Croak Mystery

! New town. New job. Tough boss. And suddenly it's up to you to find out why extinction threatens the celebrated frogs in the town park.

PROTEST "Ribbit," the man says. His face is green. "Come on," the woman says, and grabs your arm. "What's going on?" you want to know. You and she step over more green people. "Hurry," she says. "Before the press gets here." The two of you duck into the conference room. A man rises to meet you, his face red with anger: Councilman Jonathan Pierce, your boss.

THE BOSS SPEAKS "You're the new assistant?" the Councilman asks. You nod. He indicates the woman. "Meet my aide, Carolyn Flask." "Charmed," she says. She laughs a funny laugh: hee hee heh heh ha. "Okay, here's the situation." The Councilman leans over the table. "I have twenty-one people all dressed in green sitting in my office. They tell me they won't leave until I take action to save Rana viridiana, the frogs that live in Slow Water Park. They've alerted the press and I'm gonna be all over the news tonight."

"This is bad," Carolyn says. Wham! He slams his hand down on the desk. "Wrong! This is good. Because I'm going to have the facts, I'm going to take strong action, I am going to save those frogs." He gulps some air. "I'm gonna be a hero on the news tonight." "I didn't know you were on top of the frog situation," Carolyn blinks. He glares at her. "I'm not. But I will be. By 2 this afternoon. Thanks to you and the new assistant." He looks at his watch. "You two better get going. You can take my car.”

PURSUED You step back out into the office. "Uh-oh," Carolyn breathes. Reporters are everywhere. The two of you slip into the back office, where a boy is tapping at a laptop computer. "Come on, Jason," Carolyn says. "Grab your stuff and let's go." The three of you clatter down a back stair and out to the lobby. Carolyn pulls out a cell phone. "George? Meet us out front." Then she turns to the boy. "So what have you got?" But he doesn't get a chance to reply. The elevator doors open, and reporters stampede forward. The questions come thick and fast.

"...Bats, bats eating the frogs. Will the Councilman act–" "Rumors of pollution, is the Councilman investigating-" "Miz Flask! Miz Flask! If the City sues Slow Water Park–" A car, long and black, pulls up. "No comment," Carolyn yells. "Until the press conference at 2 o'clock." Jason yanks the door open and the three of you jump in. "Where to?" George asks from behind the wheel. "Anywhere!" you shoot back. Carolyn laughs hee hee heh heh ha as the car slips smoothly away.

"FROGS ARE CROAKING" Jason uncrumples the papers in his hand. "Okay," he says. "Here's the deal. Basically, all over the world, frogs are dying. Populations that have been stable suddenly go into decline or disappear. But it's weird. Not all frogs are croaking ñ I mean, dying. Some are doing better than ever. And a species dying off in one place may still be doing well someplace else." "Huh," says Carolyn. "People are worried, because dying frogs might be an early warning that something's terribly wrong with our ecosystem. 'Canary in the coal mine' - whatever that means. So like the people who study frogs are all over this. They aren't finding one single cause for all frogs. More often, they find that each population has its own particular cause for decline." "Such as?" you wonder. Jason shuffles paper. "Water pollution," he says. "That's a big one. Frogs hang out around water, and usually lay their eggs in water. So chemicals can wreck the eggs, or they enter frog bodies right through the skin. Frogs are really sensitive. So if there's anything wrong with the water it often shows up in the frogs first." "What else?" "Loss of habitat. Uh, basically frogs like it when things are swampy. But people don't. So people clean up the swamps and then the frogs have no place to live." "Anything else?" "Yeah." He makes a face. "But it's totally gross.”

THE DEADLY FOUR "I guess some people eat frogs?" Jason shudders. "Frog legs. So sometimes humans, or other animals, are predators. They hunt frogs and eat them. "And last, invaders. What they call invasive or exotic species. Animals or plants brought from one place and released someplace else. The invaders may not have any natural predators to keep their population under control. So they multiply like crazy and basically take over." He folds his paper shut. "That's about it so far." Carolyn has been making notes. "So we have water pollution, habitat loss, predators, and invader species as possible causes for the decline of the Rana viridiana frogs in Slow Water Park," she says slowly. "Which of these do the protesters think it is?" Jason snorts. "Some say it's pollution from that new clothing factory. Others say people use the park too much, and ruin the frog habitat." He shrugs. "They're not really sure what's going on." "That's why they've asked Mr. Pierce to come up with the answer," Carolyn observes. "Now, here's something: what makes them so sure the frogs are dying?" "This lady says so." Jason hands over a business card.

