the lens of a school microscope, and shows the eggs and development of Pobblebonk Frogs (Limnodynastes dumerilii) to where she is ready to return them to suitable unpolluted areas.

About Pobblebonk Frogs from Wikipedia.org:

Limnodynastes dumerilii is a frog species from the family Myobatrachidae. The informal names for this species, and its subspecies, include Eastern or Southern Banjo Frog, and Bull frog. The frog is also called the pobblebonk after its distinctive “bonk” call, which is likened to a banjo string being plucked. It is native to eastern Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand. There are five subspecies of L. dumerilii, each with different skin coloration.

12/28/14

Frog Photography and Frog Art from Around the World

The 14 judges are currently reviewing the entries submitted for the 2014 contests. There are so many incredible entries from across Jersey City, New Jersey, the United States and 32 countries around the world. The winners will be announced in January, 2015.

Here is the collected data for the 2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest: 973 Entries

32 Countries entered the 2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest

Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, England, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirate, and USA.

17 States from across the USA entered the 2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest

Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

5 Cities in New Jersey entered the 2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest

Hoboken, Jersey City, Montclair, Piscataway, and South Brunswick.

16 Schools in Jersey City and Hoboken entered the 2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest

McNair Academic High School, PS #5, PS #23, MS #4, PS #3, PS #33, PS #28, MS #38, Golden Door Charter School, PS #25, PS #21, MS #7, Liberty High School, PS #31, Hoboken Catholic Academy, and the Hoboken Charter School.

Here is the collected data for the 2014 Frogs Are Green Photography Contests:

16 Countries entered the two 2014 Photography contests “Backyard Frogs” (34 entries) and “Frogs in the Wild” (56 entries)

Australia (NSW), Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Sri Lanka, and USA.

9 States in the USA entered the 2014 Frogs Are Green photography contests: “Backyard Frogs” and “Frogs in the Wild”

Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Below are the links to the 3 Flickr galleries, if you would like to see the imagery.

2014 Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest

2014 Backyard Frogs Photo Contest

2014 Frogs in the Wild Contest

Thank you so much for your participation and good luck to all who entered! We would love to hear from the teachers and students! Tell us what you learned about frogs and amphibians! Tell us about the art mediums and techniques you used. If you’d like to post a video to the Frogs Are Green Facebook wall, we’d love to hear from you!

– Susan Newman, founder, Frogs Are Green, Inc. – A New Jersey nonprofit organization

12/4/14

Building Reach, Near and Far

We know that if we build a web presence with the right SEO (search engine optimization) over time we will reach those who are searching for what we are offering.

But what if your target audience isn’t looking for what you’re doing? How can we reach them?

This is the 5th year of the Frogs Are Green Kids Art Contest, so naturally those who have entered in the past are aware and may enter again. In addition, some parents and kids in countries around the world may be watching what other countries are doing and then get into the action as well. In the past 5 years we have received thousands of entries from more than 27 countries! When people are looking for something specific on the web and the right SEO is in place, those pages are found.

For example, Hong Kong has entered many beautiful artworks over the past few years, but this year in addition to the entries from China, we received entries from Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Last year we received some amazing art from Estonia, and this year from England, Ireland, Denmark, and Romania. Information can spread to new areas when we consistently push it out there and when the public is actively looking for it and then shares it, pushing it even further.

But the question today is how do we reach the ones nearby?

The answer is by introducing people to real-time situations where they are learning new things. If we want children who live in urban areas to understand nature and why saving frogs is important, we need to bring them to the source, yes bring them to nature. How can we expect children who live in urban environments to care about wildlife when it is somewhat foreign to them? This is why many classrooms today have class pets. So children can be directly involved in the health and well-being of those animals. But there is nothing better than showing them the animals’ true habitat.

Last Spring, Frogs Are Green made a presentation to 60 first-graders at the Learning Community Charter School in Jersey City, showing them both frog art from around the world and a slideshow of some of the most unusual frogs. They learn about frogs and amphibians as part of their school curriculum and they already knew quite a bit and were very enthusiastic about the topic.

