DO THE RIGHT THING

Marjorie takes a big breath. "Lawns," she says.

"Lawns?"

"Lawns. People dump all kinds of chemicals on lawns -- pesticides and herbicides and fungicides and fertilizers. They wash off or percolate down into the water supply. And then they zap the frogs."

"Any other possibilities? How about pollution from the Way Out There factory?"

"Could be."

"How about loss of habitat?"

"I think the habitat looks the same. Number of tadpoles looks about the same. It's just the frogs that are missing."

"How about invader species? Or predators?"

"Possible. I've read about people stocking a river or lake with sport fish like trout or bass, and the young fish eat up all the frog eggs and tadpoles.

Although we seem to be losing mostly young frogs, not tadpoles." Marjorie turns and picks the lid off a terrarium holding a box turtle. "Look, I gotta get back to work. But I sure hope you can get that Mr. Pierce to do the right thing. If he doesn't, I think by this time next year all the frogs will be gone."

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