The Tennessee Amphibian Monitoring Program (TAMP) is a joint venture between the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Middle Tennessee State University.

TAMP is a listening survey. A TAMP volunteer drives an assigned route, stopping at ten ordered stops along the way and recording the species he or she hears at each stop. Volunteers conduct their survey four times per year.

With the data gathered from TAMP, we hope to better understand the distribution and relative abundance of each of the 22 species of frogs and toads that occur in Tennessee.

These species face a variety of threats. With the progressive development of rural areas in Tennessee, the habitats of many of our frogs and toads are diminishing. The misuse of herbicides and pesticides adversely affects populations. Various pathogens are taking their toll.

Changing climate may also threaten some species. Will rising winter temperatures negatively affect species that require cooler breeding temperatures?

TAMP volunteers sometimes find species that have never been observed in a particular county. New county records are important because they help define the range of each species of frog and toad in Tennessee. New records are first submitted to Austin Peay State University. If they are approved by Austin Peay they can be published in periodicals like Herpetological Review. Range maps are then revised to reflect these new records.

TAMP is not for everyone. Data forms must be filled out and an online quiz completed. Often there is considerable driving time involved in just getting to the start point of an official TAMP route. Driving a route requires navigating a rural road at night. Volunteers begin their routes after sunset, which may result in a return time close to midnight in the summer.

But for those who want to make a lasting contribution to a body of knowledge about Tennessee frogs and toads, TAMP provides that opportunity. The data carefully gathered today will only become more valuable tomorrow. Biologists and land managers can use this data to determine where each species occurs and in what abundance. This knowledge is invaluable in making decisions about land use that benefit our amphibian populations, our environment and ourselves.

See Sunset Times for Your Route!

Click the Sunrise Sunset Times link below and then
copy your latitude, longitude and UTC correction for your
route from this table.  Enter a date and hit "Calculate."

 Sunrise Sunset Times

Cope's Gray Treefrog on Black Willow and rising gibbous Moon montage © 2017 Bob English LEAPS www.leaps.ms

What Do I Need To Be
A TAMP Volunteer?

The TAMP Route Page
 

TAMP Protocol
 

Apps & Resources


The Online TAMP Workshop
 

Equipment Suggestions
 

Sharpen Your
Listening Skills!
 The TAMP Frog Quiz
(Under Construction)


 TAMP Data Sheets & Other Forms
 

TAMP Home Page

Leaps Home Page