"‘Marjorie Mol, amateur herpetologist,'" Carolyn reads. "X-Treem Pet Store. On River Street." She hands the card over the seat to George. "Righto," George says, and turns the big car around.

YOU MEET A HERP You find Marjorie Mol back in the Reptiles section of the pet store. "Look," she says, and pulls out a battered notebook. "For three years now I've been counting the Rana viridiana individuals in Slow Water Park." She ruffles through the pages. "Once, sometimes twice a month. The frog population was stable -- look for yourself, if you want. "But my survey two months ago was pretty alarming. Take a look. Things just get worse and worse."

You take hold of the notebook. Carolyn looks over your shoulder. "Oh no," she murmurs. THE SURVEY RESULTS

! "How do you get these numbers?" you ask. Marjorie describes how she wades around the perimeter of Slow Water Park at noon, and counts the Rana viridiana frogs she sees. "I'm an amateur," Marjorie says, "but that doesn't matter. The secret is in doing it enough times, the same way each time. When you've done it for years, you can tell right away if something's not right." "Well, I'm convinced the frogs are in trouble." Carolyn looks at the herpetologist. "Now the question is, why?"

THE CHART, EXPLAINED

! "Every month now for the past three years," Marjorie says, "I have waded around the perimeter of Slow Water Park at noon, and counted the Rana viridiana frogs I see. The chart summarizes what I've seen. "If you look at the yellow and green bars, you can see how their life is pretty much supposed to be: a certain number of frogs survive the winter, lay eggs in early spring. Tadpoles hatch and start turning into young frogs in May. There are plenty of insects to feed on, so the frog population explodes. Then the juveniles grow up into adult frogs, and as food begins to get scarce the population drops. "The thick dark red bars show the number of frogs, both adult and juvenile, that I've seen this year. Compare them with the green bars - which show how the frogs were doing last year - and with the yellow bars - which show how they were doing the year before that - and you'll see that something's going wrong this year." JANUARY "It seems like every winter, I see approximately the same number of frogs. Food is scarce then."

MARCH "I sometimes see a small jump in the number of frogs in March. I think maybe a few come out of hibernation, or come back to the Park from outlying areas."

MAY "See the little boxes outline in black? Those show how many of the frogs I saw were juvenile (young) ones. Juvenile frogs usually start appearing in May."

JULY "By July, there are PLENTY of insects, and the tadpoles are really growing up fast. I see way more juvenile frogs than adults in July and August."

SEPTEMBER "You can see that usually juveniles are growing up into adults at this time. But look at my most recent count for this year, in September. Only about half of this year's juvenile frogs became adults, I would guess."

OCT-NOV-DEC (There are no red bars for these months because they haven't happened yet. The story is set in early October.)

DO THE RIGHT THING

Marjorie takes a big breath. "Lawns," she says. "Lawns?" "Lawns. People dump all kinds of chemicals on lawns -- pesticides and herbicides and fungicides and fertilizers. They wash off or percolate down into the water supply. And then they zap the frogs." "Any other possibilities? How about pollution from the Way Out There factory?" "Could be." "How about loss of habitat?" "I think the habitat looks the same. Number of tadpoles looks about the same. It's just the frogs that are missing." "How about invader species? Or predators?" "Possible. I've read about people stocking a river or lake with sport fish like trout or bass, and the young fish eat up all the frog eggs and tadpoles. Although we seem to be losing mostly young frogs, not tadpoles." Marjorie turns and picks the lid off a terrarium holding a box turtle. "Look, I gotta get back to work. But I sure hope you can get that Mr. Pierce to do the right thing. If he doesn't, I think by this time next year all the frogs will be gone.”

NAMING NAMES Back in the limo, Jason has his laptop hooked up to the car phone. "Okay," he says. "I got a list of people we might want to see." He reads off the names:

SANDY DENIM,ranger,

Slow Water Park

ROGER COLLAR,plant manager,Way Out There

Clothing

ABBY NGUYEN,field manager,

state department of Wildlife,

Fish & Game"Plus," he goes on, "Katie, one of the city librarians, is a good friend of mine. Any time we need to look something up in the library, she can do that for us." "Good!" Carolyn says. "But we need one more." She tells Jason what the herpetologist said about pollution from lawns. Jason does a database search. "Got it," he announces. He adds to the list:

JAVIER ORNELAS,quality engineer,

city waterdepartment

George speaks up. "I got one for ya. She lives on a street by the park. And she told me some strange things have been going on." Jason types as George dictates.

