The Bermuda Zoological Society is joining aquariums, zoos and conservation groups around the world celebrating 2008 as the Year of the Frog.

In the coming months, the facility aims to raise public awareness about environmental problems affecting frogs and toads globally, including Bermuda.

The Association of Zoos & Aquariums declared 2008 the Year of the Frog, based on an understanding among scientists that the amphibians are at risk for extinction due to such factors as habitat destruction, climate change and pollution.

"Bermuda wouldn't be the same if it didn't have its chorus of whistling frog calls during the warm months," said Jamie Bacon, a BZS research associate and principal investigator for the Bermuda Amphibian Project established 13 years ago to investigate the declines and deformities observed in Bermuda's frog and toad populations.

"The BZS-supported Amphibian Project is an internationally renowned initiative. One of the most extensive studies being conducted it is investigating how environmental pollution affects the health and development of Bermuda's toads and other species. The research has very significant implications for amphibian populations worldwide that are threatened by pollution."

BZS has scheduled a range of activities to draw attention to the cause and is advising residents of the following ways in which they can help:

l Use non-toxic pesticide alternatives in your garden and on your lawn. This reduces the risk of poisoning frogs and toads directly, by poisoning areas they inhibit, or indirectly, through poisoning their food.

l Use organic fertilisers Provide a flowerpot with moist soil for a toad habitat or, use an old broken flowerpot placed upside down over soil, to create a 'toad abode'.

l Teach your children to respect toads and frogs and educate people to not pour salt or bleach on toads.

l Do not pour used motor oil or anything toxic on the ground, dispose of it properly.

l Build a pond in your garden.

l Don't dump anything in our ponds and marshes.

Added a BZS spokesperson: "This spring and summer, as part of the Year of the Frog activities, Dr. Bacon will be seeking public participation in Project Sound-Off, an island-wide event to gauge the status of Bermuda's whistling frog population based on surveys of frog calls.

"Local scientists will also participate in 'The Hunt for E. Gossei', to determine if that species of whistling frog, last seen in Bermuda in 1994, still exists on the island. The BZS also hopes to promote awareness about frogs and toads at its annual youth conference in April and at this spring's Bermuda Annual Exhibition."

For more information on events associated with the Year of the Frog, visit www.bamz.org.