PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) invites visitors to spring forward into Daylight Saving Time at the Belle Isle Nature Center while learning about amphibians at its annual Spring Forward celebration. The free event takes place on Sunday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Spring Forward gives visitors the opportunity to learn about amphibian conservation and hear from DZS life sciences staff who care for the amphibians at the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center. The event will feature frog mask making, leapfrog games and storytelling, among other activities.

The DZS’s mayor of Amphibiville, 13-year-old Trinity Favazza, will also be hosting an “Amphibian Conservation Rocks” activity at Spring Forward. Kids are invited to paint rocks with conservation messages or pictures of amphibians before posting photos of their creations on social media using the hashtag #actionforamphibians. The participants are then encouraged to hide the rocks for others to find.

“Our goal is to increase knowledge about amphibians in ways that are engaging and fun,” said Amy Greene, nature centers director for the DZS. “We want to help people connect with what’s happening to amphibians in nature, including in their own backyards, and understand how we can all make daily choices that will help amphibians and the environment we share.”

Nearly half of the world’s known 7,878 amphibian species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, infectious diseases and other factors. The DZS has a long history of leading and supporting amphibian conservation programs around the world as well as in Michigan.