Let us speak of frogs and swimming pools.

aw..... I dunno if there is any help. But, it's really nice that you want to help.

can you cover the pool? Or is it too large to do that at night....?

I have seen mesh pieces of cloth that "" float "" on top of a pool. I dont know if that would help..
let me google that.. and see if I can find an example of what i am talking about

Or maybe something that floats near the edge of the pool? I'm thinking of something like a decorative, artificial lily pad. If they had a solid launching pad, so to speak, I bet they could leap over the edge of the pool.

What's killing them, if you know? The chlorine?

Roger - I was also thinking of something that floats like a little frog raft. I'm not sure if they are dying from the chlorine or literally drowning by having no way to get out. The sides are high (if you are frog size) and I watched one for awhile to see if he would hop out, but I noticed he just kept floating around and bumping into the sides. He would kick away from the filter, but after awhile he seemed too tired to do even that and eventually got sucked in - another frog graveyard I assume. I have seen frogs get out of various high sided items such as buckets, so I am a little baffled as to why they can't just jump. I think the chlorine is part of the problem. Perhaps they get in and the chlorine sort of drugs them.

I do not own the pool - if I did I would cover it with netting like SheWolf suggests. The problem is we are dealing with people who do not do anything concerning the maintenance of their property. It is all delegated to "staff". The solution has to be agreeable to the owners and caretakers, not bad folk, but a little clueless when it comes to nature.

I have one of those ceramic floating turtles that people put in ponds. I am going to put it in the water and see if the frogs try to use it as a life saver or jumping point. I will post any good results. I am only going to be doing a two day garden installation, so I don't have long to experiment.

I often wish I was not so sensitive to such things - it just seems to complicate life. However, part of the reason I went into the gardening business was the concept of "right livelihood" and while it occasionally annoys my customers, I feel a responsibility to save all the frogs, birds, and butterflies I am capable of.

OK, had an epiphany and called a pool company (duh!) and asked them for an answer. They suggested a solar cover - cost about $100. Picking it up tomorrow at the customer's request.

oh green witch, i have the same problem. everytime i clean my filter, its frog heaven (hopefully). i go out everynight when bernie goes for the last time and scoop them out while they are still alive. problem for us with a solar cover is that our pool is already 92 degrees and a solar cover would make it worse. i hvae though about those things they make for dogs to help them out of the pool-i think kermit could make it out on that

Dragon- When I spoke to the pool guys they said there were a few options. The solar cover is good for my area because we have cool nights even in mid-summer. He also mentioned a netting system that keeps out critters and leaves. Works the same way. Call your local pool supply place, they might have to special order it, but it has been invented.

Think about it. Frogs can swim all day in natural waters. They will sit on a bank and then plop into the water and lay on the bottom. In winter they actually live in the mud, under the water. No, its not the fact that water is in a pool and they cannot get out. A frog may not be tolerant to a strong oxidizer like chlorine. Their tolerance, (LD50) is probably much lower than just about anything.
Sunlight releases the Cl gas and, a frogs skin cannot tell one ion from another so, while its taking in chlorine, its actually suffocating, or worse, burning its little green innards up. (sorda like ceviche)

Yup. The little buggers breathe through their skin. I'm with the agrarian gentleman -- definitely the chemicals that are doing them in.

Im of sound Georgian/Ukraine /American stock. I am not of Agrarian ancestry. Where the hell is Agraria anyway?

West of Harvestonia.

Just off the sea coast of Bohemia. Just ask Shakes-his-pear about it. Probably somewhere near Lesbos, home of Lillith Fair.

Saving the Frogs
I just found this web site as I was looking for a way to save the frogs from the unfortunate swimming pool fate. Here they have a lily pad that the frogs can climb up on.
http://www.petacatalog.org/prodinfo.asp?number=HP210&variation=&aitem=17&mitem=29

The time has come, the Walrus said, to speak of many things, of ships and shoes, and sealing wax . . . of frogs and swimming pools . . .

Yes, Setanta that is what I was thinking when I made up the title.

Horse1 - Thank you for the lily pad link. I still wonder how much of the problem is chlorine and how much is just being trapped. I have seen frog get out of some tough spots. It makes me think the chemicals some how effect their ability to get out of the water. I do think the pad is worth a try.

well, we don't have traditional chlorine...we have a salt system which breaks down the NaCl into chlorine. but it doesn't smell like traditional chlorine, doesn't taste like traditional chlorine (is actually a little salty), and doesn't hurt your eyes like traditional chlorine. do you think that makes a difference? they still die in our pool. gonna look into the lily pad...i feel awful for those guys. they always seem to go in a night too. i scooped 3 out last night and took them far away from the pool. and its the little guys too. i feel like a frog killer

Last night I saw something moving in the swimming pool water. It proved to be the greatest bullfrog I have seen in at least thirty years. I tried to net it, but that was a laughable exercise. Then I looked around for a "ladder" for it to get out on its own. I discovered that the cheap plastic chairs everybody uses to sit outdoors have slats across the lean-back. So I stuck it in the water on the steps. It took a bit of manouvering, but it worked perfectly. This morning, the frog was gone.

The frog I wrote of was back in the pool a day or so later. It was hiding in a skimmer basket. Thinking it to be dead, I picked it up in the basket, but it hopped out as soon as I'd cleared the water. I watched to see if it would go off and hide, but it headed back to the pool. I tried to cut it off, but it was too fast. I let the water fill, in preparation of a backwash, letting the frog alone for the moment. When I went to investigate a short time later, it had gotten out on its own was nowhere to be found.