Artificial/rehabbed amphibian breeding habitat

[ignatz]

This probably sounds like an overly general request, but it's a massive topic....

I'm compiling some information about what makes for successful artificial breeding habitat for amphibians. This of course will vary in every part of the world, but all of your experiences would be of interest. I hope to put together a publication for posting on Caudata.org as well as putting your experiences to practical use both here in the SW and in other parts of the country.

I'm particularly interested in regional variation in dealing with difficult soil/water chemistry, various types of liners, bentonite clay lining for porous soils, etc. Out here of course we have to take into consideration that we're not creating an "attractive nuisance" that will be overrun with bullfrogs, meaning that just about all created wetlands need to be drained at least once a year after the larvae of our native species have emerged, but early enough to catch this and last year's bullfrog tadpoles. How a "drain" can be put into these ponds without having to resort to mechanical pumping is one of the many questions that I have for people who's designed and constructed amphibian breeding habitat.

So please post your experiences here and please feel free to PM me as well.

Thanks!

Joe