Honoring Life—and Learning—One Frog at a Time: It’s Good for Our Mental Health

~by Margot Fass

A Frog House: A Sanctuary and Educational Haven in Pittsford, NY

A deep sense of connection and responsibility to the natural world is good for our mental health

Visitors have been gobsmacked to learn that frogs are endangered. If they already know that, they are pleased to see that we are doing our best to advocate, collaborate and educate on the threats and what we can do about them. Kids come and see our green frogs in the little ponds we built, and beg their parents to have some in their yards also.

Visitors have been quick to sign our petition about removing invasive plants from and maintaining the Robert C. Corby Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary, and often write testimonials about what they have gained from their positive experiences with A Frog House events and initiatives (see Positive reinforcement is good for our mental health, below). Everyone learns the importance of amphibian conservation.

Amphibians are bioindicators, meaning that the health of this population in any given area is an indicator of the safety for all other creatures, including humans. Their permeable skin makes them especially sensitive to environmental changes, making them excellent indicators of ecosystem health.

Amphibians are also keystone species, meaning that as both predator of insects and other creatures, and prey for other animals and birds, they help to maintain the balance of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Loss of amphibians has cascading effects

Unfortunately, amphibians are among the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. The same factors that are endangering our frogs, toads and salamanders actually are identical to those that endanger every form of life: Habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, disease, and invasive species.  

Taking action is good for our mental health — Community Involvement and Impact

What would A Frog House do without our amazing community involvement and volunteers, planning, preparing for and attending events?  Collaborating with local scout troops, schools, and environmental groups amplifies the impact of A Frog House, a small crosslink in a network of dedicated conservationists within the community.

For example, Boy Scout Troop 260 has been a significant partner, attending our events every year, contributing to the planting of a dozen white pines in Pittsford’s DeBlase Open Space, and tabling at our most recent Save the Frogs Day. Their involvement not only supports of A Frog House but assists the young scouts with boosting their sense of environmental sustainability.  

A Frog House has partnerships with various environmental organizations, particularly with the international SAVE THE FROGS!, the Town and Village of Pittsford, and local groups such as Barefoot Permaculture, Color Pittsford Green, Friends of the Village Arboretum, Friends of the Village of Pittsford, Impact Earth, Pachamama of Rochester, The Pittsford Garden Club, Possible Rochester, Rochester Area Interfaith Climate Action and Rochester Ecological Partners to further our mission.

Truth be told, A Frog House is far more reliant on these groups than we contribute to them, because they are groups of many, and A Frog House is made up of a few.  It is our pleasure to always offer them a platform and space at our events,

Thanks to our associate Bonnie Abrams, you can find us at multiple locations tabling throughout the spring, summer and fall.  

A Frog House influence extends well beyond Pittsford. Our semi-regular Frog Blog and newsletter reach an ever-increasing audience, with information on activities of other local groups, frog facts, conservation, and creating frog-friendly environments. On request, Bonnie and I are happy to give presentations to groups of any size or age, as we have in Rochester, Hilton, Webster and other surrounding areas.

For the solar eclipse, Willa Glickman, Assistant Editor of The New York Review of Books, picked out A Frog House as the one and only place she wanted to visit and write about when she was in town. A Frog House has attracted the attention of several other publications, including the D&C, 585 Magazine, and most recently, Rochester Home Magazine. We also were on the Evan Dawson show last year. Listen for us on the first day of Spring next year.  

Learning something new is good for our mental health--Educational Programs and Events

Some local schools and summer kids’ programs have integrated frog conservation into their curricula, using resources provided by A Frog House to teach students about ecology and environmental science.

Every year since 2019, in addition to our open house every Sunday afternoon from May 1 to October 31 (weather permitting) we have held from 4 to 6 events for children from 2 months to 102 years old, which you can read about here.

On April 18 and 19, A Frog House sponsored wetland expert Tom Biebighauser to give a presentation to the Pittsford Village Board about the importance of Vernal Ponds in general, and lead a number of small tours around the Robert C. Corby Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary illustrating his methods and commenting on the best ways to plan for future wetlands.  Subsequently, Tom sent a detailed plan, which he will discuss on September 24 at the Pittsford Village Board Meeting at 7 pm, free for everyone to tune into. A Frog House is raising all funds for at least one Vernal Pond, to be installed in the Spring of 2025, which the Board already has approved.  So far we have raised 25% of the cost of the first pond.

