How hot was it today? I dunno, perhaps in the mid thirties. Too hot to walk my dog until the the setting sun was sliced in half by Mt Taylor.

I took him down to a small pond a short distance from my house. We both sat for a while amongst the captured coolness of the reeds.

Juno sat like a Buddha, but I strongly suspect he was contemplating a rush and plunge. Deciding the trouble he would get himself into outweighed the joys of muddy mischief, he just sat. Until I pulled him over to read a sign staked further around the pond.

The sign had been placed by the University of Canberra. They were conducting an experiment to see if they could improve the habitat for the local frog population. Worldwide frogs have been decimated by the Chytrid Fungus. In Australia alone 4 species have already gone extinct.

Later, I looked up the project which specifically wants to protect the native green and golden bell frogs ….

The fungus attacks the skin of frogs, in areas containing keratin, the protein that forms the skin’s building blocks. Frogs breathe through their skin, making respiration difficult; the fungus also affects electrolyte transport, which can lead to heart attacks.
[…]
the researchers will build habitat interventions across 25 wetlands in the ACT. These will include salted satellite ponds that help block infection, and structures designed to create natural hotspots and provide respite from the cold conditions that the fungus needs.
[…]
Following release of the frogs, there are plans to build engagement with citizen scientists and community members, to look out for and record sightings of the frogs, and to take part in surveys with FrogWatch.

— University of Canberra

This evening, Juno and I will probably go back to the pond, and sit for a while amongst the reeds and bullrushes. Only this time we will be on frog watch.