PROJECT INFORMATION:
Making it possible to hear them growl here again!
After 6 years of project preparations, paperwork and planning, the reintroduction of Growling Grass Frogs (GGF) to the Winton Wetlands Reserve will begin in late 2022.
A Wetlands Restoration Science Forum workshop in 2016 identified that rewilding of the Growling Grass Frog to the Winton Wetlands was feasible and a worthwhile objective for the restoration project. The Mokoan Ponds area of the reserve has suitable habitat for the species (assessed by GGF expert Dr Geoff Heard 2021)
Growling Grass Frogs were once common in wetland ecosystems but are now regarded as an endangered species in Victoria (FFG Act) and elsewhere in their natural range. They were once present at Winton Wetlands and have not been recorded in recent years and are now locally extinct. However, they are important species in an ecosystem as they are predators of other frogs and insects which is functionally different from other frog species. They are also large and know to be a crucial food source for predatory wetland birds, which the wetlands are also trying to support., Ultimately, rewilding of the species will help secure this species status locally and regionally, increase biodiversity on site and will restore critical ecological functions and processes to Winton Wetlands.
If a healthy population of GGF can be established on the reserve, the benefits will be three-fold: 1) it will aid in restoring ecological function and biodiversity to the wetlands themselves; 2) demonstrate the proof of concept of the method used to rewild the species in a wetland; and 3) it will create a valuable local ‘source’ population for the further rewilding events in other wetlands within the region.
(Photo Credit – Matt West)
Find out more background information – Growling Grass Frogs ‘coming home’ : The how and why
Fill out our Taskforce Growlers Expression of Interest form here
What does a Growling Grass Frog sound like?
Click on the audio file to find out
Telling the ‘Growler’ story at Winton Wetlands
Restoration Manager Dr Lisa Farnsworth outlined the work under way to re-introduce Growling Grass Frogs – and some broader context to the restoration activities happening at Winton Wetlands – at a conference staged by the Murray Darling Basin Authority in June 2024. Here is a link to the panel session in which she spoke.
GROWLING GRASS FROGS IN THE MEDIA
Remember, remember, threatened species in September…
Saturnday 7 September 2024 marks National Threatened Species Day in Australia. It marks the anniversary of the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger in 1936.
Talkers get behind growlers
More than 30 of Australia’s leading figures in the protection and restoration of the precious native Growling Grass Frog from SA, Victoria, ACT, New South
Gathering for Growlers
Experts in conservation, management and breeding of Growling Grass Frogs (GGF) are coming together in late August to share latest knowledge being gathered across a
Frogs getting a $4,000 “Biosis boost”!
The ongoing work at Winton Wetlands to help return the native Growling Grass Frog to its natural habitat across northern Victoria has been boosted by
Latest funding boost will “keep an eye on the frogs”
Efforts to return native growling grass frogs to Winton Wetlands are set to receive a major boost with new funds just granted by a philanthropic
Now you can ‘Recycle for Restoration”!
Victoria’s new Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) is now under way. It provides for 10c refunds for eligible aluminium cans, plastic and glass bottles and tetra
Wetlands supporters praised for “exceptional” contributions
Winton Wetlands management has praised the “exceptional levels” of support and contribution given by volunteers and supporters toward the success of its recent Wild Week
Did you know?
… that important revegetation work at Winton Wetlands has been paid for by fines against local polluters, in a scheme supported by EPA Victoria? …
Rambling in the reeds
As part of Winton Wetlands Wild Week, we’ll be… Rambling in the Reeds! Come join us for a guided walk that will include latest news
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Release the growlers!
The first 30 native Growling Grass frogs that have been relocated from Coliban Water facilities near Bendigo to Winton Wetlands took an important step forward
Can I come out yet?
Winton Wetlands’ resident Growling Grass Frogs have been enjoying a quiet life inside a quarantine laboratory since their transfer across from their former outdoor home
Frog ID workshop
Do you know how to tell the sound of one frog from another? Are you interested in helping protect native frogs and the valuable role
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A landmark in efforts to reverse the extinction of native wildlife has been reached this week with the return of a ‘long-lost’ native frog to
Taskforce Growler
Time to get growling! A community-driven campaign called ‘Taskforce Growler’ gets under way this week to support the return of an iconic native frog to