The annual Save The Frogs Day on April 28, a global initiative of SAVE THE FROGS! to raise awareness about amphibian conservation, is A Frog House cornerstone event. This event over the past 6 years has included a webinar, bringing together presenters from local environmental groups, a guided tour through the Village Arboretum and the Erie Canal Nature Preserve, and explorations of frogs and wetlands with frog related activities at a nearby biodiverse property. With hands-on experiences, participants learn about local ecosystems, invasive species that threaten them, and ways to maintain healthy habitats for frogs and other wildlife.

Celebrating and contributing are good for our mental health

The annual Froggy Family Fun(d)raiser Birthday Party has always been on site at A Frog House, with green ice cream, a Frog themed birthday cake, scavenger hunts, and frog related games and celebrations. We are graced with music played by East Coast Balkan Guru musician Matthew Fass, and local musicians such as A Frog House event planner Bonnie Abrams, and long time neighbor and friend Adam Wilcox. This year, the main educational attractions had to do with the importance of vernal ponds and we were able to raise 25% of the cost of the first pond to be installed in the Robert C. Corby Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary next spring.

In 2023, A Frog House raised several thousand dollars at our First Annual Gala at The Century Club, focusing on Climate Change and Mental Health, and featuring SAG members Cadden Jones, Michael Schantz, and Eastman School of Music Doctorate recipient Alex Lo.

This year, on November 9, from 6 to 9 (or 10 pm), our Second Annual Gala at The Century Club will feature Broadway stars Carole Demas and Ian Herman in a musical production by Stuart Allyn.

Positive reinforcement is good for our mental health

About our Save The Frogs Day 2024

“Kudos to Margot Fass for her dedication to environmental sustainability with laser focus on the important role frogs play. Visit A Frog House.” ~Sandra Frankel

“Yesterday’s event was a success ~ with so many families and the community at large in attendance. and from the looks of it everyone having a great time learning, exploring nature and creating art!! One of the highlights for me was going down to the backyard wetlands and seeing all the wonder the kids had about exploring nature and looking out for frogs. They were in awe.” ~Jennifer Patterson

“I had a great time as did everyone who came Well organized with interesting tables! I hope there’s photos of the kids doing their nature things for next year’s promotion!! We had a wonderful time! Thanks for all the hard work. The location is magnificent. All the activities looked so engaging for kids. The people were outstanding — especially the kids!” ~Victoria Zelen Cloud

"My wife Lisa and I spent a delightful hour at Annual Save the Frogs Day! It was a perfect day for frogs. The story behind A Frog House is bound to be fascinating." ~Joel Elliot

About our Froggy Family Fun(d)raiser Birthday Party 2024

“It was lovely to spend the afternoon helping out and chatting with all the wonderful people. Happy birthday, my friend! I was glad to help. It was all easy stuff and I was working with nice people supporting a good cause. Thank you for appreciating my efforts! It was a good afternoon for me!” ~Patty Love

"Thank you so much for hosting such a wonderful party! It was very fun to be able to contribute to it and be a part of it, and I also loved how nice everyone was, it felt like one big, happy community. Thank you for making this event one of the best days of my life!! This will definitely be a core memory for me." ~Aashwin Katiyar

A Frog House is good for my mental health.

There are two sets of stairs that lead to the tiny frog ponds and the small house, called A Frog House rather than The Frog House, because we think there should be many.

Mostly A Frog House is my sanctuary, where I come to enjoy the serenity of the Erie Canal, the beauty of the garden that nature has created, (with my help and the assistance of various consultants, volunteers and employees who periodically join me).

What I love about it, because I’m the type of person who wants to invite everyone to the feast, is that, thanks to our daughter S Lindsay Graham, whose property this is, we are able to share the love, peace and joy, as well as our frogs and the great variety of native plants, with anyone who wants to visit on Sunday afternoon.

In how many residential areas can an individual or family or group of friends just walk onto someone else’s private property, sit by the pond and view the activity on the canal, to just to see and be?

You are most welcome.