Now Recruiting Volunteers for Western Chorus Frog Surveys!
In early spring of 2025, Blazing Star Environmental will be coordinating and conducting WCF detection surveys and habitat assessments in the priority areas depicted in the map below.
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We are recruiting volunteers from these areas to assist with the surveys. If you're passionate about conservation and want to help protect this important species—whether you're located within a priority area or willing to travel—consider joining our efforts! To see if you're in a priority area, visit our Priority Maps page. You can register to volunteer by clicking here.
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Hop on board—your help can make a difference!
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A map showing the priority detection survey (red) and habitat assessment (blue) locations within the range of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Western Chorus Frog population
Why Monitor Western Chorus Frogs?
The Western Chorus Frog (WCF) is a small tree frog that reaches 2.5cm in length and can be identified by 3 broken dark vertical stripes down its back and a distinctive white stripe on its upper lip. It is usually heard more often than seen, with a loud breeding call that sounds like a finger running through the teeth of a metal comb! The WCF is one of the first frog species to begin calling each year in the spring, preferring to breed in temporary wetlands that lack fish predators and dry up in the summer. This species ranges across southern Ontario, north to Huntsville, and east to Quebec (see map below).
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Frogs are widely accepted as environmental indicators and are important to Ontario’s biodiversity. Unfortunately, the Western Chorus Frog (Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence Population) is listed as a threatened species in Canada. It is experiencing ongoing population declines throughout its range due to several factors, including habitat loss and fragmentation, water pollution, and invasive species. An important step to the continued persistence and recovery of the Western Chorus Frog in Canada is to collect more detailed information about their abundance and distribution across their range. This data will fill-in important knowledge gaps about their habitat and distribution, help inform recovery efforts, and allow the conservation community to quickly detect and respond to population declines over time!
Map of the range of Western Chorus Frogs in Ontario. Note that the Carolinian population (green shading) is not listed as a species at risk and is likely a genetically distinct population from the threatened Great Lakes/St. Lawrence population (purple shading).
An example of the small, shallow wetland habitats used for breeding by Western Chorus Frogs.
Photo: Monique Arts
Western Chorus Frog Friendly Program
Are you a private landowner, or do you work at or own a business in the fields of recreational land use, agriculture, or land management? Are you interested in making your property or business more conservation-friendly?
Consider becoming WCF Friendly Certified!
By attending one of our free webinars or hosting an in-person session this spring or summer, you and your colleagues can learn best practices for conserving WCF (Western Chorus Frog) habitat on your property or business.
Our experts will guide you in identifying suitable WCF habitats, conducting species surveys, and developing land management strategies to ensure the long-term protection of this important frog species.
If you're interested in determining whether WCF are present on your property but lack the time to conduct a survey yourself, Blazing Star Environmental and our team of trained volunteers can assist. We offer professional survey services to assess habitat suitability and search for frogs on your land.
To get involved or to be notified about upcoming training opportunities, please contact us at info@blazingstar.ca. We will be happy to register you for this important conservation initiative.
WCF Long Term Monitoring Program (On Hiatus)
In 2020, Blazing Star Environmental partnered with Environment and Climate Change Canada and Trent University to establish a long-term WCF monitoring program. The primary goals of the monitoring program are to update the current distribution of WCF across its range, determine how this distribution is changing over time, and identify new patches of important habitat for this threatened species. Surveying for WCF poses unique challenges because of their large range and relatively short calling period (4-6 weeks in most areas), therefore, the success of this program largely depended on the participation of passionate volunteers across the Ontario range of the WCF!
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Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, we were able to safely collect data in 2020, 2021 and 2022! The program will now be on a 5-year break and will resume in spring of 2028!
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The results of the previous studies are currently being analyzed and updates will be provided shortly.
Contact Us
Have questions about the protocol, program, or additional volunteer opportunities? Send us an email at the following email address: info@blazingstar.ca. We will respond to all questions as soon as possible.
Additional WCF Resources
Western Chorus Frog species profile – Ontario Nature
Western Chorus Frog species profile – FrogWatch
Western Chorus Frog Recovery Strategy – Environment and Climate Change Canada
Quebec Western Chorus Frog Ambassador Program - La Rainette Faux-Grillon
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