MN Family Finds Six-Legged Frog, Can't Report It Thanks To Budget Cuts

[hatrack]

(WCCO) St. Paul - A St. Paul family found a frog with six legs in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a possible indictor of pollution. But, what surprised them more is what they found out afterwards.

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Greta and her sister found more than solace during an August trip. They found a frog with an extra set of hind legs. The girls' mother, Melanie Peterson, said she was shocked.

"Without runoff from backyards and typical fertilizers or pesticides in agricultural areas, I had no idea that there could be a pollution-related malformity there," Peterson said. As soon as she got home, Peterson said she wanted to contact the right people who would be concerned about finding a malformed frog. So, she called the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. One problem: The agency used to study malformed frogs. But, in 2001 budget cuts ended the program.

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"I came up with a national site: the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations," Peterson said. Peterson thought she found the perfect place, but when she clicked the submit button on the Web site, nothing happened. "Nobody will take it and there's no way to send it to them," she said. Peterson said no one seemed interested anymore in keeping track of these possible pollution indicators."

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http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_262233348.html

[rodeodance]

1. we. as a nation are killing ourselves (and many do not know it).

[CrispyQ]

2. "If we don't know about it, it isn't happening"

Very much like people who fear they have cancer & won't see a doctor.

Very sad article, not only how our govt is being gutted but also about the poor frogs.