1st SoFSS wins hennessy award - Hurlburt Warrior

Page | Hurlburt Warrior | Friday, April 13, 2012
Children take aim at an invasive species
By Senior Airman .
Joe McFadden
1st Special Operations Wing
Public Affairs
As protected and secure
from external threats as a
military installation can be,
Hurlburt Field is still subject
to a potential invasion.
The invaders in question
aren’t hostile terrorists, unwanted
solicitors or even
human, but Osteopilus septentrionalis,
or the Cuban
tree frog.
These warty, white amphibians
with their large toepads
and “bug eyes” can
wreak havoc on the local
ecosystem and its inhabitants.
But the base’s first
line of defense against them
will actually be in the hands
of children.
Nearly 30 elementary
school-age children decorated
and placed two frog
houses on base April 6 to
monitor the frogs’ progress
into this part of Northwest
Florida.
The frog is native to
islands like Cuba, the Bahamas
and the Cayman Islands,
however they have
been introduced across
Florida. The species prey
upon other tree frogs which,
if left unchecked, could
lead to the native frogs’
endangerment.
The Cuban tree frog not
only preys on other types of
frogs but is drawn to electrical
circuitry, which can
lead to widespread power
outages, said Kristal Walsh,
natural/cultural resource
manager of 1st Special
Operations Civil Engineer
Squadron.
“Most of the time here
in Northwest Florida, we
think of invasive species
as plants but in fact, other
types of animals, reptiles
and amphibians are no
longer exclusive to South
Florida,” Walsh said. “It is
important especially for
children to understand not
to release into the wild that
pet snake or frog that they
have grown tired of. That
is just one of the ways invasive
species are introduced
into our ecosystems.”
To check the frog’s population
density on base, 1st
SOCES personnel used
segments of PVC pipe as
houses. The children used
markers to draw rainbows,
frogs and their own names
to add their own touch to
the frog houses.
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Courtesy photo | USAF
Hurlburt Field Youth Center children and staff pose with Kristal Walsh, natural/cultural
resources manager of 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron, center, after
placing a PVC pipe frog house near a creek outside the base child development center
at Hurlburt Field, April 6. The house will be used to monitor the population and movement
of the Cuban tree frog, an invasive species.
“The frogs like to sit inside
the pipe where they
2043218
can wait for their next meal
and where they are sheltered
from the weather,”
Walsh said. “These will be
monitored both by the Natural
Resources flight and
by the children on a regular
basis. If a Cuban Tree Frog
is found, it will be removed
and reported to the University
of Florida and also other
invasive species experts
in the area.”
While designing the
houses, the children learned
about the different types of
frogs, including native and
introduced species and
their diets.
“We learned that some
frogs are bad and some are
good,” said Jas Cathey, 7.
“We also learned that some
frogs have different dots
so you can tell which is
which.”
Once completed, the
children along with 1st SO-
CES personnel planted the
houses near a newly-constructed
stream outside the
See children page 8