MFTCS survey protocol

The following protocol has been developed for the Minnesota Frog & Toad Calling Survey (MFTCS), based on the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program (NAAMP) protocol:

Each route is run 3 times, once during each designated period.

Survey Period	Dates*	Preferred minimum water temperature
Early Spring	April 15 - 30	50 degrees F
Late Spring	May 20 - June 5	60 degrees F
Summer	June 25 - July 10	70 degrees F
*Routes in Northern Minnesota counties, including Kittson, Marshall, Roseau, Pennington, Red Lake, Polk, Lake of the Woods, Beltrami, Koochiching, Itasca, Aitkin, St. Louis, Carlton, Lake, and Cook have delayed sampling windows: Early Spring = April 25 - May 15, Late Spring = May 30 - June 15, and Summer = July 5 - July 20.

Surveys are run after dark, under favorable weather conditions.
- Water temperature is above preferred minimum
- Wind is less than 8 mph
- Warm, cloudy evenings with little or no wind and high humidity are ideal

Frog calls are noted at each stop (10 stops per route)

Stops are a minimum distance of 0.5 miles apart
Volunteers listen at each stop for at least 5 minutes and count ALL frog and toad calls heard
The data are recorded on the field datasheet

Call Index Values are recorded for each species heard at each stop
1 -	Individuals can be counted with space between calls
2 -	Individuals can be distinguished but there is some overlapping of calls
3 -	Calls are constant, continuous, and overlapping

Rare or unusual records such as the Northern Cricket Frog or species outside of their distribution range should be verified by tape recording, testimony of 2 experienced observers, or a photo. Unusual calls that are not verified may not be counted.

Once the route has been completed for all three runs, the datasheets and maps are sent to the Nongame Wildlife Program to be compiled and analyzed. Statistical analyses are completed, and distribution maps are created.