DEEPTI GUPTA, neighbor on Slow

Water Street Now you speak up. "One more. We need someone to surf the Net for us. I nominate Skullbaby." Carolyn looks doubtful. "If you say so." "Cool." Jason types:

SKULLBABY,net wizard

GEORGE SEES TROUBLE "Now Jason, help me out," Carolyn says. "We have to find out when these people can meet with us." She looks at her watch. "We have less than three hours! Hee hee heh heh ha." She and Jason start dialing numbers.

George pulls the car over. You both get out. "Gum?" he offers. You chew for a moment in silence, watching the city traffic go by. "See that down there?" He points down the avenue, where the street ends in a dark clot of trees. "That's Slow Water Park." "Yeah," you say. "Lemme see if I got this right," he says. "The protesters are after Councilman Pierce because the frogs are dying in the park. And so the Councilman's after you to find out what's going on." "Right," you say. "He doesn't want to appear indecisive. He's announcing his solution at two o'clock." George shakes his head. "You got trouble," he says. "People around here are proud that we have wildlife right in the center of town. If you don't get it right, the Councilman's sure gonna catch it. You been working for him long?" "Today's my first day," you say. "Maybe your last day too, eh?" The car's sunroof whirs open. Jason's head pops up. "Hey," he says. "Let's roll.”

KATIE THE LIBRARIAN What information do you want to get from the librarian? Give me a general description of the frog Rana viridiana. About the frog Rana viridiana: "Rana viridiana. Order: Anura. Family: Ranidae. Commonly known as the red-belly frog. Grows from one to over four inches long. Diurnal -- that means it's active during the day. Green to reddish brown in color, with a dark mask bordered by a light stripe on the jaw. The underside is yellow with a wash of red -- that's why it's called ëred-belly.' Feeds primarily on crawling insects. Habitat: found near ponds or other permanent water with extensive vegetation. Its egg masses look like grape clusters and are laid in permanent bodies of water. Eggs hatch in one to two weeks into tadpoles; tadpoles change into juvenile frogs in two to three months; juveniles mature into adults in one to two months." TOP

What has the weather been like in this city this year? About recent weather in the city: "Let's see. Pretty normal temperatures and rainfall over the past two-and-a-half months, except for that very heavy rain we had four weeks ago. Caused a bit of flooding in places." TOP

Give me a general description of Slow Water Park. About Slow Water Park: "The park was established about seventy years ago to preserve a beautiful natural spot: the Slow Water Springs and the forest, meadows, streams and ponds that are fed by them. The park managers have struggled throughout the years to keep most of the park and especially the stream banks in a natural condition, and generally they've succeeded." TOP

Where does the water in Slow Water Park come from? Where the water in Slow Water Park comes from: "I looked through the hydrology maps. The springs of Slow Water Park are fed from a deep aquifer, so the water is of unusually high quality. I also saw a drainage map, which shows that the city has installed a system of storm drains, so that excess water generally goes into the sewer system, not into the park."

Where does the water in Slow Water Park go to? Where the water in Slow Water Park goes to:

"Below the park is Lake Amberjean, a small reservoir which supplies the drinking water to the central part of the city."

Were any studies made about the environmental impact of the Way Out There factory? About environmental studies of the Way Out There factory: "There were three studies, each of which caused a major change to the original factory design. The first was a visual study which eliminated clutter in the building design. The second was a traffic study which changed the layout of the factory access roads and parking lot. The third was a wildlife study which prevented the factory from building a fence. No problems were detected in the planned factory wastewater system, so it was built as originally proposed."

Are there any articles on declining amphibian populations? About declining amphibian populations: "It's well documented that amphibian populations the world over have been declining for 25 years now or more, but it's still unclear as to why. The worry is that some sort of global problem -- a diminished ozone layer, for example, or a chemical pollutant -- is causing the decline. Recent discoveries show that actually a naturally occurring fungus may be a prime contributor to the decline. But reality is complex, and resists simple, only-one-cause solutions."

Tell me more about water pollution. About frogs and water pollution: "Like most frogs, Rana viridiana possesses a very permeable skin. Plus it lays its eggs in water, in grape-like clumps, which hatch into tadpoles that swim in the water. Thus it is very sensitive to pollutants in the water, which can destroy the eggs, poison the tadpoles or frogs, or cause deformities."

Tell me more about habitat destruction. About frogs and habitat destruction: "Rana viridiana is a classic sort of frog, living both on the land and in the water. Frogs like these are very sensitive to habitat destruction."

