You can monitor worms, plants, ice, and frogs!
with Community Monitoring

Monitoring environmental changes in your community can provide the scientific data that policy makers can use to make more informed decisions, but most importantly, community based monitoring gives you the scientific tools to gather information that will make a difference.  Monitoring helps in the understanding of human impacts on aquatic and terrestrial systems. 

You can monitor worms, plants, ice, and frogs.
Get outside and take a look!
There are also many other ecological monitoring protocols.
For more details, contact us.  

Why Watch Frogs?

Frogs are considered important “indicator” species.  Their presence is a sign of a healthy environment, in particular with respect to water quality.  Frogs are also being studied in an effort to understand the effects of such things as climate change, ozone depletion, and background levels of pollutants, most notably pesticides.  There is also some concern in many parts of the world over the rapid decline, and in some cases, the disappearance of formerly healthy populations of frogs.  Research into the causes of these population crashes is ongoing, as many authorities fear they could be a sign of deteriorating ecological conditions.

In the 1980’s, herpetologists noticed a disturbing trend: frog populations were declining around the world.  In some instances, human developments had destroyed the amphibians’ wetland habitat; in others, however, species were disappearing from remote wilderness areas.  To prevent endangerment and to promote awareness of NB frogs, this project is focused on identification, vulnerability of species and their role as indicators of ecosystem functioning.
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Why Watch Worms?

Scientists need to know how many species of worms there are and where they live.  The number of worms found in an area can tell us a lot about the health of that habitat because earthworms are very sensitive to soil disturbance.  We can use this information to reclaim damaged habitat and to improve the health of our soils. 
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Why Watch Ice?

Ice phenology – the freeze and thaw dates of water bodies in northern climates – is a good measure of how aquatic ecosystems are responding to climate change.  Seasonal differences in the ice cover of lakes and rivers can have serious impacts on Canadian ecosystems.  The changes can alter migration patterns and breeding seasons for birds, and food supplies for fish and mammals.  Ice cover also affects water quality, trade, transport, outdoor recreation and tourism. 
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Why Watch Plants?

By participating in Plant Watch, you can learn more about our country’s botanical diversity, while helping scientists track the effects of global warming in Canada.  The plants chosen for this guide bloom every spring, largely in response to rising temperatures.  However, some species are flowering almost a month earlier than they were a century ago!  Scientists believe that climate change is affecting blooming times – a trend that is continuing.  They predict that the greatest increases in temperature will be in Western and Northern Canada, while some parts of Eastern Canada actually may be cooling. 
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