RAVENSWOOD MEDIA NEWSLETTER

Issue #9, April 2010

Providing a conduit between science and the public

CRAWFISH FROGS

by David Cottrell

Many nature enthusiasts recognize the low-pitched croaking call of the Crawfish Frog, but few ever really get the chance to see one. That's because they are considered to be among the most secretive of all amphibians, and have duly earned the nickname "ghost frog".

Once inhabiting a large section of the middle and southern prairies of the US, the Crawfish Frog's range is rapidly depleting due to urban and agricultural land development and the dwindling

presence of fishless wetlands, which are necessary for the female's springtime egg laying (females can lay up to 7,000 eggs, which hatch into tadpoles that metamorphose into juveniles later in the summer and can take more than two years to grow to adult size).

Averaging anywhere from 3 to 4 inches long, about the size of a small fist, Crawfish Frogs are found in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Populations in Iowa have been extirpated, and many others are in decline. Adult frogs can be cream colored to brown and black with irregular blotches on the top and sides.

Crawfish Frogs inhabit the burrows of crayfish in prairies and grasslands, and spend a lot of time inside the burrows, eating insects that wander nearby. Now considered a threatened species, and even endangered in some states, conservation efforts are underway to protect what's left of them.

Dr. Michael J. Lannoo is a well-known champion for the preservation of amphibians. As a professor of anatomy and cell biology at Indiana University, he has dedicated his career to researching and publishing critical information addressing amphibian species decline. "There is a large component of human health dependent upon environmental health, and the presence of these amazing frogs are a great indicator of the wellness of the land."

Currently, Dr. Lannoo is spearheading his field research with a team of students at sites in Southwestern Indiana, at with colleagues at the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. "They spend most of their lives in a single crayfish hole and this hole may be a mile or more away from breeding wetlands, so they need time and large expanses of grassland, and we are not good at giving animals time and space." Part of the refuge where they've thrived was once used as a military firing ground, where bombed out craters have become wetlands, somewhat of a silver lining to the original destruction.

And whether we are looking at preserving animals as big as buffaloes or as small as frogs, Dr. Lannoo believes we should give equal consideration to all. "Crawfish Frogs represent a lifestyle that is completely unique in North America when it comes to frogs. The fact that they rely on another species for their home, that they can find their way to burrows and are as much a prairie species as a buffalo. If we can't save a species like this, what does that say about our humanity?"

TO SHINE A SEARCHLIGHT

by David McGowan

Sometime in the summer of 1972 PBS began a remarkable BBC series called "The Ascent of Man."
Dr. Jacob Bronowski walked the public through the fits and starts of human history. I was a typical teenager flipping channels between The Beverly Hillbillies and Tony Orlando and Dawn Variety Hour when I accidentally turned to this host with the funny accent sitting on a rock in the Olduvai Gorge. I had never seen anything like it....

His manner was deliberate, not rushed. It was obvious he knew what he was talking about but it was his sincere desire to share with the audience in a deeply personal way that made his presence so compelling.

In the clip above, Dr. Bronowski talks about the discovery of the Tuang baby skull. He gives a concise description of the features that made this skull important in our understanding of human evolution. But it is his reflection of his own contribution, through abstract mathematics, "to shine a searchlight into the history of man," that resonated with a mediocre student growing up in Northwest Indiana. I didn't become a mathematician or an anthropologist but I have throughout my filmmaking career tried to find that spark of human sharing that makes a narrative glimmer, whether it's on an Imax screen or told across a campfire.

Dr. Bronowski wasn't handsome, his speech was restrained and he wasn't setting any fashion standards (he's wearing a tie under the hot sun of Kenya, for God's sake) yet he commanded the attention of millions of viewers. He had profound impact on the culture of the era not through gimmicks or superlatives but through the act of sharing himself.

His influence extended into some odd places....

The Ascent of Man is just as refreshing today as was when it was produced.

Web 2.0 means you're a user and so are they. You are the user who has ultimate control over what's shown on your site. This enables you and your colleagues to interact with your community on a real time basis. Want your homepage to stimulate discussion and action on today's hot button issue? It won't take a series of negotiations, meetings and an interminable wait. Just log on and start typing, inserting and clicking. Want a homepage poll on the latest environmental initiative mentioned in the president's speech? Simple. There's a module for that and yes, it's already enabled. Put your new video message on the homepage, quiz viewers on what they've learned and ask for comments. While we're at it, let's get a wiki and a shared calendar going.

At Ravenswood Media, our motto is "Providing a conduit between science and the public." We're fascinated by the tech advances improving video on the web and those facilitating our interaction with our community. To complement our well crafted video, Ravenswood is now offering web development services and consulting to help lay the groundwork for your Web 2.0 debut.

FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS

Ravenswood Media won a Merit Award for Message at the International Wildlife Film Festival. The PSA "Let Nature Bring You Back To Your Senses" will be screened at the Festival during the week of May 8-15.

Ravenswood Media won an Award of Merit for Public Service Programming for the PSA "Let Nature Bring You Back To Your Senses". The Accolade Competition honors outstanding craft and creativity in film, television and videography.

I didn't know Mr. De Souza but from what I read he was a brave man and died for what he believed. I feel terrible for his family but humbled by the knowledge that people are willing to risk their lives for a greener world. The conservation community mourns his loss. D.M.