Article May 10, 2004 Issue

VOLUNTEERS of comfort

By Margaret Rogers

Broad jump was never my strong event, but I exceeded my personal best recently when a frog flew out of the lettuce I was rinsing in the kitchen sink. True, the greens I'd brought home from the store two days before were labeled "organic," but I wasn't expecting anything quite that organic.

After collecting myself—and the frog—I consulted my husband about whether to release it in the ferns in front of our apartment (rather like lettuce, I thought), or in the tidal estuary out back. Neither, he decided. After all, the lettuce didn't come from around here, so the frog probably didn't either. His solution? Call WildCare.

A local organization that helps wild animals in need, WildCare is run by a small paid staff and a 350-strong army of volunteers. They quickly identified our stowaway as a California tree frog and promised they'd reintroduce him to his native habitat many miles away.

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