Mount Madonna School

Respected local ecologist Dr. Kerry Kriger will be the featured speaker at the upcoming 5^th Annual Summit for the Planet eco-living festival. Kriger is founder and executive director of Save The Frogs!, the first and only public charity in the United States dedicated exclusively to amphibian conservation.

Featuring carnival games for kids, a walk-a-thon, eco-friendly shopping, environmental organizations, live music, student exhibits, renewable energy, solar car races, live animals and more, the Summit for the Planet festival is one of the “green” must-do family event on the Central Coast! This free event is co-hosted by Mount Madonna School at its campus at 491 Summit Road, Mount Madonna, and will take place Saturday, April 9 from 11:00 am to 3:00pm (walk-a-thon requires pre-registration and begins at 9:30 am).

Kriger’s research into global amphibian population decline has been supported by the National Geographic Society and various philanthropic organizations throughout the world; and he has presented the results of his research at scientific conferences in several countries. His experience also includes studies of endangered Hawaiian birds and the biophysical properties of the amino acids involved in Cystic Fibrosis.

Kriger holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is a recognized expert on the amphibian disease Chytridiomycosis; and has climbed mountains in the Himalayas, Alps, Alaska Range, Southern Alps and the Andes.

The Save The Frogs organization is sponsoring the 3^rd annual Save The Frogs Day on April 29, 2011, which involves educational events in more than 15 countries. For more information visit www.savethefrogs.com