Join the frog and toad call survey

The Iowa DNR has scheduled two frog and toad call survey training workshops for 2026.

These workshops will be held live via Zoom and are for anybody interested in getting involved in Iowa's Frog and Toad Call Survey which has been collecting data on our state's amphibians for 35 years.

Anyone interested in helping with the survey must attend one of the two scheduled workshops.

The Frog and Toad Call Survey has a long tradition, starting in 1991. That was the first year a group of dedicated community scientists learned the frog and toad calls and trooped out into the night to visit wetlands across the state.

Over the years, volunteers have collected data on more than 2,200 wetlands and provided an incredible record of frog and toad activity.

“It's rare to have such a broad set of data collected over so many years on one species, much less a whole group of vulnerable species,” Program Coordinator Stephanie Shepherd said.

To get involved with the frog and toad call survey you will need an adventurous spirit and the interest to learn up to 16 frog and toad breeding calls.

Interested volunteers should first visit iowadnr.gov/programs-services/volunteer-opportunities/wildlife-monitoring and read through the survey requirements to see if it is something you'd have the time for and an interest in.

You can then see whether there are any existing survey routes nearby that need a monitor by browsing the maps of existing routes. If there are no existing routes available nearby, participants can design and establish there own survey route.

Henry, Ida and Wright Counties are in greatest need of counting. They’ve never had any survey data collected.

Other counties that need volunteers are Clay, Palo Alto, Pocahontas and Webster in Northwest Iowa; Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Howard and Tama in Northeast Iowa; Davis, Jefferson, Mahaska, Monroe and Wapello in Southeast Iowa; and Adams, Fremont, Montgomery, Ringgold and Union in Southwest Iowa.

The time commitment for conducting the survey and submitting data is roughly 10-12 hours total between April and July each year and will require being out after dark for roughly two hours during each survey period. Workshops are most appropriate for adults or children 12 or older.

There is no fee for the workshop but there are limited seats available. Registration will close a week prior to the workshops or whenever the workshops have been filled. Direct questions to the Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator.

Interested volunteers must register for one of the two training workshops:

Saturday, March 7 from 12:30-4 p.m.

Monday, March 9, 6-9:30 p.m.

To learn more about the survey and to register, go to iowadnr.gov/programs-services/volunteer-opportunities/wildlife-monitoring

If the workshops are full or your schedule doesn't work for the workshops above you can email and asked to be placed on a waiting list for either of these workshops or a notification list for future workshops. Please indicate your full name and what county you live in, in the email.