The North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) is a collaborative effort among state natural resource agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the U.S. Geological Survey. NAAMP is patterned after the North American Breeding Bird Survey, it is a roadside calling survey designed to monitor anuran populations. NAAMP was initially developed in 1997, with a common survey protocol adopted by state partners in 2001. The primary objective of NAAMP is to assess anuran population trends over time at state, regional, and larger geographic scales. Random roadside routes, each with 10 sites, are surveyed several times per year to sample for early-, mid-, and late-season breeding anurans. At each site observers listen for 5 minutes to identify calling anurans and assign a calling index value from 1-3, indicating individuals calling without overlap to a full chorus. In addition, observers record some environmental data (e.g. air temperature, time of night, wind). Starting in 2006 observers are required to pass an on-line frog call quiz (www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz), making NAAMP the first large-scale monitoring program to document observer skill. NAAMP data are available via the program’s website (www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naamp).
Results/Conclusions
In conclusion, building a monitoring network with multiple partners takes time to develop the partnership and implement a common survey protocol.
