Wetland Coffee Break: Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) spring movement ecology in Wisconsin

The Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) experienced widespread declines in distribution and abundance along its northern range in the mid-to-late 1900s. Since then, species experts have begun monitoring Blanchard’s cricket frogs and researching the key facets of their ecology and life history to help prevent future declines and manage for healthy and sustainable populations. The objectives of research done in 2010-11 were to study the phenology, movements, habitat use, and life history of Blanchard’s cricket frogs in southwest Wisconsin through visual encounter surveys and marking techniques. The results of this research were recently published in the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology. Join Wisconsin DNR conservation biologist Andrew Badje to hear about past and current conservation efforts for this species in Wisconsin and to learn how recent results are driving conservation efforts for this species in Wisconsin today.