Tell me more about invasive species. About frogs and invasive species: "Lots of stuff about invasive species. Zebra mussels in the Great Lakes and kudzu in the American South and stuff like that. But I only found one reference to frogs dying out because of an invasion by an exotic species. That was when they brought cane toads to Australia in the 1930s. The cane toads displaced a lot of native frogs -- sometimes they ate up their food, and sometimes they ate up the frogs."

Tell me more about predators of frogs. About frogs and predators: "Around the world, lots and lots of other animals eat frogs -- including toads and bats, if they're big enough. In this area, only foxes, coyotes, and herons eat adult frogs, plus catfish and bass eat young frogs. But mainly I learned that it's rare for natural predators to cause a steep decline. In a balanced ecosystem, natural predators at worst cause a gradual decline, and usually don't threaten to wipe out their prey."

What significant events happened in the city about two months ago?

About recent events in the city: "I looked through the news archive. I only found one thing that seems suspicious. Turns out the city installed a bat house in Amberjean Park last year, big enough to hold up to two thousand bats. Amberjean Park is about a mile from Slow Water Park. The article said that the bats would migrate north to the bat house in the spring. That means the bats probably began to occupy that bat house about three months ago."

Tell me more about the Mexican free-tailed bat. About the Mexican free-tailed bat: "Scientific name is Tadarida brasiliensis. A medium-sized bat, with a body about nine centimeters in length, and weighing about fifteen grams. Its fur color varies from dark brown to gray; ears are wide and set far apart on the head to help with echolocation. "Mexican free-tailed bats live in colonies, usually within caves, and emerge at night to feed on flying insects such as mosquitoes. The largest colony, at Bracken Cave in Texas, numbers nearly 20 million adult bats, which can eat up to 250 tons of insects per night! This species is very important for the natural control of insects, but its populations have fallen because of the use of pesticides and the destruction of roosting caves."

What's a "cane toad"? About the cane toad: "The cane toad is actually Bufo marinus, also called the giant toad. Giant indeed -- it can measure from 6 to 9 inches and (in captivity) weigh four pounds! The toad is squat and plump with rough warty skin; protruding eyes with thick warty eyelids; prominent poison glands on its shoulders. Native to tropical America. "Nocturnal. A voracious eater, it eats anything it can fit into its mouth – usually crawling insects, but also small birds, mammals, and other amphibians, including smaller cane toads. Breeds year round and in large numbers. Eggs are usually laid in strings in standing water; they hatch into tiny black tadpoles which metamorphose 12 weeks later. "Thanks to people, Bufo marinus is the world's most widespread amphibian. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, sugarcane farmers in countries all over the world imported the toad in attempts to control pest beetles. The toad is now permanently established in Australia, Hawaii, New Guinea and the Caribbean, where it wreaks havoc on native wildlife."

What's the difference between frogs and toads? Distinguishing frogs from toads: "Generally, frogs are sleeker, have smooth skin, and jump better. They depend much more on water. Toads are squat, have warty skin, and hop; they are less dependent on water. But this is just a language thing. Scientifically speaking, they are the same - all members of the order Anura."

Tell me more about the rainbow trout. About the rainbow trout: "It's not native to Slow Water Park. But the rainbow trout has been introduced into many streams and lakes because it is a favorite with fishermen. Invasive trout can destroy frog populations over time, primarily because young trout eat the frog eggs."

Tell me more about amphibians in general. About amphibians:

"When they hear 'amphibian,' most people think of frogs and maybe toads, but the class Amphibia also includes salamanders and newts, plus caecilians, which are limbless, burrowing creatures. Amphibians are in the news a lot recently, because people who study them have noticed a worldwide decline of formerly vigorous populations. People are wondering if this decline signals some sort of significant decline in the quality of our global environment."

FIRST VISIT: 11:00 - 11:30 "Here's the deal," Carolyn says. "It's 10:30 now. We've got time to make four, maybe five visits. But we have at least six people to see." "So we have to prioritize," you say. "We can't waste time on wrong theories." Jason hands you the laptop. "Here are the people we want to talk to. Only three of them are available for a visit right now." Carolyn nods. "We can discuss the choices if you want. Or, just pick one and go."

! owner,

Way Out There

Clothing

ranger, Slow Water

Park

neighbor on Slow Water

Street

field manager, Dept. of Wildlife,

Fish & Game

engineer, city water department

Internet surfer, CafÈ

Electrica

SLOW WATER PARK You find the ranger's truck, but she isn't there. "Wait here," Carolyn tells you. "We'll look around for her." You get out, and the car speeds away. Sunshine slants through the cottonwood trees. Birds trill and call. You walk down to the shoreline, and splish! a frog leaps into the water. It's an adult, about four inches long; you look close, and note its red-tinted belly. Then, further along the water's edge, you notice reeds moving.

