Wednesday, Aug. 06, 2003 at 11:20 a.m.
Editor of the Hawaii Island Journal emails me. Claims he was never pro-frog. I AM ANGRY AT THE LIES.
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Here�s my letter that won�t get published in the paper and why it won�t, then a rant on how that makes me feel. Comfy? Feet up? Ok here we go�
To: Lane Wick
Subject: Re: An open letter
An appeal to reason:
I call on you, Mr. Singer, to realize the horror you have foisted on
Hawaii and write a retraction.
That would provide a token apology to
all of us in the community, suffering because of your copious published
"facts".
How can someone that does not endure the torture every night, be a
judge of the severity of the problem?
Once Mr. Wick heard what it really sounds like in frog noise hell, he
corrected his mistake. I urge you to utilize the frog research links I
have been compiling through many long nights of study.
Located at Fight the Frogs Hawaii http://www.growpeace.com
We have all made mistakes before, maybe not so huge or affecting so
many people, but we know what it's like to be dead wrong. Please do the
right thing now Mr. Singer. We could use your writing skills for the
frog fight. We have a huge battle ahead, will you join us?
For Peaceful Silence
Joy with Fight the Frogs Hawaii
Here is the email I got in return:
Aloha, Joy,
My sense is that the coqui frog thing has become too much personal and not
enough issue. The Journal has run numerous letters on the frogs, and I feel
like the warriors on each side are drifting into the arena of spite and
malice instead of aloha.
I'm going to call a halt, in the Journal, to the
personal attacks and, if we get letters that are on the issue, possibly run
them.
Maybe I'm being a little sensitive, but I don't feel like I corrected my
"mistake." I've commented on the frogs in the past and some thoughts on
them, but don't recall ever being "pro-frog."
I have come to the
conclusion, recently, as I said in my column, that I wouldn't want them in
my backyard. The Journal has been fairly open to comments on both sides of
the issue, as, I think, we should be.
a hui hou,
Lane Wick, Editor
I am so mad! I will tell you guys more about it when I get back I have to go. Let's just say that Mr. Wick of the Hawaii Island Journal should cite his sources when he writes an editorial.
He came to my blog, learned about the frog, and got off the log.
Only he never said word one to his readers about where he learned most of his information. My hours of work represented in the frog research links below, remains unmentioned in his writing.
He did put a drawing of the same bird I have at the top of my page, next to his article to show me he has read what I have up here. I am happy he is going to stop putting out a frog advocacy paper. However I have an email from him that has blown my mind. I also object to the obvious lie in his article saying he has only ever heard one or two frogs. With the invasion we are enduring and no frog control method in sight, how could he not have heard them screaming? Now he says he does not remember being pro frog. Wow, convenient loss of memory after all these years.
Then as if that wasn�t enough.
I got a scary copyright notice with all capital letters from Singer's Webmaster. Now when I try to call my Webmaster it says his phone is disconnected?
Man I need a hug. I will tell you more about that and paste in all the juicy details, but right now I need to make it to the post office.
Ok, I am back. I wanted to add that I sent a public education poster to Mr. Lane Wick and asked him to publish it in his Hawaii Island Journal newspaper. I had spent all day working on it because you know how important the fight against the frog infestation in Hawaii is to me. The response of the Journal was to email me telling me it would run my "ad" for close to two hundred dollars!
With friends like that Mr. Wick, who needs enemies?
I am so mad I could scream. First the editor, Mr. Wick let Mr. Singer have free rein to write for years, without taking time to research the potential ramifications. Now he wants to claim he is not pro-frog. I beg to differ.
When I go out and educate about the frog, I can always tell if the person I am talking to, has been brainwashed by that paper. They will say something like, "I don't think the frogs are that bad". I just get infuriated all over again. Then I start sharing the sad facts about the noisy coqui frog and how the coqui must now be reported when you are selling your house just like VOG or ACTIVE LAVA!
I have never seen them even mention these forbidden words. They are deal-killing words. So now the coqui frog is a real estate deal killer, much worse than termites. Yet other people are spreading them around because they think they are "cute" and "chirp a lovely song". They learned this misinformation in Mr. Wick�s paper.
We have already begun to see the effects on tourism. The tourists have begun to check out early, because they cannot sleep because of the coqui frog noise. See the new links to learn more. Hello� people from government who are reading this? This state spends how much on tourism every year? It is all going to be pau already if the coqui breeds unchecked. Pau means finished in Hawaiian. That is what it is all going to do, and soon if we do not deal with this major disaster.
The new links are in all caps under the frog research links. Some really worthwhile facts, images and sound files.
I find hope seeing all the like-minded groups that are working on this issue. All we need is someone with big funding to come in here and pay a bounty to collect the frogs, like they did on Maui. I promise you with as poor as everyone is here, if you just paid even a dollar a frog you would have none left very soon after. That or a bio control agent or some kind of sexual lure into traps or something? We need help here in Hawaii!
Please if you know anyone that can help us figure out this frog infestation crisis in Hawaii, anyone that can help with a frog control method of any type, contact me right away. I am eager to speak with you.
