History

Preface

Although TWI opened its doors for membership in 2006, the roots of our organization can be traced back to the formation of the International Society for the Study of Dendrobatids (ISSD) in 1989 by Dale Bertram.  It was primarily an American group with a newsletter published in English, and created an organization dedicated to the captive husbandry of dendrobatid frogs (a.k.a. "poison frogs").  After a few years of running, the ISSD phased out and was replaced by the American Dendrobatid Group (ADG), which was formed by Charles “Chuck” Powell in 1992.  The ADG produced a regular newsletter to share information among its members about the captive husbandry of dendrobatids.  In 1995 Chuck also created and hosted the first American Frog Day event in San Jose, CA, which allowed people from around the country to gather together and share their passion for these frogs.  The event not only gave people the opportunity to buy and sell dendrobatid frogs, but also engage in discussions regarding their natural history and captive husbandry.  

By the mid-1990’s, the information age was revolutionizing the way people communicate across the globe, and amphibian enthusiasts were quick to adopt this new technology.  In 1996 the Frognet electronic mailing list (dedicated to the discussion of dendrobatid and mantellid frogs) was formed, creating the first English speaking format that allowed amphibian enthusiasts from around the world communicate in a format and speed that had previously been impossible.  A community of thousands of individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations was suddenly formed, all of them bound together by a common interest in maintaining these amphibians in captivity and a shared concern for their well-being in the wild. 

The Catalyst

In 1999 the first International Amphibian Days (IAD) conference was held in Timonium, MD.  The focus of the event was the exchanging of information about amphibian conservation and husbandry.  Although it was primarily a U.S. event, there were also participants from Europe and Canada.  The foundation for what would become TWI was laid at the 2001 IAD.  At that meeting, a panel of various people (biologists, hobbyists, zookeepers) was organized by Curtis Olson to discuss the topic of creating a registry of private captive amphibian populations.  Following the discussion, Ben Green and Justin Watkins formed the Dendrobatid Registry Working Group.  Early on, this group realized that a registry alone would be ineffective unless there were breeding guidelines that would successfully maintain genetic integrity within the populations of captive species.  With these, the major components fell into place to create the structure for what would later become the Amphibian Steward Network (ASN). 

In 2003 the website Dendroboard was created, utilizing the increasingly popular online discussion forum format to further dialogue and interaction among private hobbyists regarding the care of captive Dendrobatids.  In combination, Dendroboard and Frognet provided a platform for lively debate about the role of captive husbandry in amphibian conservation.  Central to these debates were the notions that private amphibian collections could be used to repopulate areas where wild amphibians had gone extinct, and that collecting amphibians from the wild for private collections was justified because it saved those species from extinction.  Both of these notions are more myth than fact because the realities of genetics and conservation biology require strict management and husbandry practices to be followed for such efforts to succeed.  At the time, there was no system in place to coordinate private efforts to follow such practices.  During the many years of these debates global amphibian declines became headline news and for the first time in earth’s history, we were witnessing the possible extinction of an entire class of species.  The time for debate was over, and the time for the private sector to organize on behalf of wild amphibians had arrived. 

First Steps Forward

On June 8, 2004, Marcos Osorno sent an e-mail to Brent Brock, sparking the official formation of the organization.  An advisory panel formed to build the ASN and create the registry that had been discussed over the preceding years.  Although TWI and ASN arose primarily from the dendrobatid communtiy, it was clear that the scope of focusing solely on captive dendrobatids was too small, especially given the scope of amphibian declines worldwide.  Therefore, TWI was designed to include all amphibians, both captive and wild. 

In accordance with its broadening scope, TWI also created Operation Frog Pond (OFP), the inspiration of which came during research performed by Brent Brock on the habitat of boreal toads in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Montana.  Rural sprawl in the Madison Valley managed to successfully split what had once been a single population of toads into two, separate populations.  His analyses indicated that a few well-placed ponds could effectively connect toad habitat across millions of acres.  Utilizing this simple but profound realization, OFP encourages average citizens (private homeowners, teachers and students, public parks and communities) to create amphibian-friendly ponds and water features in order to help native amphibian populations in their area. 

In 2011, TWI launched its Amphibian Conservation Partnership Fund (ACPF).  Through this program the organization awards small grants to people, projects and research involved in the work of amphibian conservation.  The grants made through the ACPF are made possible through membership dues, private donations and the generous contributions from amphibian-related events throughout the country.

TWI's programs provide opportunities for citizens of all ages and walks of life to help stem global amphibian declines by promoting conservation through captive management, creating and protecting habitat for native species, or providing the financial resources the help further amphibian conservation and research.