SANDY DENIM A woman in a canoe emerges from the reeds. "Ms. Denim?" you call, and she comes paddling over. "Ms. Denim," you say, "I'm –" But she cuts you off. "I know who you are," she says. "Get in." You climb into the canoe and pick up a paddle, and the two of you head out for the middle of Slow Water Pond. "Frogs," she says. "Okay, here's what I know. I can verify that our frog population is way lower

than it was last year. We're not finding bodies, frogs are simply disappearing - young frogs in particular. "We're concerned about it, for two reasons: one, frogs – and amphibians in general – are an important part of the ecosystem; and two, frog deaths might be an early warning that something's wrong with our city environment. Maybe humans are in danger too – who knows? "Historically there are many many things that can harm frog populations. We are focusing on three that are the park's responsibility: habitat preservation, poaching, and predators. "For habitat preservation we are looking at the numbers of people who use the park. If necessary we'll cut that back. To check out poaching, we're working with the people from Wildlife, Fish & Game. If someone is taking the frogs, we're pretty sure it's happening at night. As for natural predators, we've only come up with one possibility: bats. There, have you got enough for your story?”

ON THE SHORE "Story?" you say. "I'm collecting information for City Councilman Pierce." "Oh," Sandy says. "Oh. Sorry, but I have to put you ashore. And find the magazine people, wherever they are." She paddles the canoe up to the shore, and you look for a place to land. "Hey," you say, "look at those. Aren't those frog eggs? Looks like a lot of them." She glances into the water. "Yeah, those are eggs. All in a mass, right?" "Er – no," you say. "In big long strings." "Hunh?" She looks more closely. "I'm not sure what those are," she says finally. "They look like frog eggs but - never noticed them before."

You leave her puzzling over the phenomenon as you walk back to the road. In a minute the big black car pulls up. "Time to make our next visit," Carolyn says.

JAVIER ORNELAS The car pulls up in front of City Hall. You and Carolyn find Javier Ornelas at a cubicle in the water department. You and Carolyn explain the situation to him. Before you finish, he's shaking his head. "You guys are barking up the wrong tree," he says. He calls up some data on his computer screen. "We test the water in Slow Water Park regularly. We look for chemicals, particulates, bacteria – anything that could pose a health hazard." He gestures at the screen. It shows this year's test results for Slow Water Park. All the results are green - within acceptable limits. Carolyn frowns. "This shows that the pollutant levels are below what would harm humans," she

says. "But do we know they're below the level that harms frogs?" Now it's Javier's turn to frown. "Well, I couldn't tell you about that," he says.

THE WATER QUALITY TEST RESULTS

INORGANIC CHEMICALS

UNITS MPCL THIS YEAR LAST YEAR

Antimony Arsenic Barium Beryllium Cadmium Chromium Cyanide Fluoride Mercury Nickel Nitrate (N) Nitrite (N) Selenium Thallium

mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l mg/l

0.006 0.05 2 0.004 0.005 0.1 0.2 4.0 0.002 0.1 10 1 0.05 0.002

ND@0.005 ND@0.01 0.03 ND@0.001 ND@0.001 ND@0.02 ND@0.02 1.5 ND@0.001 ND@0.01 0.03 ND@0.1 0.0034 ND@0.001

ND@0.005 ND@0.01 ND@0.1 ND@0.001 ND@0.001 ND@0.02 ND@0.02 2.3 ND@0.001 ND@0.01 0.07 ND@0.1 ND@0.003 0.0016

PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

UNITS MPCL THIS YEAR LAST YEAR

pH Turbidity Color Iron

Not regulated: Alkalinity

pH NTU CU mg/l

mg/l

6.5-8.5 <5.0 15 0.3

7.01 0.48 0 0.11

19

7.43 0.46 0 0.11

20

MICROBIOLOGICAL

Coliform bacteria: % neg 95% neg 100% negative 98% negative

ORGANIC CHEMICALS (pesticides)

UNITS MPCL THIS YEAR LAST YEAR

Endrin Lindane Methoxychlor Toxaphene 2,4-D 2,4,5-TP (Silvex)

µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l

2 0.2 40 3 70 50

ND@0.02 ND@0.02 ND@4 ND@1 ND@7 ND@5

ND@0.02 ND@0.02 ND@4 ND@1 ND@7 ND@5

REGULATED VOLATILE ORGANIC CHEMICALS (VOCs)

