From the Office of the Mayor of Vancouver, BC, Canada

Save The Frogs Day, April 28, 2009
	
	WHEREAS, amphibians are in considerable peril here in Vancouver and around the world; and
		
	WHEREAS, nearly one-third of the world's 6,468 amphibian species are threatened with extinction, and at least 150 species completely  disappeared since 1979, making amphibians the most threatened group of animals on Earth; and

	WHEREAS, amphibians are critical components to our ecosystems, especially of the land and waters in and around metro Vancouver, and  because amphibians provide ecosystem services to nature and to humans including,

	(1) cleaning waterways by eating algae and detritus during their tadpole stage;
	(2) serving as a vital source of food to other animals,
	(3) consuming large quantities of ticks, mosquitoes and other pest species that serve as disease vectors that can transmit fatal  illnesses to humans; and
	

	WHEREAS, approximately 10% of Nobel prizes in physiology and medicine have resulted from investigations that used amphibians - implying when an amphibian species disappears, so does any promise for important new human pharmaceutical discoveries; and
	

	WHEREAS, amphibians face a multitude of threats including pollution, pesticides, habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species,  infectious diseases (the spread of which are facilitated by human  activities), and over-harvesting for the pet and food trades; and

	WHEREAS, we believe in the right of all children to see, hear and catch amphibians in their native habitat; and
	

	WHEREAS, amphibian conservation efforts will not be successful without an educated and informed public; and
	

	WHEREAS, the Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla), an original inhabitant of these lands now known as the City of Vancouver, could be encouraged to co-habit backyard gardens, urban forests and city parks; and
	

	NOW, THEREFORE, we, the concerned citizens of Vancouver respectfully join others on April 28th, 2009 and declare Save The Frogs Day in the great City of Vancouver, and call these observances to the attention of all  fellow citizens.