Tracking the Vanishing Frogs: An Ecological Mystery by Kathryn Phillips is the compilation of Kathryn Phillip's journeys and stories told to her by those she observed. The book chronicles the fieldwork, lab work, and amphibian research of several dozen scientists. However, I feel that the book mainly focuses on five scientists. Those five scientists are Mark Jennings, a native Californian, who's main work focuses on the California red-legged frog and other native amphibian species of California. His partner, and long time fieldwork partner is Marc Hayes. Long time associates, Mark and Marc now both worked together in an attempt to get the California red-legged frog listed as an endangered species. The other pair of herpetologists have worked mainly on finding reasons behind the disappearance of the Golden toad of Costa Rica as well as the Harlequin Frog. These two scientists are Alan Pounds and Martha Crump. The fifth scientist, and the only one that manages to accomplish his goals alone is Sam Sweet. Sam's main goal in life is to protect the two streams in California that are still home Arroyo toad. The two streams are in a National Reserve and they are completely unaffected by non-indigenous species. They are the only two streams in California that can claim this.
             The main purpose of this book is clear just from reading the title of the book. The purpose is to inform and forewarn people of the "vanishing frogs." The frogs are disappearing for just about every reason from pollution, global warming, habitat destruction, weather variations, and every other possible reason down to cattle grazing. The author feels that the disappearing amphibians, having the potential to be a keystone or warning species, could be a possible warning for the future that other animals could be in danger, even possibly humans. "Declining amphibians, they said, are like miner's canaries, early warnings, of impending disaster" (211). The main question ...