UNITS MPCL THIS YEAR LAST YEAR

ROGER COLLAR, WAY OUT THERE You meet with the manager of the Way Out There clothing factory. "Welcome," Roger says. "Here, have a free t-shirt. They're our Pirate Tees, made from 100% Outback cotton." "Cool!" says Jason. While he changes his shirt, Carolyn tells Roger your story. "As you know, a lot of people were concerned when we proposed building our factory here," Roger says. "The city put quite a few restrictions on us. We treat all the water we use in factory processes, and all the wastewater goes into the city sewer system, not into the park. Here, let me show you." You walk through the factory, past huge bundles of raw cotton and flax that Roger says come all the way from Australia, and out the back door. From here, you look out upon Slow Water Park. Roger points to a big pipe that leads down into the ground. "This is where the wastewater drain connects into the sewer." Carolyn's eyes follow the pipe down, and keep going. "What's that there?" she asks, pointing at a grate half-hidden in the bushes.

1,1-Dichloroethylene 1,1,1-Trichloroethane 1,2-Dichloroethane Benzene Carbon tetrachloride 1,4-Dichlorobenzene Trichloroethylene Vinyl Chloride

µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l µg/l

7 200 5 5 5 75 5 2

<0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5

<0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5

TRIHALOMETHANES (THMs)

Total THMs: µg/l 100 14 12

RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS

Gross Alpha: pCi/l 15 1.1 0.8

DEFINITION OF TERMS MPCL = maximum permitted contaminant level NTU = Nephelometric Turbidity Unit CU = Color Unitmg/l = milligrams per liter or parts per million (ppm) µg/l = micrograms per liter or parts per billion (ppb) PCi/l = picocuries per liter ND@__ = not detected at a specified level * Trihalomethanes form as part of the water disinfection process and are monitored regularly to minimize their levels.

EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Find out about the quality of the water you drink and bathe in.

If you live in a city or town, call your water department or water district and ask for a copy of the water quality test results for your area. Or use the Internet - many

water agencies have the information available online. Go to a search engine

such as Excite or AltaVista, and try entering the words "water quality" and the

name of the place where you live.

"The sewer overflow." "If anything overflowed out of that, it would go into Slow Water Park," Carolyn says. "Did the city put in a bigger sewer line, when you built the factory?" "No, it didn't. But as far as I know that sewer has never overflowed.”

THE PLANT MAINTENANCE MAN "Who would know more about possible overflows?" you ask. Roger takes you to see Ted Thompson, head of factory maintenance. "Ted, since we started operations, did the sewer here by the factory ever overflow?" "Nope," Ted says. "Are you sure?" Carolyn asks. "Yep." "How can you be sure?" Carolyn wants to know. "Because it can only overflow during storms. And ever' time there was a storm, I stood there and watched it," Ted says. "Why?" "To make sure it didn't overflow," Ted explains patiently. "That might not be good, eh? I played in that park, and so will my grandkids."

DEEPTI GUPTA "There she is." George pulls over. A woman and a man come up to the car. "George, how nice to see you!" The woman takes George's hand. "This is my neighbor, Sam Holt. George, did you hear? We have two thousand bats in the bathouse! All of them Mexican free-tails!" She looks in the back seat. "My, who are these people?" George introduces you. "Deepti, these folks are from Councilman Pierce's office. They're looking into the dying frogs." "Frogs?"Sam Holt sputters, leaning in the window. "Dying? Who cares. What you ought to be worryin' about is our dying pets!" "What??" says Carolyn, aghast. "It's true. Poisoned. For about five weeks now. First Mr. Dither's dog found dead. Then the Allahern's cat, you know, the big grey tom. Stone dead, both of them, not a mark on ‘em. Then Tommy Roberts says his dog was all slobbery and strange. And then two days ago," Sam's voice quivers with anger, "I find my Jack Rumpus dead in my back yard. "Frogs? Blast it, we got more frogs than ever this year. Big ugly things come out at night, eat everything in sight." "It's true," says Deepti. "I believe there's not a bug left in my garden."

THE BATS LADY "Tell me about your bat house, Deepti," you say. "We petitioned the city to get it built," Deepti tells you. "We insisted they build it before they tore down the old bell tower, where the bats used to live. The bats started using it about two months ago - they migrate up from Mexico, you know. Now we have more than two thousand bats! It's so great!"

"Why is that so great?" Carolyn is incredulous. "Because these bats – Mexican free-tailed bats – come out at night and eat flying insects. An amazing number of them. Probably more than 40 pounds of bugs every night! That's pretty good news when you live next to a swamp!" "Do bats eat anything besides bugs? Young frogs maybe?" Jason asks. Deepti thinks a moment. "I don't know," she says. "I think I did see bats eating frogs on TV."

