Wildlife conservation charity Froglife will be hosting a Mini Toad Summit on Saturday 26th January in Bath, to help local ‘Toad Patrollers’ improve their knowledge.
Organisers have invited ‘Toad Patrollers’, members of the public, academics and volunteers to be a part of their toad conservation efforts.
Toad Patrollers are volunteers who help toads across the road on their annual migration to their breeding ponds.
The aim of the event is to improve the knowledge of Toad Patrollers, motivate Toad Patrollers and enable them to share good practice, so that more toads are saved.
Findings from research that analysed the 30+ year Toads on Roads database concluded that the UK’s common toads have declined by 68%.
Sheila Gundry, Development Manager for Froglife and Bath resident, said: “This is the first time that we have run a toad event in the Bath area and we are delighted with the excellent response – over 60 people have signed up and we have a long waiting list.
“It’s great to see such enthusiasm for conserving toads in the Bath area.”
The Mayor of Bath, accompanied by the Mayoress, will open the event. The afternoon’s talks will be delivered by a variety of speakers ranging from academic to community-focused discussions, including talks from Angela Julian of ARG UK, Andy Ryder (Chair of Avon Reptile and Amphibian Group), John Dickson (Chair Reptile and Amphibian Group, Somerset), plus the Managers of Local Toad Patrols.
Bath has an active toad patrol at Charlcombe Lane. The Charlcombe Lane Toad Patrol will be giving a talk on their work and will be assisting at the event. Other nearby Toad Patrols include Shew Valley and Bitton.
Along with the talks, the summit will also give attendees a chance to see the work that Froglife are doing across the UK, including the national ‘Toads on Roads’ project.
