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 Are the 28 species of Louisiana frogs doing okay? Are there as many species and individuals today as yesterday? We don't really know the answers, but Louisiana is part of an international program designed to gather information several times a year so that in the not too distant future herpetologists will have the knowledge they need to develop a management plan for our amphibian friends. Louisiana scientists, under tha auspices of the Louisiana Amphibian Monitoring Program (LAMP) of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, are working to gain an understanding of the condition of amphibian (especially frog) populations in our state.
Three times a year, amphibian scientists visit designated locations and, using a special data sheet, record the presence and population size of chorusing frog species. These data sheets are collected and tabulated by the state coordinator. The information is not only maintained in our state, but it is also forwarded to the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) in Washington, DC, to keep track of the information from all states.
Some Louisiana species are still quite abundant, including the Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea, our state amphibian), Bird-voiced Treefrog (Hyla avivoca), Squirrel Treefrog (Hyla squirella), Cricket Frog (two species of Acris), Bull Frogs (Rana catesbeiana), Gulf Coast Toads (Bufo nebulifer ), Narrow-mouthed Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis), and the like. Studies over the y Dr. Robert A. Thomas and his students at Loyola University, as well as efforts by Dr. Richard Seigel and his students at Southeastern Louisiana University, indicate that at least two species (the Dusky Crawfish Frog, Rana sevosa, and the Ornate Chorus Frog, Pseudacris ornata), are likely no longer in Louisiana, though they are holding their own in the southeastern U.S.
Preliminary observations and discussions among herpetologists suggest that frog populations in remote areas of Louisiana seem to be doing well. The concern is for populations that inhabit roadside ditches (exposure to runoff, exhaust fumes, pesticides) and areas that have been subjected to extreme habitat modification (clear-cuts, drainage, filling, urbanization).
You can see that someday scientists will be able to review all the information and look for trends that will tell them if any amphibian species are having difficulties and, if so, what might be done to help restore their populations
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