At the Robert C. Corby Arboretum in the village of Pittsford, Bryson Coccia is standing along the edge of a pool of shallow water that’s about 10 feet long and 10 feet wide. Grass and weeds are sprouting up in the water, and so are other signs of life.
"Those are tadpoles," he said, pointing to the murky water. "See them? All sorts of tadpoles just swam out from under these grass and leaves. There's another one."
This little body of water looks like it sprang up naturally, but Coccia helped build it for a project as works toward the rank of Eagle Scout.
These are vernal ponds, seasonal wetlands which are critical to frog survival. They fill up with water from snowmelt and rain during the spring and usually dry up by late summer. That means amphibian predators such as fish, can't lay their eggs there.
While vernal pools can form naturally, they are endangered due to land development and climate change.
"Sixty percent of wetlands have disappeared in the United States over the last 50 years or so, and they're getting fewer all the time," said Margot Fass, founder of A Frog House. The nonprofit devoted to conservation and education is located in her daughter's backyard along the Erie Canal.
The organization is leading an effort to increase the number man-made vernal ponds throughout greater Rochester.
"I would like to see a vernal pond in every property and in a lot of public properties, as many as we can possibly have, because they're so essential to the environment," Fass said.
Frogs, with their permeable skin, are highly sensitive to pollution. Their presence or absence is key indicator of the health of the environment.
Approximately 42% of amphibians, including frogs and toads, are threatened or declining in the U.S. due to habitat loss, pollution, and disease, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
"I remember as a child, I used to always see tons and tons of frogs, salamanders everywhere in my property," recalled Coccia. "And it just kind of hurts a little bit because you don't really see that as much anymore."
In celebration of the worldwide Save the Frogs Day on Sunday, A Frog House, at 65 State Street in Pittsford, will be demonstrating how to build a backyard vernal pond from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. They also have a limited number of pond kits to give away. Fass said special consideration will be given to visitors who may not be in a position to purchase them on their own.
Ponds can vary in size from 10 feet by 3 feet to 10 by 10. Kits include durable liners and other materials. They are not difficult for most people to install, according to Fass's executive assistant, Payton Carroll.
"I'd say it's about the same level as any other gardening activity," she said. "You're just digging a small hole and putting in a waterproof liner to protect it and then you just let it fill up naturally with rain."
Also on Sunday, tours will be given of the vernal ponds at the arboretum at 1 Village Lane in Pittsford from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Witnessing the effects of environmental change can be dispiriting, but back at the arboretum, watching tadpoles darting through the pond he helped create, Coccia has perhaps discovered that action is the antidote to despair.
"Oh, it makes me really happy, and it makes me hopeful as well," he said. "It just brings me joy."