I am tired and cranky and I hate the noisy alien tree frogs dammit!
I can't hardly keep my eyes open, so sleepy. It is 2:45 am. Which would explain a lot. Up too late again? Yes I am afraid so...
Who can sleep ever again with the endless horrible noisy frogs???
Is our state motto going to be:
Where you can't even hear yourself scream.?
Aloha from Hawaii thanks for fighting the frogs, Joy
Join any of my diaryland diaryrings you want and tell a friend about what is happening here in Hawaii.
back or forth
Thanks for coming by. Please bookmark, so you can come back and read our Hawaiian coqui tree frog updates. More research links, articles, poetry and funny songs from Kill the Noisy Frogs Hawaii. Aloha, Joy
"Lurking in the shadows are the noisy alien species, waiting to ruin your vacation. The hideous sounds of night are calling, it's twillight time for Hawaii."
Frog Research Links
NEW are ALL CAPS
Hawaiian Coqui Frog Home Page
h.e.a.r.
Word of the day
Coqui: Small frog BIG sound.
"On October 1, 2001, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had approved the use of caffeine to fight the infestation of coqui frogs in Hawaii. Coqui frogs are not native to Hawaii and have no natural enemies on the Islands. The frogs are considered pests because they compete for food with Hawaii's native bird population. The loud mating call of the coqui frog does not help its reputation: according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, the call of the frog sounds like a lawn mower, table saw, or helicopter."
Joy's note: Because of Sydney Ross Singer and his letters and articles they were not allowed to use the caffeine and today it sits in a warehouse. That's right, $25,000 worth of caffeine that could have saved us from this frog plauge, denied use. That caffeine is sitting there with the ancestors watching and wondering how we have allowed this to happen to this sacred land. Will our beloved Hawaiian island be infested for all eternity because of one misguided man?
Sydney Ross Singer, I challenge you to write a retraction in the Hawaii Island Journal newspaper. You need to refute your wrong headed statements and remove your pro frog website from cyberspace. Please listen Sydney, we need you to help us fight this pest, not try to convince people that the frog is our friend. The invasion by these alien frogs is the worst disaster these islands have ever endured. Look through the research links to educate yourself. Aloha.
"The fact that they undergo direct development enables the eggs and larvae enable them to be transported under a wide variety of conditions, as long as sufficient moisture is available, or the adult male is transported with the eggs.� Transport of lone eggs may not be successful in some regions since they must be protected from desiccation throughout development by the adult male.� This may not be the case in Hawaii, which receives more rainfall than just about anywhere on earth."
"In Puerto Rico all coqu�es are called coqu� even though not all sing ''co-qu�''. Only two of the species the ''Coqu� Com�n'' and the ''Coqu� de la Monta�a or Coqu� Puertorrique�o'' actually scream ''co-qu�''.Puerto Rican coqu�es have relatives all over Latin America. The coqu� genre is found in all the Caribbean Islands, and in Central and South America. But again, the only ones that make the sound ''co-qu�'' are Puerto Rican.
The scientific name for the coqu� is Eleu-thero-dactylus, characterized because they have no webbed toes. There are 16 different species in Puerto Rico and all of them have padded discs at the end of their toes which helps them climb. Coqu�es are classified as amphibians - a grouping for cold blooded vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, or newts -that are able to live in both water and land.
Contrary to frogs, the coqu�es do not go through a tadpole stage and break out of their egg - a small replica of their parents. Some coqu�es are terrestrial some are arboreal.
"The coqui frog, however, is distinguished by the loud, continuous chirping of the male. Beginning at dusk and continuing until dawn, male coqui frogs move into the trees and call �ko-kee� over and over to attract females. The noise from a group of frogs can exceed 90 decibels, rivaling the sound of a lawnmower or chainsaw." The male frog is responsible for protecting the egg clutch laid by the female. The eggs are less than a quarter inch in diameter with about 2 to 3 dozen eggs per clutch. During the early stages of development, the eggs are milky white, but they become translucent to transparent just before hatching. Juvenile frogs hatch after 2 or 3 weeks. Unlike most frogs, which begin their life cycle as tadpoles, Caribbean tree frogs hatch into fully developed froglets."
"More than a noisy nuisance, coqui are eyed as threat to island fauna. Absent natural predators here, they are likely to wipe out many native species of insects and other small creatures in our forests. Some researchers think it's presence on the islands poses a POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL NIGHTMARE of even greater dimensions."
The nightmare is NOW. Biocontrol seems the only answer. What we are enduring with this NOISY sleep depriving monster is unbearable beyond words.
If you have ever loved Hawaii, please find a frog control method. Contact me right away it you do. I have never been more eager to talk to someone. Mahalo.
"The coqui, a Puerto Rican frog, has invaded formerly frog-free Hawaii, probably having arrived in imported nursery stock. Not only does it disturb fragile Hawaiian ecosystems, which already have many of their inhabitants on the endangered species list, but it also makes an incredible racket that presents a serious long-term threat to Hawaii's attractiveness to tourists, retirees, and locals. Each coqui emits a croak described as "a car alarm going off." There are thousands, perhaps millions, there. The responsible officials say that when they first discovered the frogs they should have eradicated them. But by the time they got the needed funding, the coqui was out of control. Peaceful Hawaiian nights are the victim."
