Merry Lea to offer frog hikes

Event: Frog hikes at Merry Lea
Date and Time: Tuesday, April 5 or Wednesday, April 6 at 1 p.m. (Hikes last approx. 2 hours)
Location: Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center
Cost: $5/adults, $2/children. Please call 260-799-5869 or email jenniferhs@goshen.edu by April 4 to register.

---

In early spring, employees at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College in central Noble County are reminded just how many wetlands their nature center has. Every marsh and woodland puddle erupts in a chorus of frog song.

Early spring is the mating season for spring peepers, chorus frogs and wood frogs. Like bird species, each has its own distinct call.

Families on spring break and others who enjoy intergenerational experiences are invited to Merry Lea Tuesday, April 5 or Wednesday, April 6 at 1 p.m. for a two- hour excursion focused on frogs and their calls. Learning how to catch and hold a frog is part of the fun.

“Frogs are an important indicator of ecosystem health,” explains Lisa Zinn, who will lead the Tuesday hike. She is able to advise participants on citizen science programs such as Frog Watch USA. Amateur frog watchers can easily learn the calls of their local frogs and contribute valuable data for scientists by keeping regular records of the frogs they hear.

The fee for Merry Lea’s frog hike is $5 for adults, $2 for children. Please call 260-799-5869 or email jenniferhs@goshen.edu by April 4 to register. Boots are recommended. Directions are available at https://www.goshen.edu/merrylea/.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is a 1,189-acre nature preserve located in central Noble County, midway between Fort Wayne and Goshen. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth. To learn more, visit their web site at https://www.goshen.edu/merrylea.