FLUFF AND FIDO, R.I.P. "Tell me more about these pets that got poisoned," you say. "Come with me." You go with Sam into his back yard. In a shady corner, a little tombstone reads Jack Rumpus. As you approach, a creature bigger than your fist hops deeper into the shadows. Sam's voice is sad. "I told you everything already. We have three pets stone dead and a couple others were seriously sick. Not a mark on any of ‘em. My vet said Jack Rumpus was poisoned." Pause. "The police have been no help whatsoever. Isn't there something the city can do about this?"

"I hope so," you say. After a moment, you go back to the car.

ABBY NGUYEN George pulls up in front of the State Government building. You and Carolyn meet Abby Nguyen and tell her your story. Abby frowns. "Our frogs are disappearing? The ones in the park? This is the first I've heard of this." "Councilman Pierce is very concerned," Carolyn says. "Any ideas of what's causing the decline?" you ask. "Any changes to the park environment in the last few months?" Abby pulls open a folder. "No," she says finally. "I see here that somebody filed an application for a trout release in that waterway, but our biologist was horrified at the idea and we ruled against it." She pulls out a paper. "We did a fish survey there last month," she goes on. "Bass, catfish, perch. Normal fish at normal populations." Carolyn clears her throat. "I understand it's legal to hunt frogs in this state." Abby looks at her. "Only in certain places at certain times. We haven't issued a frog permit for Slow Water Park in over ten years." She looks at the folder again. "And no reports of poaching. If there were poachers, by the way, they would take big frogs, and leave the little ones behind."

"Thanks very much for your help," Carolyn says, and you return to the car.

SKULLBABY George pulls up in front of Café Electrica, and you and Jason get out. You two find Skullbaby lounging by her favorite computer. "Hey," she says. "'Bout time." She hits a key and up pop some URLs. "Those green-faced people? Here's their website." www.saveourfrogs.com

OUR FROGS ARE DYING! TAKE ACTION, BEFORE WE ALL CROAK!

Operation BigSplash is TODAY

Location: Councilman Pierce's downtown office Show up! Be heard!

Frog Costume encouraged

Statistics compiled by MARJORIE MOL show that the population of Rana viridiana frogs in Slow Water Park is DOWN BY ALMOST 50% over preceding years. Slow Water River supplies the drinking water for our city. Something is WRONG, and we need to force THE CITY TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION and FIND OUT

THE TRUTH behind the drastic decline in the frog population. Frogs: A "Bellwether" Species

Frogs have very permeable skin, and they spend a lot of time in the water. Rana viridiana frogs also lay their eggs in the water. If there are POLLUTANTS in Slow Water River, they would affect the frogs FIRST. They are

the ALARM that alerts us that something may be wrong with our water! Frogs: Extinction Is Forever!

Frogs such as Rana viridiana are very sensitive to changes in their environment. They are the ALARM that alerts us that something may be wrong with the way we're managing THE PARK THAT BELONGS TO ALL

CITIZENS of our city. This year, the frogs - next year, the FISH or the BIRDS or maybe the TREES.

Take action! Demand the truth! Write, call or EMAIL your Councilman's office

and urge him or her to SAVE OUR FROGS! "I sent out an e-911, got some samaritans. One's a herp, whatever that means. Another talks about bats. Here, read their emails." Email from Bob H. EMAIL FROM A HERPETOLOGIST skullbaby wrote: >hey help me out here. We have a resident >population of Rana viridiana frogs in our city >park, and it looks like they're dying off >suddenly. Any ideas? Anybody got experience >with something like this? Your situation sounds similar to what's happening to the red-legged frog, Rana aurora, here in California, and in some sense to frog populations all over the world. There have been very worrisome declines in frog populations reported over the last 15 years or so.

