CNAH Announcement: Amphibian Academy

Developing Amphibian Conservation Expertise

Amphibian Ark (AArk) announces a new capacity building program with a novel and holistic approach to amphibian conservation training for both in-situ and ex-situ program development. This new program is called Amphibian Academy: a broad perspective training opportunity that will benefit people from diverse backgrounds who desire to help save amphibians. A key difference between this effort and earlier endeavors is that the emphasis is on the individual student so that graduates will be poised to address the needs of threatened amphibians. Our mission is simple: train amphibian conservation biologists so that they can best Serve Amphibians.

The Amphibian Academy has been developed under the umbrella of the IUCN Amphibian Ark and the Toledo Zoological Society. It will be a week-long course with robust conservation emphases. The school is scheduled for 20–28 April 2013 at the Toledo Zoo, Toledo, Ohio USA. The amphibian conservation and breeding programs at the Toledo Zoo are internationally known and the collection is extremely diverse—an ideal environment for training amphibian conservationists. Local field opportunities will be utilized for teaching purposes. Centrally located, Toledo is a friendly city with reasonably priced accommodations and food. Costs to attend will not be excessive.

The course includes lectures, hands-on practical exercises, and fieldwork. Most of all there will be ample opportunities for students to be personally mentored by globally recognized and successful amphibian conservationists to help them address their specific program’s focus and needs. The students can rely on the faculty members to remain as their mentors and professional contacts throughout their careers. The hands-on activities are designed for students to “learn by doing” in small groups with an instructor, thus providing an optimal learning opportunity. The faculty for the course includes leaders in the fields of amphibian husbandry, medicine, research, reintroduction, and conservation. As amphibian decline knows no borders and is a significant global concern, we invite a diverse group of students from all countries. The vision for this training course is to Serve Amphibians. If this motto is in alignment with your conservation interests, this course will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop the appropriate skills for making a difference. Some scholarship opportunities will be available for deserving individuals with limited resources. There will also be a few short-term internships available to qualified students after the course. Registration will be open in October 2012. Tuition costs 750USD and the process for obtaining financial support and internship opportunities will be announced shortly. For registration information and process, contact AArk Education Officer, Rachel Rommel (Rachel@AmphibianArk.org ), or Ron Gagliardo (Ron@AmphibianArk.org) and Andy Odum (RAOdum@aol.com).

Amphibian Academy Trainers:

• Kent Bekker

• John Chastain

• Ron Gagliardo

• Timothy Herman

• Robert Hill

• Robert Johnson

• Mike Lannoo

• Joe Mendelson

• R. Andrew Odum

• Allan Pessier

• Jennifer Pramuk

• Rachel Rommel

• Kevin Zippel