"Coqui (Caribbean frog) (Eleutherodactylus coqui [Leptodactylidae]) The coqui is a species of frog that is not native to Hawaii; in fact, there are no native amphibians in Hawaii! Coqui are native to Caribbean islands. Coquis pose threats to the tourism industry and our quality of life. Increasing numbers of hotels, visitors, and locals have complained about the piercing noise made by male coqui frogs. At night male coqui emit a loud call (up to 90-100 decibels) that often disturbs people�s sleep. Consequently, several residents have raised concerns about loss of health and declines in property values because of the noise the frogs create. Thus far, the frog populations and the noise have not even remotely reached their potential as a nuisance. Nurseries that export plants and cut flowers may risk the rejection of shipments if the frogs are found or suspected to be present in exported materials. Coqui frogs may also move nematode eggs from the ground to elevated growing stands, endangering a nursery�s nematode-free certification."
"The common Puerto Rican coqui, Eleutherodactylus coqui, is the most common amphibian on that island, is present there in all but the driest areas, and might be the best studied member of its genus. Its name is an onomatopoeia of its disyllabic "co-KEEE" call. After nightfall, millions of individuals ascend up the tree trunks to the canopy of mesic and hydric forests to hunt for insects and to mate. At dawn, instead of climbing down the same route, they throw themselves almost en masse from the canopy and into the void, extending their legs widely to slow their descent by means of a sort of parachuting, and landing with a wet, slapping noise on the leaves of the forest's undergrowth. E. coqui has two sister species, E. portoricensis in Puerto Rico, and E. schwartzi in the Virgin Islands. Both emit a similar call to that of E. coqui. "
"They are members of the mostly Neotropical family Leptodactylidae. Like anoles, they exploit a wide variety of structural niches, from the ground to the crowns of emergent trees in rain forests. Some specialize in cave-dwelling, others are bromediacolous (live in bromeliads). Some species inhabit holes in tree trunks, or the leaf litter of forests. Other species have adapted secondarily to a semi-aquatic life in cold mountain streams of the Greater and Lesser Antilles. None have a tadpole stage, and instead lay their eggs on land. For this they choose humid microhabitats, like spaces under rocks and rotting vegetation, the axillae of bromeliad's leaves, and even lay them exposed on the leaves of rain forest plants, as long as the atmospheric humidity is high."
" Eleuths' calls vary widely. They can be low grunts, loud barks, raspy screeches, telegraphic clicks, piercing whistles, insect-like chirps, eerie and beautifully melodious trills, as well as drawn-out, grating croaks. Antillean species range in size from the smallest amphibian in the World, the Cuban Eleutherodactylus iberia (which vies for that title with a South American frog) to the large E. zeus, also from Cuba, E. inoptatus of Hispaniola, and E. karlschmidti of Puerto Rico. Like anoles, species of Eleutherodactylus can be segregated into different ecomorphs. Unlike anoles, however, the genus has radiated unequally in each of the Greater Antilles. For example, in Jamaica, most species are terrestrial. By contrast, in Puerto Rico many have adapted to a life on trees
"With chytridiomycosis having such lethal effect elsewhere, Department of Agriculture staff thought, the fungal infection might be just the silver bullet needed to knock down Hawai`i coqui populations. Whether chytridiomycosis (pronounced kit-RID-ee-oh-my-KO-sus) can be used as a tool against the coqui is not certain at this point. In Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, and the continental United States, the disease has contributed to mass die-offs of frogs and has even resulted in the extinctions of the last known populations of two Australian frogs, Yet not all species of amphibians are vulnerable to infection by the fungus. One of the most notorious of Australia's amphibian invaders - the cane toad (introduced to Australia from Hawai`i) - has not been slowed at all by the disease in its march across the continent. Whether the coqui has similar resistance is something to be determined in lab tests"
"But what actually scares me the most about the frogs being here," Mautz says," is that they'll be food for other invading animals. . . . If we have this huge food base of frogs, it will be a paradise found for invading snakes."
"If you or your neighbor has couqi frogs, call the Department of Agriculture today
(in Hilo 974-4140).
"The greatest threat to the economy and environment of the state is from harmful invasive species like the coqui."
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Mahalo for reading.
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Special Spanish Section
Los Coqu�es de Puerto Rico
Los coqu�es est�n representados en Puerto Rico por el g�nero Eleutherodactylus (dedos libres) caracterizados por no tener membranas natatorias. Hay 16 diferentes especies; sin embargo, solamente hay dos especies que producen el sonido "co-qu�". Todos los coqu�es tienen discos o cojinetes en las puntas de los dedos de pies y manos. E. cooki Se le conoce como el guaj�n o "demonio de Puerto Rico". De este coqu� se cuentan infinidad de historietas. Vive en las grutas y grietas entre pe�ones en el sureste de la isla.