Help Save the Frogs: Crack Down on Pesticide Use

Stop killing the frogs!!

Frogs are considered an important aspect of our ecosystem, yet pesticides are killing these very important creatures in and around the Sierra Nevada area. In order to protect the crops, pesticides that have been banned for years are still being used and are traveling through the air as far as 100 miles, killing frogs living in the ponds in remote areas. 

The concern of scientist and researchers is the fact that the chemicals used are traveling such great distances, affecting national parks, public lands and the important creatures therein.  Amphibians are a crucial part of the ecosystem due to their sensitivity to changes in the environment.  They are also a necessary aspect of the food chain.  Without the existence of frogs, there will be a drastic increase in the insect populations.  One of the researchers states that “By protecting them, you’re keeping the food web balanced.”  There is a continual decline in the frog population by at least 3 per cent annually.

In an effort to determine why there is a decline, Herpetologist and other researchers collected frogs from seven sites in the Sierra Nevada, ranging from Lassen Volcanic National Park in the north to Giant Sequoia National Monument in the south. The main target is a species known as the Pseudacris regilla, bright green in color and about the size of a half-dollar. Also at risk for endangerment are the yellow-legged frog and the Yosemite toad.  The studies screened tissue of these amphibians to find evidence of about 98 pesticides.  The three most common chemicals were pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole and simazine, all of which are used to kill pest fungi and plants. Although these pesticides are not used in the vicinity of the frog ponds, they can travel through the atmosphere as they are spread by the existing wind.

Not only is there a concern about the pesticides in the atmosphere and untimely demise of a crucial part of our ecology, the frog, further fears are that these creatures could be vulnerable to disease. The Department of Agriculture and Local Environmentalist need to crack down on the use of pesticides, their types, safety and ferocity when it comes to the health and well-being of all the creatures important for the ecosystem.  Without the safe existence of frogs, the planet will be over-taken with a huge insect population.