SAVE THE FROGS! in Belize & Santa Cruz

Dear SAVE THE FROGS1 Supporter,

I hope your summer is going well! We've had a lot happening in Belize, Bangladesh, Ghana and right here in the USA, and I look forward to passing on all the great news in these upcoming newsletters. -- Kerry

Michael Starkey's return to Belize

An update from Belize by Michael G. Starkey, SAVE THE FROGS! Advisory Committee Chairman

In January 2012 I traveled to Belize for 12 days to help spread the message of amphibian conservation and to promote appreciation of wildlife and nature through education. SAVE THE FROGS' presence was incredibly well-received while I was in the country and I was asked to come back.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of friends, family, and SAVE THE FROGS’ supporters, I was able to return and am currently in Belize saving the frogs once again! I have been giving presentations to nonprofit organizations and public interest groups all over the country, including the Belize Zoo, Lamanai Field Research Center, and the Ya'axché Conservation Trust -- and spending a lot of time in the field surveying and photographing amphibians!

Click here to read all about my frog saving adventures!

Stauffer’s Treefrog, Scinax staufferi

Note from Kerry: Michael fundraised $1,600 in order to make this frog-saving expedition happen and to bring amphibian conservation educational materials to Belize. He still needs to raise the final $800 of his $2,400 goal. Can you please help out Michael by giving a $20, $50 or $100 donation to support his efforts? Every little bit helps and is greatly appreciated!

Donate to SAVE BELIZE'S FROGS!  

Frog Art Fundraiser in Santa Cruz September 7th, 2012!

For the last few years I've been fortunate enough to be the curator of the world's finest frog art. Thousands of pieces of frog art passed through SAVE THE FROGS World Headquarters over the last few years. With the volunteer assistance of Santa Cruz High art student Hannah Atkinson and a few other artists, I've narrowed the frog art down to the absolute most amazing 250 pieces. This September 7th, we will make the art available to the public as the centerpiece of the inaugural SAVE THE FROGS! Art Fundraiser, to be held at Art du Jour in downtown Santa Cruz. Come have a look at the art, support the cause by claiming your own piece, make some frog calls with me and take a free frog art lesson with art teacher Rob Court of the Scribbles Institute. Please spread the word and prepare yourself for a good time!

Please add this image to your website, linked to http://savethefrogs.com/art -- thanks!

We could really use your help to fund this event's promotion, as we want to ensure the event receives widespread publicity and we have hundreds of attendees contributing to the cause and learning about frogs. If you donate $30 or more prior to the event (right now if possible!), we will give you a free unframed piece of frog art, a wristband, and a glass of wine if you're 21 or over. Just email contact@savethefrogs.com after you donate to have us put you on the fundraiser guest list. Even if you cannot attend, we would still appreciate your help.

Save The Frogs in the New York Times

Thanks to John Upton for writing this New York Times article about non-native bullfrogs in the American West. You can see lots of other articles about SAVE THE FROGS! and our efforts at:

www.savethefrogs.com/in-the-news

SAVE THE FROGS! Pins are available at http://savethefrogs.com/pins

Rachel Hopkins wins a Green Oscar

Congratulations to SAVE THE FROGS! Supporter Rachel Hopkins for winning Wild South's 2011 Green Oscar in the Outstanding Youth in Conservation category. I had the pleasure of meeting Rachel in North Carolina in April, and was incredibly impressed by her ability to explain frog conservation issues to people of all ages. It's great to have Rachel's help saving the frogs. Wild South is a regional, seven state organization that focuses on conservation and ecology.

"Rachel is the most amazing young lady ever.  Congratulations for an honor well-deserved".
--Linda Lee

Learn all about Rachel's and other students' efforts here.

With mom Pam and SAVE THE FROGS! Advisory Committee Member George Sellers.

Thanks to Emily Kabat for raising $180

Thanks to Emily for raising $180 for SAVE THE FROGS!. At Emily's 10th birthday party, she asked people to donate to SAVE THE FROGS! rather than give traditional gifts. Happy birthday Emily and thank you!

"Let's hope that charitable birthday parties become the new norm."
--Emily's Dad

Save The Frogs' 2011 Financial Info Now Available

Our 2011 Financial Information (IRS Form 990-EZ) is now available. You can download it to see how our money gets spent and where it comes from. Our 2011 total budget was approximately $126,000 (about 50 times less than that of Greenpeace). We always do our best to use your generous donations wisely. Thanks for your support!

What I've been doing lately

Last month I was on the East Coast, where I gave ten presentations on amphibian conservation, including one at the US EPA (listen to the audio mp3 here). Since my return to California, I have been transitioning from a role of leading projects to one where I am primarily focused on training our staff and top volunteers to ensure they can independently develop, finance, lead and promote their own frog saving endeavors start to finish; so you will be hearing a lot more from Breanna, Gilbert, Michael, Nurul and others we are fortunate to have on our team. Together, we have submitted over $300,000 in grant proposals in the last month; for now though, we still rely on your support as much as ever. Thanks!

Photo by Kateri Fahey

Thanks!

Thanks for all your support,
Dr. Kerry Kriger
Save The Frogs Founder, Executive Director & Ecologist

At Sycamore Creek Elementary School in North Carolina, April 2012.