Recent News


Citizen Science meeting at UNBC

On June 19th, 2009 - NAMOS BC presented at UNBC on methods for monitoring amphibians. We are looking for citizen volunteers to monitor amphibians. Send us an e-mail (ecology@namos.ca) if you would like to volunteer and become an amphibian citizen scientist.


Latest on cause of amphibian decline

A recent assessment on the causes of amphibian extinction highlights habitat degradation and human density.


Declines in Yellowstone National Park

Climate change is causing amphibian declines in Yellowstone National Park.


Amphibian Extinction Rates

Read the latest reserach on rates of extinction in amphibians. The calculations are alarming! "The current amphibian extinction rate may range from 25,039–45,474 times the background extinction rate for amphibians."

Highlights


Save the Frogs!

Save the Frogs! is another non-profit organization working to conserve amphibians. They provide an easy access guide to the amphibian extinction crisis. You can participate in many citizen initiatives, including drawing and poetry contests. They also have a list of practical things to address the amphibian extinction crisis.


Atrazine herbicide risk cover-up

Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide. Atrazine reduces survival in amphibians and is an endocrine disruptor. Learn about a failed lawsuit to ban atrazine against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the request to investigate a cover-up by the leading manufacturer of atrazine, Syngenta.


Roundup® lethal to amphibians

Roundup®, a herbicide used widely in BC is highly lethal to amphibians!

BECOME A VOLUNTEER AND HELP US

CONSERVE AMPHIBIANS OF THE CENTRAL INTERIOR

New: 2008 year-end report

frog image winking frog image

Around a third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction - mass extinctions of this magnitude have not been seen since the time of the dinosaurs (Global Amphibian Assessment 2008).

   Who are we?   

NAMOS BC registered in 2008 as non-profit society. Our organization is here to monitor, research, and educate on the conservation of amphibians in the Central Interior of British Columbia. We are looking for committed citizen volunteers to help us in our mission to save amphibian ecosystems that are in peril.

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Our organization has formed in response to the global amphibian extinction crisis that is degrading the health and productivity of the worlds ecosystems. More importantly we are an organization that seeks community solutions and involvement to help reduce the loss of amphibians in forest and wetland ecosystems surrounding our communities. If you are a citizen living in the Central Interior of British Columbia and would like to assist in amphibian monitoring projects, please contact us (ecology@namos.ca) and let us know if you have any particular skills that could help our cause. We are interested in artists, buisness people, lawyers, politicians, naturalists, and kids to help us monitor amphibians, work on environmental legislation for amphibians, and to spread the message and enthusiasm to others that we need your help.

Visit our Citizen Monitoring section where you can learn how to collect and submit monitoring data on amphibians in our local area.


   What can you do?   

These pages will provide you with links and background information so that you can understand the Global Amphibian Assessment and how it relates to the health and producitivity of amphibian ecosystems locally impacted and degrading in the Central Interior of BC. Our organization regularly hosts educational events, talks, and offer free training to anyone interested in becoming a citizen volunteer. Please contact us if you are interested in monitoring and reporting on amphibians in your local area (ecology@namos.ca).

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During spring, summer and fall seasons NAMOS BC regularly schedules field tours to view amphibians and their habitats in the Prince George area. Keep posted to this website to learn about the events that we will be hosting in 2009. As we hold educational tours and host fun activities for children in our community, we will provide volunteer training so that you can learn how to assist in our amphibian monitoring projects. Our organization is developing participatory education programs such as 'pond-watch', 'frog-watch', or 'salamander-watch' so that you can make a difference. Each of these programs are described in our Education and Public Outreach section.


   Why is this issue so important?   

Amphibians are possibly the most significant vertebrate predator in forest and wetland ecosystems.

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Most amphibians like to hide, so their real numbers and biomass is hidden from plain view. However, the combined biomass of amphibians often exceeds other vertebrates, such as birds and mammals. Amphibians are energetic organisms as they feed on invertebrates, cycle nutrients, and keep our wetland and forest ecosystems productively healthy. In 2004, the Global Amphibian Assessment reported 32% of all amphibian species threatened with extinction. Thousands of scientists continue to monitor species across the globe and contribute to the Living Planet Report.


   Extinction, global biocapacity, and climate change.   

Rates of resource extraction and land conversion paving urban centers, clearing forests, and errecting farmland has brought the human enterprise above and beyond planets ecological carrying capacity, otherwise known as global biocapacity.

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Amphibians are contributing signficantly to this trend as they disappering faster than any other vertebrate group and are part of a disturbing trend with 23% of all mammals and 12% of bird species also being threatened with extinction. These losses greatly reduce and inhibit the sustainedwealth that is stored and rejuvinated by the living biomass of wetland and forested ecosystems. These ecosystems function through the actions of the the living creatures as they filter water clean, regulate the atmosphere, produce food, sustain natural resources such as timber, and nurture the health and culture of our communities. Unless the extinction crisis is resolved, climate change will continue because it is ecosystems that ultimately regulate the flow of carbon and other greenhouse gasses through the atmosphere. Please feel free to read through our Conservation Science pages where you can learn more about this issue and the local research we are doing to address it. Keep posted, because we continue to provide regular updates.


   What is NAMOS BC doing?   

Research, education, and public outreach are three domains included in the mandate of NAMOS BC’s constitution and strategic plan.

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Ecology is the foundation of our research as we map distributions, population sizes, migration patterns, and breeding behaviors in relation to health, genetics, habitat and land practice. Our education program targets various age groups as we; teach, hire and mentor biology students at the University of Northern British Columbia; develop age-suited curricula about amphibian ecology; design information pamphlets or signs about amphibians in city parks; and host information booths where people can read about amphibians and learn how to report sightings. Strategic planning requires that NAMOS BC coordinate data sharing and other services to a network of individuals ranging from local volunteers to First Nations, government, universities, industry, and other non-profit organizations. Public outreach is in NAMOS BC’s mandate as we strive to conserve amphibians that are keystone elements sustaining the forestry based resource economy of British Columbia.