Hundreds of endangered northern leopard frogs will leap back into the wild soon, thanks to a recovery effort at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) delivered the frog eggs to the wildlife park in early May, according to a news release.
“We’ve watched them hatch and then grow from tadpoles to froglets in a short amount of time,” Marc Heinzman, Northwest Trek zoological curator, said. “At this rate, the frogs should be ready to hop back into the wild this summer.”
Once abundant throughout North America, northern leopard frogs are rapidly disappearing from their native ranges in Washington, Oregon and western Canada, stated the release. The species has been listed as endangered in Washington state since 1999. With only one known wild population remaining in the state, the frogs still have a long road to recovery.
“Every froglet is important,” Heinzman said. “Giving these frogs a head-start by raising them free of predators gives them a much better chance of survival in the wild. We’re very pleased to participate in this critical recovery effort to help save these endangered frogs.”
Sean Dougherty, the WDFW district wildlife biologist based out of Ephrata, said he is appreciative of the hard work Northwest Trek has put in on the northern leopard frog conservation project.
“In addition to the captive rearing programs at Northwest Trek and Oregon Zoo, we have partners helping with habitat improvement and population monitoring, all in the interest of helping recover this species in Washington,” Dougherty stated in the release.
Likely causes for the decline of the species in the Pacific Northwest include habitat loss and degradation, diseases, non-native species and climate change.
According to WDFW officials, northern leopard frogs are an important indicator of water quality due to their permeable skin, the release stated. Improving and conserving wetland habitat will help frogs and other species, ranging from amphibians to waterfowl and deer.
WDFW has partnered with Northwest Trek, Washington State University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon Zoo to better understand population status and trends, improve habitat conditions, and reintroduce a northern leopard frog population to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.
Funding for the northern leopard frog reintroduction is provided through a competitive state wildlife grant awarded to WDFW from USFWS’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program and Potholes Supplemental Feed Route mitigation funds provided by the Department of Ecology.
