Growling Grass Frogs find a home at Epsom wastewater treatment plant

Coliban Water said its most recent surveys at Epsom had detected Growling Grass Frogs at 13 of the facility's 23 water bodies.

In total, the water authority said, about 140 frogs were recorded across two survey periods during the 2020/21 breeding season.

Other news:

"It involved active searching, the use of audio playback, and small, low cost, acoustic devices called 'audiomoths' to record frog calls at optimal times," Coliban's Danny McLean said.

"We've seen a positive change in numbers from what was recorded last year, which is fantastic and in line with what was recorded in 2018/19.

"We're pleased to see Growling Grass Frogs in promising numbers once again."

The species is classed as 'vulnerable' by federal authorities, who said isolated populations were found in the greater Melbourne area, in the south-west of the state and a few sites in central Victoria and Gippsland.

More news:

Coliban said one of its policies was the protection of the region's environment.

"Caring for Growling Grass Frogs at our plant in Epsom is a great example of how policies like this translate into tangible actions," Mr McLean said.

The authority said the surveys at Epsom found seven species of frogs, 52 birds, two bats, the Eastern Long-necked Turtle and the Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: