PRESS RELEASE
27th January 2017
IPCC celebrate 20th anniversary of the Hop to It Frog Survey on World Wetlands Day
Ireland’s wetlands provide homes for many of our frog populations so World Wetlands Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IPCC’s Hop To It Frog Survey. Like World Wetlands Day the Hop To It Frog Survey began in 1997. Since 1997 the IPCC have received 4940 frog records from around Ireland! Records include sightings of frog spawn, tadpoles, froglets and adult frogs. By sending us your records throughout the years we can examine any changes in the population size and range over time so thank you to all who participated.
‘These records are very important as they provide valuable information about the health and range of Ireland’s most common amphibian’ says Katie Geraghty, IPCC’s Campaign Officer.
Last year the IPCC received 158 frog records from around the country. The first frog record of 2017 was frog spawn spotted on January 1st in Glengarriff Nature Reserve, Co. Cork. We have also received records of adult frogs and spawn from Counties Kilkenny and Kildare in 2017. The IPCC would like to encourage the public to send us your frog records in 2017 and make the 20th year of the Hop to it Frog Survey the most successful year so far. You can record your frog sightings through our website at www.ipcc.ie
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2nd February to raise global awareness about the value of wetlands. Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction is the theme in 2017. Bogs play an important role in reducing the impact of extreme weather events, they act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding. Peatlands also play an important role in mitigating some of the effects of climate change – they cover 3% of the lands surface but they store twice as much carbon as all of the world’s forests combined!
Join the IPCC and celebrate World Wetlands Day on Thursday 2nd February at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre from 10am-4pm. There will be plenty of activities for the family such as pond dipping for mini-beasts and searching for frogs in our wildlife friendly gardens. Follow the museum or garden trail and learn all about the importance of peatlands and their role in reducing the impacts of flooding and climate change.
This event marks the start of Féile an Dúlra 2017 at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre. Féile an Dúlra is kindly supported by Kildare County Council under the Community Festival Grant Scheme 2017.
For more information please contact Katie at bogs@ipcc.ie