News Archive 2004/05
Will the third time be the charm for Georgia's tree frogs? According to the ATlanta Journal-Constitution 1/25/05 "For the third year in a row, Georgia lawmakers will consider whether green tree frogs should be designated as the official state amphibian. The idea, first proposed by a group of school children, was introduced by Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome)."
Bill Croaks! 4/7/04 Sad news to report on the frog front. The green tree frog lost its bid to become Georgia's state amphibian this week as the bill failed to pass the Senate. But, hopefully this won't be the last our legislators hear from the students at Armuchee Elementary School near Rome, Georgia who championed the bill.
Breaking Frog News!! Atlanta, GA 1/28/04: "Kids a-courting votes for frogs". According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the green tree frog just may go down in the record books as Georgia's official state amphibian. The fifth-graders at Armuchee Elementary School near Rome, Georgia have been working with state representative, Barbara Massey Reece to sponsor House Bill 365 naming this tiny green frog with suctionlike feet as the state amphibian. In the words of John Jensen, a state herpetologist who helped Reece prepare her bill, "the green tree frog had a bid for state froghood once in 1998, but, in a bad bit of parliamentary luck, the bill croaked." The frog made a comeback this week when the House approved the bill and it heads to the Senate next week.
This story brings up a good point. Did you know that only nine states have adopted an official state amphibian? Is your state one of them?
Alabama - Red hills salamandor - 2000
Arizona - Arizona tree frog -1986
Kansas - Barred tiger salamandor - 1994
Louisiana - Green tree frog - 1993
New Hampshire - Red-spotted newt - 1985
Oklahoma - Bull frog (unofficial) - 1997
South Carolina - Spotted salamandor -1999
Tennessee - Tenn cave salamandor - 1995
Vermont - Northern leopard frog - 1997
Did I leave anyone out? Let me know and I'll give you top billing!
Animal Olympics
Our Olympic athletes have nothing on the animal kingdom. Take the one-inch long Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus) pictured here. This fellow takes the Gold for jumping. According to NWF this long-jump champion makes leaps of more than 60 times its own body length!
According to the Associated Press, Frog and Toad Musical Leaps to Broadway...
and may be among the big winners at 2003 Tony Awards that airs June 8. In case you missed it, I know I did, "A Year With Frog and Toad" is a children's musical that originated last year at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, and made the leap to Broadway this spring. AP reports that the show is based on the children's book by Arnold Lobel and "the cast will include most of the same actors who appeared when the show opened in Minneapolis in August: Mark Linn-Baker as Toad and Jay Goede as Frog, plus Danielle Ferland and Frank Vlastnik as the scene-stealing Snail with the Mail."
Go back to froggy news... 
The annual Calaveras County Frog Jumping Contest all started in 1928 when the winning jumper went 3 feet 6 inches. Angels Camp, California plays host each May to the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. All frog entrants must be at least four inches in length from nose to tail. The winner is the frog that can jump the farthest in three consecutive hops to win the $5000 top prize.
The 2002 world record holder at the annual Calaveras County Frog Jumping Contest was Rosie the Ribiter who went 21 feet 5.75 inches.
Bruce Carle of the Judici Frog Jumping Team won the 2003 Jumping Frog Jubilee Frog Jump with a frog named Burning Brightly who jumped 19' 2 3/4".This year's contest (2004) was won by Bob Fasano and Red Bull who jumped 20' 2 1/2".
Jump on over to Frogtown for the latest on the next contest.