Green Frogs, Green Brook.

Growing up next to the Green Brook in West Caldwell, New Jersey I used to spend my childhood days on the edge of the brook flipping over rocks to find salamanders. I would also try to sneak up on the green frogs that lived in the brook as well to not disturb them and have them jump in the water and out of my view. As the years went on the frogs and the salamanders disappeared and I spent less time in the brook. I watched for a few years the brook dry up, or be covered in a film of algae. Some years the brook would flood and others it would drough, but it was not until recently that brook returned to the state i remember witnessing around age 8 or 9. I am 20 now and I am in college away from the brook. When I was around 11 years old my dad dug a pond in our back yard for our pet turtles we had at the time, the pond remained a turtle pond for years, until a rather large storm hit us in 2010. The turtles were washed away in the storm and we no longer had any habitants in the pond besides some koi fish we put in there. After a few months and spring returning in 2011 we started to notice a few green frogs in our pond, and tons of tadpoles. Since around 2011 the pond has developed its own natural ecosystem of frogs who often journey through my back yard and into the pond from the brook, and back and fourth regularly. It is amazing to see that they have adopted this pond and have been able to find use for this former turtle pond. The green frogs sun, and swim, and raise young in the pond all summer, and return every year. Unfortunately the salamanders never returned, I have not been able to find a salamander in the Green Brook Since, and even though there are frogs in the pond, there are still not many frogs living in the brook. Later in life, learning about how amphibians are an indicator species and indicate ecosystem health and water quality I am saddened that the ecosystem and pretty much died. I am hopeful that one day it returns to its former state, but the news of overall, globally amphibians are endangered makes it hard to have hope.