During 2014 we developed a new six-week curriculum, “Frogs, Amphibians and their Threatened Environment – Discovery and Expression through Art” which is available for download, under the education tab on our website.

During the summer and early fall, we had set up tables at quite a few community fairs and events so children could stop by, sit down and draw frogs with the art supplies we laid out. Children love to create and don’t need that much encouragement once engaged. They just need the right guidance from teachers and parents. We also know that children love animals. Many have pets at home, but it’s not the same as seeing those animals in nature.

If we want children to care about nature, we must show it to them, through field trips and when they see the real thing it will lead them to care what happens in the future.

What’s cool is that even in urban areas there are parks, such as our own Liberty State Park. Imagine the fantastic discovery students might have by seeing everything from frogs to birds, and more if they just went there with an educator.

We see a sharing cycle of teachers educating children, who bring that information home and tell their parents, who then share that with other parents, who share it with their kids and on to community leaders.

The key is getting those sparks of information and creativity started in the right places and making sure the people you want to reach are receiving it.

by Susan Newman, founder

11/30/14

Green Cyber Monday

This time of year most are busy running around collecting this and that for their loved ones. I want to take this opportunity to express my thanks for all the frog loving fans who have read, shared and posted photos, artworks and interesting news items.

The contest entries are flying in from all over the globe. Artworks have come in from: South Korea, Bahrain, Slovakia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Russian Federation, Morocco, England, Ireland, Australia, Denmark, Romania, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica and USA. There are just two weeks left to submit yours! The deadline is Dec. 15, 2014.

2014 Kids Art Contest hosted by Frogs Are Green
2014 Photo Contest hosted by Frogs Are Green

Frogs Are Green is a New Jersey nonprofit organization and we depend on the modest donations and sales from tee shirts, posters and calendars. Please purchase our NEW 2015 Frogs and Dragonflies calendar with exceptional photography by Wes Deyton, wildlife photographer in North Carolina, or one of our magnificent conservation posters showcasing collaborations from some of the most well known artists and photographers!

If you are looking for a winter project to do with your children, download the FREE “Frogs, Amphibians and their Threatened Environment – Discovery and Expression Through Art,” 6 week curriculum!

I also wish to mention that I am enrolled in NJ Learns (a partnership between The Cloud Institute and Sustainable Jersey, thanks to my advocate, Sustainable JC, and through this education on sustainability, I am seeing more clearly, new educational ways to reach children and the general public. Look for expanded offerings as we move into 2015!

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season!
– Susan Newman, founder, Frogs Are Green

10/9/14

Robin Moore, Conservationist, Photographer and Author of In Search of Lost Frogs

Exclusive!

Tune in tomorrow, October 10, 2014 at 3pm EST and meet…

Robin Moore, conservationist, photographer and author of “In Search of Lost Frogs.”

*** Now Replaying *** The podcast interview is here:
Webcast: Robin Moore interviewed by Susan Newman

Follow the event and comment on Facebook:

Robin Moore Interview on Facebook with Susan Newman (aka Suzy Brandtastic)

About Robin Moore:

Robin Moore is a conservationist, photographer and the author of In Search of Lost Frogs (In Search of Lost Frogs).

Since gaining a PhD in biodiversity conservation, Robin has been a powerful voice for amphibian conservation.

He is a Conservation Officer with Rainforest Trust, Global Wildlife Conservation and the Amphibian Survival Alliance, the largest global partnership for amphibian conservation.

He is a proud Senior Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (www.ilcp.com), represented by National Geographic Creative, and recently Co-Founded Frame of Mind (www.frameofmind.org), an initiative that empowers youth around the world to connect with their natural and cultural worlds through photography and visual.

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About Suzy Brandtastic interviews:

Susan Newman, an environmentalist and brand visibility designer knows how important it is to tell your “why.” Susan hosts a podcast series, live action video series and a written interview series, all featuring environmentalists, innovators, creatives and small business owners.

Frogs Are Green

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

Category Archives: Frog Conservation