Frog Went a Beggin'

(Or scraping the bottom of the pond)

In yesterday's PD we read the following touching plea:

Cleveland Metroparks is seeking donations to create wetland habitats for frogs. Biologists are searching the Emerald Necklace, looking for suitable spots for vernal pools, which are favorite springtime hangouts for melodious, breeding salamanders and frogs. Ohio has lost 90 percent of the wetlands it had 200 years ago. Learn more at clemetzoo.com and ovpp.org, a fascinating site operated by the Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership. [1]

Even sadder than the loss of our wetlands is Metroparks having to look to cash strapped tax payers for more help. Perhaps, like other local governments, they need to examine where they've spent our tax dollars and save some of that money. They would get double the benefit (= 'matching funds') by not continuing to damage existing habitat. Created wetlands take a long time to replace natural ones, if they ever do.

Where could they find the funds in their own budget?

- the $4500 Frog costume they got for this years's mascot to go a beggin' in

or the $45,000 mower (one of many) that speeds runoff and pollutes the air and eliminates native vegetation

or the $400,000 for turf chemicals (including atrazine - suspected of causing frog sexual mutations and now found to also affect human genes) [2] mostly so golf can create artificial, high maintenance nature-or-a-leash.

or the $60+ Million dollars in taxpayer money they got on the premise they would take care our parks.

I suggest they look to what they have before they look to ask for more. Especially after they've allowed developers to destroy many sites which should have been protected. We're in a money drought, but burrowing down in the mud won't help.