Lancaster native and poison frog scientist Justin Yeager has no qualms about soliciting funds on the Internet to continue his research in the rain forests of Panama.

In fact, for $12,000 or more, he'll even devote a sentence-long tattoo to you on his body.

He cares that much about his work on the strawberry poison frog and thinks it's that important.

The poison frog work of Yeager, who grew up in Akron and is a 2001 graduate of Ephrata High School, is one of the first scientific projects featured on a new online venture that attempts to get the general public to fund promising research.

Petridish (petridish.org) is "a new way for scientists to showcase their research to the public to show recognition to innovative researchers," the just-launched website says.

"We hand-select the most interesting and meaningful projects we find to be featured on our site and then allow you to get involved."

One of those projects is Yeager's frog research.

With traditional government and foundation grants drying up, Yeager calls the online appeal a "kick-starter for scientists."

It is a for-profit venture. Petridish takes 5 percent to cover expenses. Donations, made through Amazon, are not yet tax-deductible.

The minimum contribution to underwrite Yeager's research is $5.

So far, the idea has been very good to the 29-year-old scientist. He needed at least $2,000 to make this year's research viable.

He was given 60 days to raise that. Support came through within a week.

So far in the early going, 22 people have donated money to the cause, totaling $2,671. One donation was for $1,000.

The ecology and evolutionary biologist hopes to raise $15,000, which is what he needs to fully look into how human disturbance might threaten the survival of the brightly colored amphibians — and how to head that off.

Yeager, who once took second place at the Lancaster Science & Engineering Fair with a project on infectious diseases of amphibians, loved the beautiful orderliness of Lancaster County farmland.

Still, he says, "all I wanted to do was get to the rain forest."

It didn't take him long for that to come true. After getting his bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and his master's from East Carolina University, Yeager found himself heavily involved with in-the-jungle research as he works toward his doctorate at Tulane University, known for its tropical biologists.

Yeager centered on the exquisitely colored poison frogs of South and Central America.

His knowledge of the Panamanian golden poison frog brought him into contact with Sir David Attenborough, who was filming a documentary for BBC called "Life in Cold Blood."

His first brush with Attenborough came when the famed naturalist needed some waves to rock his rowboat as he delivered a monologue. Yeager stood in the water in hip waders and obliged.

Soon enough, the two began chatting. "We ended up bonding over European salamanders," recalls Yeager from his shotgun-style apartment in New Orleans.

Yeager also has been interviewed about poison frogs for a show for the "Animal Planet" television show. And his role in a successful expedition to Peru to rediscover a poison frog species was written up in National Geographic magazine.

The Spanish Yeager learned at Ephrata High School has served him well and he speaks it fluently.

Those were good times. But the current plight of amphibians has Yeager and many other scientists worried.

Along with coral reefs, which have been even harder hit, Yeager considers the "catastrophic loss of biodiversity in amphibians is akin only to the extinction of the dinosaurs."

That decline extends to poison frogs as well. Habitat destruction and a deadly fungus imperil the exotic poison frogs.

His current research focuses on strawberry poison frogs located on Caribbean islands teeming with rain forests off the coast of Panama.

Even though the islands are close to each other — in one case no more than a football field apart — the colors and markings of the same species differ markedly on each.

Those defining characteristics are crucial because they have evolved over thousands of years to alert predators to leave well enough alone and to attract mates.

After three years of research, what Yeager has found indicates that the unique markings and colorings — as well as what makes the frogs poisonous to predators — are dependent on what the frogs eat.

Even more subtle things, such as land changes that affect the amount of light filtering through trees to produce a frog's color to predators or a mate, could have dramatic negative consequences.

So far, the strawberry frogs of Panama have not been adversely affected.

"The last thing I want to do is to place blame and give the impression that people don't care," says Yeager. "We're trying to figure out potential issues and promote better land-use practices."

Yeager considers part of his mission as communicating to local residents what he is up to. He gives animated, hands-on talks with local schoolchildren.

But tying specific plants to the toxins and colors in a frog needs more research to nail down.

Which is why Yeager hopes you take the time to read the details of his research and watch the video at petridish.org/projects/unde....

You can also read of his work at his own website at justinyeager.org.
Yeager sees the online soliciting as a can't-miss opportunity.

"If nothing else, more people will get to see what I'm doing," he says.

"Every donation also is a positive affirmation that someone has taken the time to read about it." He calls each online view of his research a "high five."

Of the 22 donors so far, he says he's "grateful and flattered."

There are incentives based on donation amounts, beginning with the minimum of $5. All will receive continuing coverage of his research.

For $50, you'll get a custom magnet and a T-shirt of poison frogs. For $1,000 or more, a strawberry poison frog in Yeager's captive colony will be named after you.

A gift of at least $7,000 includes a personal visit and Yeager delivering a seminar to the group of your choice. Afterward, he'll cook you dinner or take you out to a fancy restaurant.

Then, there's that $12,000 or more threshold in which your name would be tattooed on Yeager's body with this inscription: "(Your name) funded my research when I was in need."

Yeager, who already has some serious nature tattoos, says, "The neck and face are off-limits, but I'm willing to negotiate where to place the tattoo."
 

acrable@lnpnews.com

For a listing of outdoors events throughout Lancaster County this week and beyond, go to lancasteronline.com. Click on Sports, then Outdoors.