SOUTHERN PINES — The legendary biologist Aldo Leopold once said that when we tinker with a piece of machinery, we should be sure to save all the parts.
Wake County teenager Rachel Hopkins, always fascinated by amphibians, instinctively understood this. When she learned of the global decline in frogs and other amphibians, she decided that she would do her part to help out.
During middle school, Rachel became aware of the nonprofit group Save The Frogs. Focusing her energies on raising awareness of the importance of amphibians, Rachel petitioned former Gov. Bev Perdue for a North Carolina Save the Frogs Day. The N.C. General Assembly voted in November 2011 to approve that designation for the last day in April.
Two years later, at the request of the N.C. Herpetological Society, Rachel spearheaded efforts to designate the Pine Barrens treefrog as the official state frog and the marbled salamander as the state salamander. Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 830 on June 26, 2013, adding these two amphibians to North Carolina’s list of state symbols.
Widely recognized for her conservation work, Rachel was selected by the N.C. Wildlife Federation as the 2013 Governor’s Youth Conservationist of the Year. Having earned both the silver and gold Girl Scout awards for wildlife advocacy, she continues to champion the environment in creative ways.
Rachel Hopkins will present a program on the current status and the future of North Carolina’s amphibian species at the Jan. 28 meeting of Save Our Sandhills. She will be joined by Jeff Beane, herpetology collections manager of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and one of North Carolina’s foremost authorities on amphibians.
This program is a prelude of what is to come next month to the region. Both Rachel Hopkins and her mother Pam Hopkins, regional director of communications for the Disappearing Frogs Project, are working to create interactive art installations to raise awareness of the global decline of frogs and other amphibians, to help protect amphibian habitat, to support research and to engage people.
The DFP will make its debut in Raleigh on Feb. 1 at the N.C. State University Crafts Center. On Feb. 11 in Southern Pines, the DFP will present an evening of “fascinating frog films highlighting some of the most wondrous and diverse creatures on earth.”
This event is hosted by the historic Sunrise Theater and sponsored by Save Our Sandhills, The Pilot newspaper, PineStraw magazine, The Country Bookshop, Sandhills Naturally, The Jefferson Inn and several private donors.
Save Our Sandhills invites the public to Hopkins’ presentation at 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Southern Pines Civic Club, corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Ashe Street. Refreshments will be served.