Remember Save the Frogs Day!

SAVE THE FROGS DAY EVENTS PLANNED WORLDWIDE APRIL 29TH
Prince’s wedding coincides with the world’s largest day of amphibian conservation

Santa Cruz, California Was Prince William a frog in a past life? Quite possibly, since he chose his wedding to take place on the 3rd Annual Save The Frogs Day, a worldwide celebration of amphibians also scheduled for April 29th. Frog lovers and environmentalists of all ages are gearing up for what is expected to be the largest day of amphibian education and conservation action in the planet’s history. The goal of Save The Frogs Day is to raise awareness of the rapid disappearance of frog species worldwide. Events are being planned in at least 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, South Africa, and Australia. The events are being coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS! (www.savethefrogs.com), a California-based nonprofit dedicated to amphibian conservation.

Amphibian populations worldwide have been declining at unprecedented rates, and nearly
one-third of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction. Up to 200 species
have completely disappeared in recent years. Amphibians are faced with an onslaught of
environmental problems, including climate change, pollution, infectious diseases, habitat loss,
invasive species, and over-harvesting for the pet and food trades.

“The goal of Save The Frogs Day is to get people worldwide educating their fellow citizens about the plight of amphibians and ways they can help” says Dr. Kerry Kriger, Founder & Executive Director of SAVE THE FROGS!. “We are certainly hoping that Prince William and Kate Middleton will become spokespeople for the frogs, which are the most rapidly disappearing group of animals on the planet.”

The royal pair are not the only British couple with nuptials scheduled for Save The Frogs Day.
Frog fanatics Sabrina Jayne Labrina and Simon Pittman of Bournemouth set their big day to
coincide with Save The Frogs Day, and have even asked guests to donate to donate to SAVE
THE FROGS! in lieu of gifts.

Some other events scheduled for Save The Frogs Day include a large rally at the steps of the US
Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. “There are 18,000 registered pesticides in
the United States. One of the worst is Atrazine, an endocrine disruptor that can turn male frogs
into females at 2.5 parts per billion” says Dr. Kriger, who will be leading the rally and speaking
in front of the White House afterwards. Atrazine was banned in the European Union in 2004,
but eighty million pounds of it are used in the USA each year, primarily on corn. “Atrazine is

the 21st century’s DDT. We want it banned.” A frog legs protest will take place at a New York-
based chain restaurant that sells frog legs. In San Francisco, SAVE THE FROGS! supporters will
gather at the steps of City Hall to call on the city to save the Sharp Park Wetlands. The wetlands
are home to endangered California Red-Legged Frogs, but San Francisco currently pumps the
wetlands out to sea to accommodate a public golf course.

On the less serious side, Toronto’s frog enthusiasts will be celebrating Save The Frogs Day
with their 2nd Annual Frog Leap-a-Thon, a 250 meter race down the city’s boardwalk. Students
at Texas Tech University will attempt to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records
by organizing the largest gathering of people wearing frog masks in planetary history. In
Bangladesh, a 2km Frog Run is set to take place in the town of Chittagong. Students and teachers
in several countries will be taking part in the SAVE THE FROGS! Art & Poetry Contests, which
received entries from 27 countries last year.

You can learn more about Save The Frogs Day and events in your area, at:
www.savethefrogs.com/day

(EDITOR: The formatting is still not 100% right, but it will have to suffice for now)