Mystic Aquarium

MYSTIC, Conn. (January 23, 2009) – With the warm weather soon arriving, it is time to venture outside and become a volunteer for the second field season of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s Amphibian Monitoring Project. Leap into action and attend a family-friendly training session at the aquarium on Saturday, March 28 or April 18 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Last year – a year deemed the “Year of the Frog” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, more than 160 citizen scientists helped collect data on local frog, toad and salamander populations throughout the late spring and summer seasons. Data was collected monthly at Bluff Point State Park and Pequot Woods in Groton and a conservation site at the aquarium.

The data was sent to the Department of Environmental Protection so that both groups can monitor the populations year to year.
“There were no good numbers for amphibians in this area before the project,” said MaryEllen Mateleska, instructor and public conservation programs manager at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, divisions of Sea Research Foundation, Inc. “Amphibians are environmental indicators, so it is important that we monitor the populations to determine if and how our surroundings are changing.”

WHAT: Volunteer training session for the second season of the Amphibian Monitoring Project, an initiative to collect data on local frog, toad and salamander populations for year-to-year monitoring and analysis on how the numbers are indicative of environmental conditions and change.

WHEN: Saturday, March 28 or April 18 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, 55 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, CT 06355

COST: Free. Registration is required. Visit www.mysticaquarium.org to register.

For more information, call MaryEllen Mateleska, instructor and public conservation programs manager, at (860) 572-5955, ext. 156, or visit www.mysticaquarium.org. About Sea Research Foundation, Inc.

About Sea Research Foundation, Inc.
Mystic Aquarium, Institute for Exploration and Immersion Presents are divisions of Sea Research Foundation, Inc., a private, non-profit, charitable organization incorporated in the State of Connecticut. The mission of Sea Research is to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through education, research and exploration.