Loudoun Amphibian Monitoring Program

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy People and Wildlife Living in Harmony

Loudoun Amphibian Monitoring Program (LAMP)

Citizen Science Environmental Monitoring

“Alone with myself. The trees bend to caress me. The shade hugs my heart.”

- Candy Polgar

Why Should We Monitor Amphibians?
The easy answer is because it's fun and we can learn a lot about our environment through observing the life and times of our amphibians. Amphibians live a dual life, on both land and in water and as such are terrific indicators of environmental heath. Because they require both habitats, they also give us insights into the effect of habitat loss or preservation. We recognize the need to develop an inventory of the species present in Loudoun, track populations and trends, and identify areas of critical habitat. Our Program Goals outline what we hope to accomplish through this program in terms of environmental education and habitat protection.

How it Works
This program offers 3 monitoring tracks summarized below. Click on the titles of each to read more.

- Frog Call Survey: Conducted by driving along an established route with set monitoring spots. At each stop, monitors record data on the environmental conditions and frogs and toads heard. This survey typically occurs at sunset and into the evening when frogs and toads are calling.

- Site Surveys: Conducted by visiting an established monitoring location either on your own property or at a public wetland area. This approach uses both visual and auditory senses to survey the area. These surveys occur during the day or evening.

- Migration Mapping: Two types of volunteer roles: “Volunteer A”: Participates in 1 or more night crossings to monitor and rescue individual frogs, toads and salamanders crossing roads. “Volunteer B”: Scouts a selected area for "Big Night" events (large amphibian migrations).

Let's Help Our Amphibians!
If you'd like to become involved in amphibian monitoring, please fill in the volunteer form below. All levels of experience are welcome. New volunteers will receive a hard copy of the LAMP Program Notebook which has the monitoring protocols for all three tracks, information on habitats and other monitoring materials; a CD of the Frog and Toad Calls for Loudoun, a CD of Special Articles as well as electronic copies of the data collection forms, an Amphibian Road Crossing sign, and an Identification Guide for the Amphibians of Loudoun County. These materials will be provided at our annual program orientation workshop held each February or March.

Resources for Amphibian Monitoring:

Data Collection Forms:

Amphibian Facts and Fun:

LAMP Data and Reports:

Name:
Email:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Telephone:
Note: All of the above fields are required. We do not share email or address information with any organizations. This is for LWC purposes only so we can contact you if needed.

Select the type of Amphibian Monitoring you'd like to do:

Frog Call Survey Yes No

Site Survey (Your Property) Yes No
Include a short description of the wetland area (e.g, backyard pond)


Site Survey (Public Property) Yes No
Include name and location of the property and a short description of the wetland area


Migration Mapping - "Volunteer A" (Participates in the road crossings) Yes No
Migration Mapping - "Volunteer B" (Scouts for "Big Night" events) Yes No
If signing up for Migration Mapping/"Volunteer B", please check which month(s) you plan to do the scouting:
March Yes No	April Yes No	May Yes No	June Yes No

Other Comments:

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