But it isn't like something is killing off all frogs -- because at the same time, some frog populations are thriving, and sometimes one group of frogs will die off while another group of frogs of the very same species, who live nearby, remain stable. It seems likely to me, and to others who study frogs, that there are several factors that are combining to put stress on frog populations. An increase in UV radiation, global warming and changing weather patterns, increases in pollution, a resurgence of parasites -- these are probably all factors in a global sense. But in your case, with such a sudden drop, one of these global causes is probably not to blame. It sounds like you have something specific and local. I would ask myself these questions: • Is there some new source of water pollution? • Is there a significant change to the frog's environment? • Are there signs of some other species taking over the frog's territory? (Usually a "weed" species

that adapts well to new environments) • Are there people around who weren't around before? Bob H. Herpetologist Email from Janet T. EMAIL FROM A BAT BIOLOGIST skullbaby wrote: >hey help me out here. Anybody know anything about >bats that eat frogs? Do any live in the USA? To: skullbabyFm: Janet Tyburec Subj: Frog-Eating Bats Hello Skullbaby, I am a staff biologist with Bat Conservation International, and I think I can answer your question. There's a bat known as Trachops cirrhosus that is more commonly called "the frog-eating bat," though it is also sometimes called "the fringe-lipped bat." It ranges from southern Mexico through Brazil, including the island of Trinidad. It's one of about 33 species of bats called "spear nosed bats" that are found in the American Leaf-nosed Bat family. Bats in this small group are mostly "foliage gleaners," which means they pluck their prey from plants, from the ground or from the surface of the water. Spear nosed bats eat large insects, water bugs, small vertebrates (like lizards and frogs), and some even feed on fruit or nectar from night blooming flowers. Frog-eating bats locate their prey by listening to the frogs' mating calls, and they can even distinguish between poisonous and edible species. Research has shown that these bats rely so heavily on sound to find their prey, they will hunt for tape recorders playing the mating calls of frogs. The frog-eating bat is also known to eat insects and lizards. My boss, Dr. Merlin Tuttle, studied frog-eating bats in Panama. He wrote a very interesting article about his discoveries that appeared in the January 1982 issue of National Geographic Magazine (page 78-91). The only other bats believed to eat frogs are four species that are members of the family Megadermatidae ("false vampire and yellow-winged bats"). These bats live in Asia, Australia, and Africa. Little else is known about their diets, and in fact of many of the world's nearly 1,000 bat species, because most bats

are so little studied compared to other animals. The vast majority of the 45 species found in the U.S. and Canada feed on insects, and less than a handful feed on fruit and nectar from plants. Bats are fascinating animals, but because they are active mainly at night, we often misunderstand and fear them. In truth, they are important members of healthy ecosystems and deserve our protection. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or want to learn more fascinating facts about bats. –Janet "Jason's email mentioned ‘cane toads.' So I surfed on cane toads and..." Skullbaby starts laughing. "Did you know they're like the national joke of Australia?" Cane Toad Site

CANE TOADS:

Scourge or Menace?

! (1) Cane toads eat crawling things.

(2) Cane beetles fly.

(3) So cane farmers bring in cane toads to eat

cane beetles! Surprise! It didn't work! Cane beetles continued to eat the cane, and cane toads are proceeding to eat just about everything else: Australia's native insects, amphibians, bottle caps, cigarette butts, and even some birds.

WHACK-A-TOAD Population control has been left to the discretion of individuals.

KOOKABURRA KILLER? The cane toad has poison glands situated on its shoulders. When a predator tries to swallow a cane toad, the glands ooze a potent toxin. The predator's heart begins to race - it begins to drool uncontrollably - it finds it hard to breathe - rather like a Ricky Martin concert. Both domestic and native animals can die in as little as 15 minutes. Wildlife experts increasingly find kookaburras, a native frog-eating bird, dead in the wild with cane toads still lodged in their gullets. Is it a threat to man? "I wouldn't eat one headfirst," an authority cautions.

! !

REPORT TO COUNCILMAN PIERCE Out in the main office, in front of everyone, the Councilman is all smiles. Once you get into the conference room, however, it's as if the smile never existed. "Where have you been? Janice Regan was on the air at one o'clock," he tells you. Janice Regan is his opponent for the Council seat. "Made a statement about the frogs. I need damage control." "I'm on it," Carolyn gulps, and runs out of the room. "Well, what have you got?" the Councilman asks you. "The press is waiting." What do you tell him?

SOLVE THE MYSTERY Your boss, Councilman Pierce, needs to know what is causing the frogs of Slow

Water Park to disappear. What do you think the cause is? Water pollution. The Rana viridiana frogs are being killed by chemicals used... ...at the Way Out There factory. ...to fertilize grass and kill weeds in suburban lawns.

Habitat destruction. The frogs can't successfully live in the park anymore because... ...too many people use the park. ...bats are competing with them for insects, their primary food source.

Invaders. The frogs are being forced out by an invasive (non-native) species... ... rainbow trout are devouring frog eggs and tadpoles. ...cane toads are gobbling up insects and even young frogs.

Predators. The frogs are being hunted down for food by... ...Mexican free-tailed bats. ...human poachers. One of these causes can fully explain the mysterious happenings.