About Our Logo

Frogs and toads all over the world are disappearing at a horrifying rate. Several species have gone extinct in the last decade and many others have been extirpated from their historical range. Amphibians are truly the "canary in the coal mine" for flowing freshwater ecosystems (read rivers!) in the Americas and throughout the world. Loss of habitat from human encroachment, increased radiation from the thinning of the ozone layer, contamination from endocrine disrupters, predation from non-native species and other factors all add up to a crisis for frogs and toads - and an unfortunate indication of the poor health of many of our freshwater ecosystems.

Thanks to the Designer

Ethan Jewett of Venture 4th design in Portland, Oregon describes it this way: "The logo is simple, clear, and it sends an instantly recognizable message. Over time it will become as recognizable as World Wildlife Fund panda." Ethan designed the frog with an elongated crescent to symbolize the "New World's ties to the Old."

Facts on Frogs and Toads

Since July 2000, eighteen species of frogs, toads and salamanders are listed as either threatened or endangered in the United States and Puerto Rico. Since 1989, scientists have documented four major "hot spots;" for amphibian declines: western North America, Central America, northeast Australia and Puerto Rico. Some of the American declines have occurred in the most unlikely spots— the nation's refuges, parks and wilderness areas.

In the last five years, an increasing number of frogs and toads with severe malformations have been observed throughout the United States and around the world. Surveys conducted in 1997 in the northeast and midwest found malformation rates ranging up to 17.9 percent at some of the refuges

Amphibians are good indicators of significant environmental changes. Frogs and toads are highly sensitive to their environments, since they breathe at least partly through their skin. Scientists are studying a variety of possible causes for the declinesand malformations, including disease and fungal infections, habitat loss, thinning ozone and increased ultraviolet radiation, pollution and other contaminant factors.

Excerpt from What's Happening to the Frogs? by Cindy Hoffman.