Deformed frog resources
NEY NATURE CENTER
The county-owned 446-acre site was donated by Ruby Ney and her nephew, Donald, whose family settled the land in the mid 1850s. Open dawn to 10 p.m., it includes the nature center, farmstead, prairie, woods, part of the Red River Oxcart Trail and Ney Pond, where deformed frogs were found in 1995. At 28238 Nature Center Lane, Henderson, Minn.; 1-507-248-3474, or go to www.neycenter.org.
ON THE INTERNET
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's page on deformed frogs is a popular website though it hasn't been updated since 2001, at www.startribune.com/a1704.
MINNESOTA NEW COUNTRY SCHOOL
Opened in 1994 in Le Sueur and moved to Henderson, the charter school now has 150 students in grades seven-12 in a large one-room schoolhouse. Instruction is organized around self-directed projects chosen by students, rather than in formal classes, with emphasis on life skills, problem solving, computer skills and critical thinking. 210 Main St., Henderson, www.newcountryschool.com.
'PERIL IN THE PONDS'
Written by Judy Helgen, University of Massachusetts Press (2012), 243 pages, $24.95 paperback.
A government biologist investigates the mystery of deformed frogs discovered by schoolchildren near a Minnesota farm pond, then at many other sites. Vivid description depicts the highly charged environmental issues that captured the attention of the public and news media and sparked controversy among scientists, politicians and government agencies.
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